My Name Is Will:
A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare
Jess Winfield
Hachette Book Group USA (2008)
ISBN 9780446508858
Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (7/08)
“My Name Is Will” is an awesome book. It has two great storylines, which connect in curious ways. The book starts out with Willie Shakespeare Greenburg. He is a college student at the University of California, writing a paper on The Bard. Low on cash, he agrees to deliver a huge mushroom to a collector, unknowingly becoming a target in the War on Drugs. On the other hand, William Shakespeare teaches Latin in Stratford. One day he is approached by a stranger that gives him a relic from Rome. In his town, he could get hung for this. Over time, Willie and William’s lives begin to intertwine in strange ways.
Jess Winfield is a great writer, and his writing is clear and understandable. His descriptions of the characters and settings were amazing. My favorite parts, personally, were the chapters with Willie. I liked reading about his friends, his encounters with Dashka, and his whole adventure throughout the story. William’s part in the story was interesting as well, but Willie’s chapters were more so. You can definitely get a lot out of this book. If you know about, or have ever read about Shakespeare, you get even more from it with the frequent Shakespeare quotes and dialogue. I believe the author was very successful in carrying out the purpose of this book. “My Name Is Will,” in my opinion, is most suitable for adults. The storyline and the events that happen are more appropriate for adults because of sexual themes, drug use, etc.
All in all, I enjoyed reading “My Name Is Will” very much, and I definitely recommend that others read it. I am definitely looking forward to reading more books from Jess Winfield in the future. He is an amazing author and I am positive that anything that he writes will be just as great and as interesting as this book.
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