By Any Other Name

 

By Any Other Name 

by Jodi Picoult

I reached out to my friend Katie looking for a book recommendation. I told her, “I really need a good one.” She suggested Jodi Picoult’s by Any Other Name. I decided to listen to it on a drive to a boat show in Tampa. I’ve been on the fence about audiobooks, but by the end of this one, I couldn’t resist listening to the Author’s Note. That’s when I discovered something shocking: Jodi Picoult pronounces her last name “Pico.” All these years, I had been saying “P-CULT”!  How have you been pronouncing it?

Beyond that revelation, the book introduced me to a fascinating historical mystery: Did William Shakespeare have multiple ghostwriters?  Did he actually write A Midsummer Night’s Dream…The Tempest…Twelfth Night or The Two Gentlemen of Verona? OR…did Emilia Bassano? My entire life I have never questioned it.  Why would I?  But now…are you not wondering? Who was William Shakespeare…the actor, poet, English playwright, and literary icon? 

“There was once a girl who became invisible so that her words might not be.”

By Any Other Name unfolds across two timelines: Melina in the present and near future (2013–2027), and Emilia in the past (1581–1645). Though separated by centuries, both narratives explore how little some aspects of women’s lives have truly changed.  How sad.  How depressing.  While laws and social norms have evolved, many aspects of women’s lives…particularly the fight for respect, recognition, and equality feel like we are still echoing the limitations experienced in the 16^th century.

The idea that someone could have penned Shakespeare’s works isn’t new, but Picoult does something extraordinary: she gives a voice to Emilia Bassano Lanier, England’s first known female poet, bringing her largely forgotten story to life in a beautifully written novel.

The book highlights the struggles women faced in the 1500s…expected to marry and bear children or be considered nothing if they weren’t of high class. Emilia, however, is raised to serve in the royal courts as a musician and becomes a mistress to an older Count. Despite societal constraints, she continues to write, earning only pennies compared to Shakespeare, but nurturing her love for poetry and self-expression. Along the way, she experiences a secret romance that inspired Romeo and Juliet.

Emilia is portrayed as a highly educated, well-traveled woman with a gift for languages, music, and poetry. Her proximity to the theater world, including collaborations with Kit Marlowe, positions her perfectly to contribute to Shakespeare’s works…yet as a woman, she could never publicly claim her voice.

Fast forward to 2023, we meet Melina Green, a Bard College graduate and struggling playwright. Picoult brilliantly ties her to Emilia through an ancestral connection, highlighting how women still face barriers in the creative world. Melina’s story takes a compelling turn when her play, inspired by Emilia’s life, is submitted to a festival by her friend without her consent. Echoing the challenges of her ancestor, Melina must navigate the consequences of this deception, exploring authorship, recognition, and the gendered obstacles that persist.

I will admit…I was shocked when I heard them say 2024 and she was using a man’s name to submit her play.  Haven’t we come further than this?  In today’s society, women can vote, work, and pursue education…yet we often still encounter barriers.  Unequal pay, underrepresentation in leadership roles, societal judgments on choices about family and career, harassment and the struggle for autonomy.  From experience, I can say women still struggle to have our voices taken seriously or our contributions valued equally…but to have to submit work under a man’s name in today’s society…I just can’t accept that. 

While I enjoyed both perspectives, Emilia’s point of view was more interesting to me.  Picoult draws attention to the severe limitations women faced, and the courage it took to persist creatively and personally in a male-dominated society.

Equally intriguing are the “what ifs” about Shakespeare’s legacy. How could one man have written over thirty plays while also acting and producing? Did he collaborate, buy works, or rely on a group of writers? Picoult raises these questions thoughtfully, making this book a must-read for fans of theater, history, and literary mysteries.

“What do you say when you know your words will be your last? I was here. I mattered.”

This theme resonates strongly: women have always mattered, and their voices deserve to be heard. Emilia represents the countless women who endured oppression yet continued to create, love, and survive. I also appreciated Picoult highlighting the historical “rule of thumb,” a grim reminder of domestic violence laws that allowed men to beat their wives with impunity.

As I mentioned earlier, I almost didn’t listen to the Author’s Note at the end, but it turned out to be my favorite part. It felt personal, insightful, and a perfect capstone to a novel that weaves together history, fiction, and the enduring fight for women’s rights and recognition.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. I’m fascinated by how women lived in earlier times…how they persevered, and survived against incredible odds, and then to be introduced to questions about whether Shakespeare truly wrote all of his plays added an unexpected twist. I’ll be honest: I’m not a huge Shakespeare fan but exploring the “what-ifs” of his life and works in depth gave me a new perspective, even if I remain…gasp, unimpressed.

I guess what stayed with me the most, is the stark reminder that the challenges women face persists across centuries.  The fight for respect, equality, and recognition is far from over.  Societal change is slow, incomplete, and often frustratingly uneven.  Yet, it is in the courage, resilience, and determination of women, past and present, that hope for change endures. 

Each day offers a chance to make a difference. I feel a personal responsibility to continue to fight…not just for myself, but for my goddaughter, for my friends’ daughters, and for every woman whose voice has been silenced or overlooked.  The pursuit of equal rights and a fair, just society is not just a cause; it is a duty, and one I will never cease to champion.