Gertrude and Claudius
Book description
Using details of the ancient Scandinavian legends that were the inspiration for Hamlet, John Updike brings to life Gertrude's girlhood as the daughter of King Rorik, her arranged marriage to the man who becomes King Hamlet, and her middle-aged affair with her husband's younger brother. As only he could, Updike…
Why read it?
1 author picked Gertrude and Claudius as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Everyone may love a hero, but let’s face it: They’re far more enthralled by a really good villain. An antagonist can be far more conflicted and complex, and thus more interesting, than a steady, predictable protagonist. And when it comes to infamous couples gone bad, two of the most famous are Gertrude and Claudius from Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. I was once part of a traveling Shakespeare company, years ago, and sometimes still act. So novels that feature characters from classic plays and either update or develop them more deeply fascinate me. Updike’s skilled, vivid take on Hamlet’s mother and…
From Lenore's list on romances of famous literary couples.
If you love Gertrude and Claudius...
Family Recipes
Family Recipes is the story of Vinny Marciano, owner of the most fabulously successful Italian restaurant in all of Upstate New York. All is pretty much hunky dory at Marciano’s Mangia House until the safe in the restaurant's business office is breached and the Marciano family’s secret heirloom recipes are…
Want books like Gertrude and Claudius?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Gertrude and Claudius.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
2,354
readers submitted
so far, will you?
