Reviewed By Gabrielle Pantera
“I was reading Will in the World, by Stephen Greenblatt (pub. 2004). This was around 2007,” says Kissing Shakespeare author Pam Mingle. “Greenblatt mentions the theory that Shakespeare may have been employed as a schoolmaster in his late teen years, before marrying Anne Hathaway (this is also mentioned in many other bios of The Bard). The idea intrigued me, and I began to build a story around it.”
Miranda, a 21st century teenage girl whose parents are well-known Shakespearean actors, wants to be as great a Shakespearian actress as her mother. At school Miranda auditions for and gets the part of Kate in the Taming of the Shrew. This is a role her mother is known for. Unfortunately Miranda’s first performance is a disaster. Stephen Langford, a new student, who’s got a part in the play, tries to bolster her confidence. In the process he admits that he’s from the past and he needs her to travel back in time help to save Shakespeare from making the biggest mistake of his life. If she doesn’t Shakespeare could become a priest. Stephen thinks Miranda can seduce him back to his true calling…playwright. Can she do it and get back to the future?
Kissing Shakespeare is a young adult novel good for ages 14 and up. Using Shakespeare is a great hook to get teens interested in reading Shakespeare’s work, but the point of view should have varied a bit. What is Shakespeare thinking? Why might he be interested in becoming a priest? The descriptions of the 16th century and English countryside are vivid. This is Mingle’s first published novel.
“I think it’s always surprising how both characters and story change and evolve as you write,” says Mingle. “And time travel. Who knew it would be so complex? Everyone has an idea of how it should work. So I had to sift through a great deal of input before I settled on how I wanted to handle it.”
“I read a great deal of background material on Shakespeare and Elizabethan political, religious, and cultural history,” says Mingle. “I also studied literary criticism of The Taming of the Shrew, and even read about and watched video workshops on acting in Shakespeare’s plays. I’m a frequent traveler to England, and was able to visit Hoghton Tower, the setting of Kissing Shakespeare, on two different occasions.”
“When I was in England, I visited the Lancashire Library to look at maps of the area around Hoghton Tower and to photocopy material with historic descriptions of the manor and grounds,” says Mingle. “Sir Bernard de Hoghton is the current heir, and although I have never met him, he very graciously answered many questions regarding the house and surrounding geography via e-mail. There are only a few documents relating to Shakespeare’s personal life during his youth, and I relied on Samuel Schoenbaum’s Shakespeare: A Documentary Life.”
Mingle grew up in Ohio and currently lives is Lakewood Colorado. She’s currently working on a Jane Austen-inspired sequel to Pride and Prejudice.
Kissing Shakespeare by Pam Mingle. Hardcover, 352 pages, Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 14, 2012). Language: English ISBN-13: 978-0385741965 Reading level: Ages 14 and up $17.99
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