From the author of The Book of Gothel comes the queer, magical story behind Shakespeare's sonnets, as told
by one of his most famous subjects - the incendiary and mysterious Dark Lady.

England, 1603. Rose Rushe's passion for life runs deep-she laughs too loudly, meddles with astrology and music, and pays no heed to her mother's warnings to guard her reputation. When Rose's father dies and a noble accuses her and her best friend Cecely of witchcraft, they flee to London and make their way as occultists, secretly selling love charms and astrological advice. Their thriving underground business leads them to young noble Henry and playwright Will Shakespeare, and so begins a brief, tempestuous, and powerful romance - one filled with secret longings and deep betrayals.

Praise for The Book of Gothel:

'Mary McMyne is a magician' Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked

'McMyne's shimmering debut gives a fresh, exciting backstory to one of the most famous villains in fairy tale lore . . . the result is a sprawling epic, full of magic, love, and heartbreak. Fans of Circe and The Wolf and the Woodsman will devour this taut, empowering fairy tale' Publishers Weekly

About the Author
Mary McMyne has won the Faulkner-Wisdom Prize for a Novel-in-Progress, a National Endowment for the Arts Parent Fellowship to Vermont Studio Center, and an award from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, which allowed Mary to travel to Germany to conduct research. She has widely published stories and poems in venues like Redivider, Gulf Coast, Strange Horizons, and Apex Magazine, and her debut fairytale poetry chapbook, Wolf Skin won the Elgin Chapbook Award. She is a graduate of the New York University MFA Program and currently an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Lake Superior State University.

Reviews
Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician. Her take on the Rapunzel tale glows like a cloisonne gem set against a fist of dark soapstone -- Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of WICKED, on THE BOOK OF GOTHEL
The Book of Gothel is wonderfully rich with historical detail, and sparkles with the intermingled magic of gods and goddesses, seers and wisewomen. Haelewise is a memorable heroine, worthy of legend. Readers will see the story of Rapunzel in a new and refreshing light -- Louisa Morgan, author of A SECRET HISTORY OF WITCHES
McMyne's debut is a reinvention of the Rapunzel fairy tale, a luscious origin story from the witch's point of view . . . McMyne melds folklore with actual historical figures and cleverly bookends the narrative with opening and closing chapters set in the twenty-first century -- BOOKLIST on THE BOOK OF GOTHEL
McMyne's shimmering debut gives a fresh, exciting backstory to one of the most famous villains in fairy tale lore: the witch who put Rapunzel in her tower . . . the result is a sprawling epic, full of magic, love, and heartbreak. Fans of Circe and The Wolf and the Woodsman will devour this taut, empowering fairy tale -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on THE BOOK OF GOTHEL



Book Information
ISBN 9780356517728
Author Mary McMyne
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Orbit
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 41g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 126mm * 22mm