Gertrude and Claudius

"Coming from the sly and subtle Mr. Updike, one would expect this to be more than just an apologia for the queen and her new husband, and it is: GERTRUDE AND CLAUDIUS is also a reflection on, among much else, the contrast between Christianity and paganism and on the play's historical moment....Mr. Updike is a superbly skillful writer, and he needs every bit of his skill in taking on the delicate task he has set for himself in this novel. Historical novels are always difficult to pull off, but when you are dealing with characters from another millennium, who speak in another language, it seems almost impossible to make them sound natural. Mr. Updike has never been afraid of taking risks....This time he succeeds, to a large degree. The characters are real and speak and act as naturally as it is possible for them to; better yet, they meld in a plausible way with their familiar Shakespearean counterparts.... [T]he book surpasses the intellectual exercise it might have been and becomes a living, powerfully physical work."Updike, John is the author of 'Gertrude and Claudius', published 2000 under ISBN 9780375409080 and ISBN 0375409084.