Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved [Paperback]

With elegance, sympathy, and nuance,Her Infinite Varietycelebrates the women in William Shakespeare's world. These lyrical stories move from Elizabethan London, where Shakespeare is drawn to the plight of the young wife of a wealthy friend, to a wintry Denmark, where Ophelia struggles to understand her love for Hamlet, and to Shakespeare's Stratford home, where his daughter Judith deliberately enters into a shameful marriage. At the center of this remarkable book is Shakespeare's enduring love for Anne Hathaway, his beautiful, passionate, illiterate wife. Together, the masterfully interwoven stories ofHer Infinite Varietybring to life a Shakespeare who was formed by the women he loved -- and who loved him.Pamela Rafael Berkman is the author of HerInfinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He LovedandThe Falling Nun. Her short story “Duty” fromHer Infinite Varietyappears in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s leading national ELA curriculum, Collections, and the title story fromThe Falling Nunwas nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Pam is an acquiring editor at North Atlantic Books and has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.Contents

Gold

In the Bed

Magic Wand

Jennet

Dark Blue

Mary Mountjoy's Dowry

Duty

No Cause

The Scottish Wife

Diamonds at Her Fingertips

Author's Note

AcknowledgmentsSusan Vreeland author ofGirl in Hyacinth BlueWhat a brave piece of work, to imagine Shakespeare's women...A book to stimulate the imagination and remind us of the riches of the Bard's legacy.Andrea Barrett author ofShip FeverThese stories bring alive the women -- both real and imagined -- who delighted Shakespeare: and now delight us.Lisa Shea author ofHulaA visionary work -- I read it in thrall to Berkman's bold, brave crafting of these exquls#