Enter the Body, Joy McCullough
Enter the Body, Joy McCullough
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Enter the Body

Author: Joy McCullough

Narrator: Joy McCullough, Valerie Rose Lohman, Annie Q, Victoria Villarreal

Unabridged: 4 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/14/2023

Synopsis

A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Shakespeare’s most tragic heroines find new voices in this compelling novel-in-verse for young adults.

“Radically creative . . . This provocative book could inspire all kinds of fresh approaches to the plays, not to mention lots of engaging writing projects for students.”—The Washington Post

“A strong, powerful look at the bonds women share and the power telling stories has to unburden us all.”—School Library Connection, starred review

Enter the Body gives voice to a cast of the young women who die in Shakespeare’s most iconic plays. Focusing on the stories of Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia, bestselling author of Blood Water Paint Joy McCullough brilliantly weaves retellings of Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear into a larger story of young women reclaiming their stories in the aftermath of trauma. Join these iconic characters on their journey as they navigate love, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption.

About The Author

Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her family. She studied theater at Northwestern University, fell in love with her husband atop a Guatemalan volcano, and now spends her days surrounded by books and kids and chocolate. Her debut novel, Blood Water Paint, was longlisted for National Book Award and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award. She is also the author of We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire and the New York Times bestseller Champ and Major.

Reviews

Goodreads review by cossette

joy mccullough could write romeo & juliet but shakespeare could not write enter the body......more

Goodreads review by Mallory

This was a very interesting take on Shakespeare and I liked the feminist explorations of some key female characters who didn’t get their due in their stories. I did find the first half of the book to be a bit slow for me, I liked the second half a lot better, but I didn’t love the dialogue pieces as......more

Goodreads review by Grapie

In a room beneath all the stages anywhere lies a meeting between all of the dead girls and women from Shakespeare’s plays to gather and to hide. Lavinia, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Juliet take center stage (ba dum tss) as a collective of teenage girls sharing their stories from their perspective and act......more

Goodreads review by Caitlyn

this made me feel such a range of emotions, i'm kind of emotionally spent in the absolute best way. a real review shall be coming, but this is a new favorite......more

Quotes

“At once tender, poetic and ferocious, Enter The Body breathes new life into the Bard’s most tragic heroines. More than a tribute to Shakespeare, this kaleidoscopic, ambitious novel-in-verse gives Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Lavinia the chance to tell their own stories full of passion, justice, sisterhood, and love. Simply spectacular.”—Two-Time National Book Award Finalist and Michael L. Printz Award Winner Laura Ruby, author of Bone Gap

“Radically creative . . . This provocative book could inspire all kinds of fresh approaches to the plays, not to mention lots of engaging writing projects for students.”—The Washington Post

“Body turns Shakespeare on his head while honoring the radically creative book for young adults who are familiar with Shakespeare’s plays. McCullough resurrects the dead teenage girls Ophelia, Cordelia and Juliet and lets them speak in verse and to each other about their fates. This provocative book could inspire all kinds of fresh approaches to the plays, not to mention lots of engaging writing projects for students. is talent as the girls retells their stories on their own terms. . . . Truly outstanding.”—Booklist, starred review

“By innovatively mining feminist themes of autonomy, exploitation, and patriarchy, McCullough boldly reconceptualizes Shakespeare’s version of the female point of view for a new generation of Bard enthusiasts.”—The Horn Book, starred review

“Form as a mode of personal expression is conscious, deliberate, and stunningly effective here and elevates this novel above and beyond many run-of-the-mill Shakespeare retellings to a carefully constructed and emotionally resonant consideration of tragedy and autonomy. . . . This will be a revelation for teens seeking to claim their own narrative as a distinct and whole person outside of adult or societal input.”—BCCB, starred review

“A strong, powerful look at the bonds women share and the power telling stories has to unburden us all.”—SLC, starred review

“This entrancing, fiercely feminist examination of William Shakespeare’s tragedies gives his female characters the opportunity to tell their own stories.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Elevates and reenergizes the canon; it’s an absolute must-read regardless of readers’ knowledge or opinion of Shakespeare.”—School Library Journal, starred review

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