By Any Other Name is a dual-timeline historical novel. It follows the historical poet, Emilia Bassano, who may have secretly written plays that were published under William Shakespeare's name, and the fictional Melina Green, who lives in the present. Chapters alternate between Emilia and Melina. The novel focuses on sexism, racism, and authorship, but it seems a bit heavy-handed. In the 16th-century, playwrights often collaborated and shared ideas. Most of the playwrights were male, but it was an established community of writers. Scholars have long argued that plays published under Shakespeare's name were not actually written by him. Emilia may have written or contributed to much of Shakespeare's better known plays. Emilia's story is the more interesting story than that of the fictional Melina.
Melina strives to write a play, but has suffered from numerous obstacles and rejections. Her latest play was about Emilia. Knowing that there are virtually no females playwrights whose work is performed, Andre, Melina's male friend, submitted her play in a contest under the name Mel Green. When her play is submitted, Melina tries to hid behind Andre. Will her play be accepted if the world thinks it was written by a man? Is it more important that Melina's play is performed than she get credit for it?
This book was not a page-turner for me, but it was interested. I did find the modern-day portion of the story to be a bit far-fetched.
3 Stars
Read: August 14, 2026
