Diving for Pearls by Katherine Thomson

Diving for Pearls by Katherine Thomson is the story of working class Australians in the changing world of the 1980s to 90s. It is set in an industrial (most probably Wollongong) town, where the industries are now being sold to create a resort. The main characters are Barbara, her lover Den, Barbara's daughter Verge and Barbara's brother in law Ron. 

I am not sure if Diving for Pearls fits into the book review categories but I read the play as if it was a book so I am writing about it. Actually, this is more me complaining and whining about the play. I had to read it for school and I didn't even understand hot it can pass as an actual play. 

The play is supposedly trying to show what it was like for Australians in the late 80s and early 90s, especially for those in the steel industries. If the book was successful in doing so, then Australians were really rude, pessimistic and unmotivated or just plain unskilled. It was ridiculous how many swear words were in the play, while I understand that Thomson was trying to show the real day to day life (very generalised) of the working class Australia of that time period, it didn't make the play any less inappropriate for a class reading as well as making Australians seem really bad. 

The worst part of the play was that I couldn't empathise with the characters. I couldn't understand their personalities and motives and so the story was never real to me. A good book or play is supposed to make you feel for the characters and understand them so that their story becomes real. This play was the complete opposite

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper is about an 11 year-old boy who is part of the Company of boys, a group of boys who are rehearsing to perform Shakespeare’s plays. It is first set in the late 20^th century but after Nathan gets the Bubonic plague, he goes back in time to 1599. He works with William Shakespeare and makes new friends, but he still misses his life in the 20^th century. He also wonders if he will ever be able to return to his old life. Everything is so different in the 16^th; no light bulbs or television and very brutal punishments. So how is he supposed to act like a boy from the Elizabethan Era?

Shakespeare's Apprentice by Veronica Bennett

"My love can never marry a player," said Sam. "But she loves me because I am a player."

Shakespeare's Apprentice by Veronica Bennett is about a teenage boy called Sam Gilbourne. He works in Shakespeare's theatre as an actor. One day, he sees Lucie Cheetham and falls in love with her and she loves him back. But he is a player and she is Lord Essex's niece so they can't get married. They secretly meet and send letters to each other. But will they be able to overcome any obstacle to be together?

This book is set in England from the late 1598 to early 1601. It is historical fiction and romance. Although it is set in the past, it does not have Old English, except for the dialogue, so it is easy to understand. It is written in third person. 

I thought that the first 80 pages were boring. The book got a lot better in the middle but also got a bit repetitive. The first few pages were hard for me to understand because there were so many names so it was hard to remember the characters at the beginning. But after I finished the book, I went back to those pages and it was much easier to understand. This story is very similar to Romeo and Juliet except for the ending. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what life was like in the Shakespeare's theatre company or likes reading romance books. 

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Romeo and Juliet 2.2
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is one of the most well known plays (so I'll keep the summary short). Two adolescents from rival families fall in love. Their love is forbidden so they  get married undercover. Romeo, albeit trying to keep the peace, ends up killing Juliet's cousin and gets banished from Verona. The friar helps Juliet to reunite with Romeo. He gives Juliet a potion that will make her seem dead, then  after her funeral she will wake up and they will be able to elope. The plan goes wrong when the messenger is detained in one of the cities because of fear of spreading the plague and Romeo arrives where Juliet lies and kills himself. Juliet wakes up and and seeing Romeo kills herself. 

First of all I apologize at the beginning if I end up just calling Romeo and Juliet a novel instead of a play, it is quite a habit I need to get out of; it is hard since I'm used a play being what I watch and a novel is what I read. This review could easily be one of the longest I write because of the in depth study I did in class on the play. There are so many themes and ideas explored in the play. It isn't just about love but also about hate and how it achieves nothing, it is about people leading lives through emotions instead of reason, adolescent rebellion, the law judging and restoring peace and so much more. Shakespeare's language is also highly regarded, throughout most of his play he uses the iambic pentameter, poetry and uses rhyme to highlight importance of the dialogue. It would be easy to write  pages on the topics I just mentioned however this is what everyone will study in school or read on the internet and I'm taking a different spin on this review