By Any Other Name

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an ΓÇ£inspiringΓÇ¥ (Elle) novel about two women,centuries apartΓÇöone of whom is the real author of ShakespeareΓÇÖs playsΓÇöwho are both forced to hide behind another name. ΓÇ£YouΓÇÖll fall in love with Emilia Bassanothe unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöKristin Hannahauthor of The Women Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikelyin a theater world where the playing field isnΓÇÖt level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure againher best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym. In 1581young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languageshistoryand writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytellingbut like most women of her dayshe is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlainwho oversees all theatre productions in EnglandEmilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stageΓÇöby paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work. Told in intertwining timelinesBy Any Other Namea sweeping tale of ambitioncourageand desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novelrooted in primary historical sourcesensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.