By any other name - Jodi Picoult

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From theco-author of Mad Honey comes an "inspiring" (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart-one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays-whoare both forced to hide behind another name.

"You'll fall in love with Emilia Bassano, the unforgettable heroine based on a real woman that Picoult brings vividly to life in her brilliantly researched new novel."-Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn't level for women. AsMelina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her handsand submitsthe playto a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano isa ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages,history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, sheis allowed no voice of her own.Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage-by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.