by Jodi Picoult
In Jodi Picoult's inimitable style, By Any Other Name is an extremely well-researched novel and a speculative "what if" about Shakespeare. It takes old and new rumors and accusations about the Bard and rewrites history in a beautifully written fictional piece. I love Picoult's writing style - it is epic and in true period language as best as possible while still making it readable by the modern reader. The connection to the present is clear and understandable but could have been a bit better developed. Otherwise, I have zero criticisms - therefore this is just one of a few 5-star reads for me this year!