Smitten by Books

The Gentleman Poet
Author: Kathryn Johnson
Publisher: Avon A / HarperCollins
Pub. Date: September 7, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061965319
Retail: $13.99
Pages: 336

Many scholars believe one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, The Tempest, was inspired by a shipwreck and true tale of survival that captured the imagination of 17th-century London. But what if the greatest playwright of all time didn’t simply read about the wreck of the Sea Venture off the Bermuda coast? What if Will was on board, fleeing powerful enemies, daring one last great adventure near the troubled end of his career?

Elizabeth Persons’ blinding headaches are an ominous sign, one she knows well as a warning of danger. The young servant girl is one of 150 passengers who survive a terrifying hurricane then struggle ashore in the Bermudas, rumored home to evil spirits. Despairing of rescue, Elizabeth and the others make their home on the uninhabited island for nine long months while they build a new ship to complete their voyage to Jamestown, Virginia. While there, love blossoms between Elizabeth and the young ship’s cook, and she befriends a mysterious old man.

~*~*~

What would happen if William Shakespeare sailed from London to the new colonies across the Atlantic and was caught in a storm that stranded them in the Bermudas’? What if this is how he got the inspiration for his work The Tempest? In Kathryn Johnson’s The Gentleman Poet Shakespeare takes the name William Starkey and under the guise as the ship’s historian sets sails to the new world.

But it is not Mr. Starkey’s view we are shown, The Gentleman Poet is written as a diary of sorts from Elizabeth Persons, a servant accompanying Mistress Horton. It is her story of survival, not just of the storm but her life before, and that of her new beginning.

Elizabeth tells us about life on the ship to surviving on the wildlife on the islands. She also writes about the unpleasantness of being stranded, the dangers of being a woman alone with a group of men. During her adventure she befriends Mr. Starkey who becomes almost like a father figure to her, and a bit of a meddler.

Life in Bermuda is not all unpleasant though. Having prior experience with herbs and plants, Elizabeth is asked to help with meals and that brings her closer to Thomas who was the ship’s cook. I was rooting for Thomas the whole book as he tried to woo Elizabeth.

I have to admit that when I started reading I didn’t know if I was going to end up liking it but I was seriously wrong. Yes, it started a little slow but a few chapters in and I was hooked. By the end, I was so invested in the characters that I cried, which is a rare thing for me.

Kathryn Johnson did her homework and it shows. The ship Sea Venture is a real ship that wrecked off the coast in Bermuda and many of the character in this book are names of real people on the Sea Venture but she does a great job of mixing fact and fiction.

I travel to Bermuda as much as possible and the last time I was there I saw a replica of the Deliverance, the boat that brought the passengers to Jamestown from Bermuda. Now, the next time I go I’m going to imagine the stranded passengers trying to survive on what I think is a beautiful place.

If you are having doubts about reading The Gentleman Poet because thinking about Shakespeare brings up horrible memories from high school then I want you to put them aside and read this book. And if you have never read The Tempest it doesn’t matter either!

The cover proclaims The Gentleman Poet is “A Novel of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest” and it is completely true.

Rating: 8 (Very Good)

Heat Level: 2 (Mild)

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Reviewed by: Jamie