GGBP books

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I've just been on the GGBP website for the first time in at least a year, and I see they have finally published the second Marlows-in-the-past book (The Players and the Rebels?). I have to confess that despite having had my copy of The Players Boy since GGB republished, I still haven't read it...(my Dad wants to borrow it though, molto bizarro).

I also noticed that there is an Antonia Forest bio published; has anyone read it? I decided not to buy the first one based on reviews, so would be interested to hear what people think...

Comments

[nicolap.livejournal.com]

Celebrating AF is not a biography, but transcripts of talks given at a conference, plus several chunks that were cut from the final draft of Run Away Home. I definitely preferred it to the infamously awful Marlows and Their Maker, about which I complained to Ann and Clarissa as I was so disappointed.

I think the historical novels are OK, but I'm not sure how often I'd reread. I bought them for the sake of completism.

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

I love the historical novels. Nicholas is essentially boy!Nicola running around the 16th century. The history is interesting, Shakespeare is fab, and the Marlow/Merrick backstory is worth knowing. Especially since it features the real-life character of Gilly Merrick.

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

It's very good, and I have also loved Celebrating Antonia Forest; the absolute best is there are quite long extracts from early drafts of Run Away Home that didn't make it into the final version. Blew me away!

Absolutely no comparison to the terribly disappointing Marlows and their Maker.

[colne-dsr.livejournal.com]

It does contain a further 50 pages of unfinished/rejected AF writing, which for obsessive completists like me are essential. Also some very interesting articles, including (from memory) one about how real AF's Shakespeare is, and one about friendship in the books. Well worth buying IMO, but it really depends how keen you are on the books.

I may be the odd one out here, but I enjoyed "Marlows and their Maker". I had the original downloaded from the computer long before the book ever came out.