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Hogarth (2017)
Original publication date
2017-05
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Fiction. Literature. Thriller. HTML:Tracy Chevalier brings Shakespeare's harrowing drama of jealousy and revenge to a 1970s era elementary school playground. Arriving at his fifth school in as many years, diplomat's son Osei Kokote knows he needs an ally if he is to survive his first day �?? so he's lucky to hit it off with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student can't stand to witness this budding relationship: Ian decides to destroy the friendship between the black boy and the golden girl. By the end of the day, the school and its key players �?? teachers and pupils alike �?? will never be the same again. The tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard, where kids fall in and out of love with each other before lunchtime, and practice a casual racism picked up from their parents and teachers. Peeking over the shoulders of four 11 year olds �?? Osei, Dee, Ian, and his reluctant 'girlfriend' Mimi �?? Tracy Chevalier's powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying and betrayal will lea… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
I tried. Really, I tried. But I couldn't make it past the halfway point. This is just dreadful. Please don't waste your time on it.
Tracy Chevalier sets her adaptation among fifth and sixth graders in the 1970s. I can't think of a more inappropriate setting for Shakespeare's great tragedy, Othello.
Tracy Chevalier sets her adaptation among fifth and sixth graders in the 1970s. I can't think of a more inappropriate setting for Shakespeare's great tragedy, Othello.
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OK, so the kids are prejudiced. So they haven't been around many black kids, let alone any from Ghana. I don't know about you, but I can only take so much of kids swinging on flagpoles, spinning on merry-go-rounds, and playing kickball. The famous strawberry embroidered handkerchief becomes a pencil box that O (Osei) trade for Dee's Snoppy pencil box. Mimi (Emilia) French kisses Ian (Iago) but isn't sure she wants to go with him. Dee gets reprimanded by her teacher, Mr. Branbant (Branbantio) for touching O's hair. Are you barfing yet? Well, I am, and I'm not going to put myself through any more torturer. Frankly, I don't care what happens in the end because I don't care about any of these silly kids. I expected better from Chevalier. This is awful, just awful. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tanya-dogearedcopy
'Othello' is William Shakespeare's tragedy about the jealous rage of the eponymous Moor, the fate of his fair and artless wife, Desdemona, and the machinations of Othello's Ancient, Iago. Set on the exotic eastern Mediterranean island of Venetian Cyprus, Othello's role as defender is rendered moot
Tracy Chevalier has chosen to re-interpret Shakespeare's play through the lens of her own experience as a white "minority... growing up in Washington, D.C." (from tchevalier.com.) The author has set 'New Boy' in a public elementary school in the DC Metro area (in 1974) wherein a Ghanian boy is the student introduced into a playground of all white children and teachers. Setting the action of the novel in a place where "kids get together at recess and break up at lunch time," and where such trial relationships are often intense if ephemeral, rings true; and mirrors Shakespeare's Cyprian island in its physically limited venue away from home. But it also poses the first issue of the novel in that in inverting the racial composition of the community completely subverts the WDC culture, and readers familiar with the area and time period will immediately sense the forced contrivance.
Where Ms Chevalier succeeds is in the POV of Dee (the Desdemona surrogate,) the white girl who becomes quickly fascinated with the black student, Osei (Othello surrogate); Dee seems to have the most depth of the characters, though the aggressive pursuit of a relationship with Osei seems a bit mature for a pre-pubescent; and ahead of her time in its progressive aspect. Nonetheless, she negotiates the school with an artlessness that seems genuine. Unfortunately, the other characters are rendered as flat stereotypes such as the racist teacher, the popular boy, the schoolyard bully, etc.
Moreover, while The Bard's play includes the issue of racism (as epitomized in Desdemona's father,) the issue of Othello's blackness is muted by his military successes and the esteem of his colleagues. Ms Chevalier touches very briefly on non-racial themes in her novel; but it is, by and large a book reduced to the racial aspect. The jealousies of Osei (Othello,) Rod (Rodrigo) and Ian (Iago) are all predicated on the issue of Osei being black. By reducing Othello into a story solely about race, the other themes are underdeveloped and/or nonexistent in Tracy Chevalier's re-telling.
Overall, this was an extremely disappointing read; and underscores a personal suspicion that the idea of the Hogarth Shakespeare series is more appealing than any of its actual executions.
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when the Ottoman Empire's fleet founders in a storm; but isolates the key players in a foreign milieu. Tracy Chevalier has chosen to re-interpret Shakespeare's play through the lens of her own experience as a white "minority... growing up in Washington, D.C." (from tchevalier.com.) The author has set 'New Boy' in a public elementary school in the DC Metro area (in 1974) wherein a Ghanian boy is the student introduced into a playground of all white children and teachers. Setting the action of the novel in a place where "kids get together at recess and break up at lunch time," and where such trial relationships are often intense if ephemeral, rings true; and mirrors Shakespeare's Cyprian island in its physically limited venue away from home. But it also poses the first issue of the novel in that in inverting the racial composition of the community completely subverts the WDC culture, and readers familiar with the area and time period will immediately sense the forced contrivance.
Where Ms Chevalier succeeds is in the POV of Dee (the Desdemona surrogate,) the white girl who becomes quickly fascinated with the black student, Osei (Othello surrogate); Dee seems to have the most depth of the characters, though the aggressive pursuit of a relationship with Osei seems a bit mature for a pre-pubescent; and ahead of her time in its progressive aspect. Nonetheless, she negotiates the school with an artlessness that seems genuine. Unfortunately, the other characters are rendered as flat stereotypes such as the racist teacher, the popular boy, the schoolyard bully, etc.
Moreover, while The Bard's play includes the issue of racism (as epitomized in Desdemona's father,) the issue of Othello's blackness is muted by his military successes and the esteem of his colleagues. Ms Chevalier touches very briefly on non-racial themes in her novel; but it is, by and large a book reduced to the racial aspect. The jealousies of Osei (Othello,) Rod (Rodrigo) and Ian (Iago) are all predicated on the issue of Osei being black. By reducing Othello into a story solely about race, the other themes are underdeveloped and/or nonexistent in Tracy Chevalier's re-telling.
Overall, this was an extremely disappointing read; and underscores a personal suspicion that the idea of the Hogarth Shakespeare series is more appealing than any of its actual executions.
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LibraryThing member browner56
Osei, whose African diplomat father has just moved the family to Washington DC, is the new kid at school. As the first black person to enroll at an all-white elementary school, O (as he is called) quickly becomes a lightning rod for the fears, biases, and fascinations of the faculty and other
If the plot of New Boy sounds at least a little familiar, that may be because it is Tracy Chevalier’s take on Othello for the Hogarth Shakespeare series of contemporary updates of some of the Immortal Bard’s most enduring plays. As with the other works in this catalog, a significant challenge the author faced was how to translate the essence of a timeless story into something fresh and relevant for a modern audience. In fact, the challenge of re-telling such a classic tale of jealousy, duplicity, and prejudice containing one of the greatest villains ever created might have been even a little more daunting for an author known for her creative and very enjoyable historical fiction (e.g., Girl With a Pearl Earring, Remarkable Creatures).
Chevalier attempts to meet these obstacles by populating her tale with 11-year old protagonists and setting the story during the early 1970s in a city beset by racial tensions. Unfortunately, this decision was not altogether successful. Indeed, I found that New Boy suffered from an ill-defined sense of purpose, or perhaps a confusion as to its intended audience. The author’s simple, transparent message about racism and bullying appears to be aimed at a reader just slightly older than the characters in the book. In fact, this novel might work quite well as a Young Adult title hoping to introduce the powerful themes of Othello to a new generation of readers who might be unfamiliar with the original work.
On the other hand, the somewhat implausible plot—all of the events take place within the span of a single school day—and shallow character development in this slim novel do not work as well for the more seasoned (i.e., older) reader. Particularly hard to understand was how the author had her 11-year olds vacillate so wildly between acting like kids playing kickball or jumping rope one moment and having the emotions or personal insights of adults in the next. Also, I found the frequent “reminders” of the presumed time frame of the story (e.g., kids watching Soul Train or Dark Shadows on television, listening to Roberta Flack on the radio, discussing the Black Panthers and Malcolm X, playing with Hot Wheels toy cars) to be gratuitous as well as references that would mean absolutely nothing to the YA market. So, while I could appreciate New Boy for the inventiveness and effort, it was not really a satisfying reading experience for me.
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students in his sixth grade class. He swiftly forms a romantic bond with Dee (short for Daniela), a smart and pretty blonde who is the most popular girl in school. However, this troubles Ian, the school bully, greatly, who sees O as a threat to his self-annointed place at the top of playground hierarchy. Ian immediately begins scheming on how to bring O down, drawing several unwitting classmates—Mimi, Blanca, Casper, Rod—into the plot, mindless of the tragic consequences that will ensue.If the plot of New Boy sounds at least a little familiar, that may be because it is Tracy Chevalier’s take on Othello for the Hogarth Shakespeare series of contemporary updates of some of the Immortal Bard’s most enduring plays. As with the other works in this catalog, a significant challenge the author faced was how to translate the essence of a timeless story into something fresh and relevant for a modern audience. In fact, the challenge of re-telling such a classic tale of jealousy, duplicity, and prejudice containing one of the greatest villains ever created might have been even a little more daunting for an author known for her creative and very enjoyable historical fiction (e.g., Girl With a Pearl Earring, Remarkable Creatures).
Chevalier attempts to meet these obstacles by populating her tale with 11-year old protagonists and setting the story during the early 1970s in a city beset by racial tensions. Unfortunately, this decision was not altogether successful. Indeed, I found that New Boy suffered from an ill-defined sense of purpose, or perhaps a confusion as to its intended audience. The author’s simple, transparent message about racism and bullying appears to be aimed at a reader just slightly older than the characters in the book. In fact, this novel might work quite well as a Young Adult title hoping to introduce the powerful themes of Othello to a new generation of readers who might be unfamiliar with the original work.
On the other hand, the somewhat implausible plot—all of the events take place within the span of a single school day—and shallow character development in this slim novel do not work as well for the more seasoned (i.e., older) reader. Particularly hard to understand was how the author had her 11-year olds vacillate so wildly between acting like kids playing kickball or jumping rope one moment and having the emotions or personal insights of adults in the next. Also, I found the frequent “reminders” of the presumed time frame of the story (e.g., kids watching Soul Train or Dark Shadows on television, listening to Roberta Flack on the radio, discussing the Black Panthers and Malcolm X, playing with Hot Wheels toy cars) to be gratuitous as well as references that would mean absolutely nothing to the YA market. So, while I could appreciate New Boy for the inventiveness and effort, it was not really a satisfying reading experience for me.
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LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Tracy Chevalier sets her Othello retelling for the Hogarth Shakespeare series in a suburban Washington, D.C. elementary school in the 1970s. It's near the end of the school year, and the sixth graders are looking ahead to junior high. As the son of a diplomat from Ghana, Osei (“O” for short)
Chevalier never sold me on the setting of this story. I went through 6th grade in the 1970s, and my classmates and I were nothing like the 6th graders in this story. 8th grade would have been more plausible. The perspective shifted back and forth among several characters, and I found it difficult to connect with any of them. I could see them, but I couldn't feel them. The conflict seemed like typical adolescent drama, maybe even on the tame side of typical. It didn't seem like the type of conflict to end in tragedy. This is by far the weakest of the four books I've read in this series.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
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has experience being the “new boy” in a school. It's happened to him several times. O stands out as the only black student in his new school. Dee is one of the most popular girls in the sixth grade, and she's been assigned to help the new student learn the ropes on his first day of school. While many of the sixth graders (and even a teacher or two) view O through a lens of racism, Dee views O as a potential friend. O and Dee are “going together” by lunchtime, much to the disgust of the class bully, Ian, who schemes to break them up.Chevalier never sold me on the setting of this story. I went through 6th grade in the 1970s, and my classmates and I were nothing like the 6th graders in this story. 8th grade would have been more plausible. The perspective shifted back and forth among several characters, and I found it difficult to connect with any of them. I could see them, but I couldn't feel them. The conflict seemed like typical adolescent drama, maybe even on the tame side of typical. It didn't seem like the type of conflict to end in tragedy. This is by far the weakest of the four books I've read in this series.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
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LibraryThing member japaul22
Despite having enjoyed Chevalier's works in the past and liking some of the other books in this Hogarth series of Shakespeare retellings, I just could not get into this one. The setting didn't convince me and I was immediately annoyed with the tone and writing style. If this hadn't been a book I
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received through the EArly Reviewers program I would not have made it past the first chapter. As it is, I admit to a lot of skimming to finish it quickly. Show Less
LibraryThing member susanbooks
I enjoyed Jeanette Winterson's novel in this series, so I was excited to win this as an Early Reviewer. I hadn't read anything by Chevalier previously, so I was pleased to find that I enjoyed her prose style. And there were some cool ideas here. I've now exhausted all the positive things I can say.
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I lived in Washington DC & I've been to the Upper East Side of NYC. I find it hard to believe that an entire class of kids, from no matter how sheltered a school in each place, has never met people of African ancestry. I find it ridiculous and borderline upsetting to watch sixth graders behave like oversexed cliches from pulp fiction. It's all especially frustrating because the prose is indeed good, the ideas really are interesting, so I'd give the book ten more pages and then a twelve year old girl would say or do something you'd expect from a 1950s maneater. Show Less
LibraryThing member LizzieD
"The bl--- new boy," is the way both adults and sixth graders refer to Osei, son of a Ghanian diplomat on his first day at an all-white private school in Washington, D.C. some time in the 70s. Chevalier plays out the surface drama of Othello all in the course of one day and mostly on the
Is Chevalier suggesting that the emotional turmoil that leads these tweens to tragedy is more explicable among children than adults? I can easily believe the intensity of their feelings as I recall my passion for Bobby Moss in the sixth grade in 1955. Then, however, "going all the way" was not a phrase that I knew, and I was thrilled for several days when he hit me on the arm. Maybe the sexuality is a bit misplaced in time, but maybe not. I'm sure that today's tweens are, in fact, exploring their sexuality every chance they get, so this part of the plot was not difficult for me.
More disturbing perhaps is the blatant racism that O faces. This feels pretty modern in spite of our growing sophistication about Africa, Africans, African Americans and political correctness.
Chevalier's writing draws the reader right in, but I'm not sure that she has done more than scratch the surface of Othello.
My thanks to ER for the opportunity to read this one now!.
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playground. His Desdemona is Dee, the prettiest, most popular girl in the class, and their mutual attraction is immediate.Is Chevalier suggesting that the emotional turmoil that leads these tweens to tragedy is more explicable among children than adults? I can easily believe the intensity of their feelings as I recall my passion for Bobby Moss in the sixth grade in 1955. Then, however, "going all the way" was not a phrase that I knew, and I was thrilled for several days when he hit me on the arm. Maybe the sexuality is a bit misplaced in time, but maybe not. I'm sure that today's tweens are, in fact, exploring their sexuality every chance they get, so this part of the plot was not difficult for me.
More disturbing perhaps is the blatant racism that O faces. This feels pretty modern in spite of our growing sophistication about Africa, Africans, African Americans and political correctness.
Chevalier's writing draws the reader right in, but I'm not sure that she has done more than scratch the surface of Othello.
My thanks to ER for the opportunity to read this one now!.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
No. 5 in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, this is Chevalier's re-telling of Othello, set on the playground of an elementary school in the 1970's. The new boy of the title is Osei, whose father is a diplomat. The family is from Ghana, and this is Osei's 4th new school in five years. He feels he is
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getting the hang of negotiating the pitfalls of being new, even when he is the only black student in the class. But this is sixth grade; boys and girls are beginning to pair up, albeit sometimes only for a day or two. With only a month of the school year remaining, everyone is getting ready to move on to junior high, and new emotions, new fears, new ambitions seem to be driving their every move. The presence of a new and exotic foreigner intensifies everything. I wish I could say I loved this entry in the excellent Hogarth series, but unfortunately, it did not work for me at all. I was too aware of the source material, and could not get lost in the story. I felt the primary elements of Othello were pasted on to these children and their circumstances. Maybe I'm too far removed from my own sixth grade psyche, but I simply did not believe in any of these characters. The action is compressed into one school day, making character development very difficult. Too much explanation of who each young person was, what their pasts were like, the dynamics of their previous interactions, and the motivations behind what they were up to today had to come from the omniscient narrator; there was no subtlety in the presentation, and no time to develop sympathy for any of them. Show Less
LibraryThing member nmarti
Tracy Chevalier presents her updated version of Shakespeare's Othello, portraying all the human frailty and tragedy of the original. The setting is a Washington DC suburb and the period is the 1970's. The characters are sixth grade students at an all white school with only one student of color, the
I could easily follow the plot of Othello, with the pencil case replacing the original handkerchief, etc. I could not find much credibility, however, in this new story that spans one day in school and on the playground, with the collective actions taken by the kids and teachers leading quickly and abruptly to a tragic ending. This is sixth grade, by gosh, and most kids are not developmentally up to some of the action that is presented.
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new boy Osei or O (Othello). Racism runs rampant through the school; students and teachers are consumed by it. The author does a good of hitting hard on this theme.I could easily follow the plot of Othello, with the pencil case replacing the original handkerchief, etc. I could not find much credibility, however, in this new story that spans one day in school and on the playground, with the collective actions taken by the kids and teachers leading quickly and abruptly to a tragic ending. This is sixth grade, by gosh, and most kids are not developmentally up to some of the action that is presented.
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LibraryThing member Liz1564
I have mixed feelings about this Hogarth Press Shakespeare project based on Othello. The author does indeed use Shakespeare’s play and make it applicable to the 21t century. It is almost as though she had a list of checkpoints and ticked off each one as she wrote. Cast of characters check.
So why did this novel not work for me personally? I think the author tried too hard to draw the parallel. I have to keep stressing that this is a very personal opinion because the novel is well-written, and the story is certainly fast-moving and compelling. Chevalier set the novel in a good school in a middle class Washington DC suburb in the 1970’s. Osei is the first Black child to enroll in this public school and so has to face a racist environment yet again. As the child of diplomats he has gotten used to being in this situation and knows how to handle the flinching, the furtive whispers, the outright rudeness of his fellow classmates, the distain and dislike of his teachers. This school becomes different in one respect. The sweet girl appointed to be his guide is fascinated by the new boy and soon they become friends, begin to “go out” together (i.e., sit by themselves at recess and share a kiss.) Yet, by the end of the day, for Chevalier allows only one day for her story, Shakespeare’s tragedy comes to fruition.
Things are too rushed. I know the lives of eleven year olds are rushed. They have best friends on Monday who are ignored two days later. Their hormones are beginning to kick in and they have to deal with these new strange and wonderful feelings. Still, too much happens in too short of a time. Osei seems too savvy a kid to fall for Ian’s manipulations. And I don’t think Ian works at all as a character. He is an outright bully, extorting money from his classmates, picking fights, terrorizing the younger students. The kids are afraid of him and he does have only one sidekick, the useless Rodrigo/Rod. The point about Iago is that the audience knew his evil intentions because he tells them, but to his fellow characters he is the perfect ensign, the hail fellow well met, the chum to get drunk with. He has earned Othello’s trust through his behavior, which appears exemplary. That’s the reason Othello believes his story about Desdemona and Cassio. He has not a single reason to suspect him. There is no one in the playground who would believe anything Ian says and even the new kid, Osei has seen him brutalize the fourth graders. So why would Osei suddenly begin to trust this kid?
Maybe it would have worked more for me if Chevalier had made Osei the popular young Ghanaian who really thinks he is accepted by his classmates until he crosses the line by becoming Dee’s “boyfriend” and opens the wedge to allow his best friend Ian to work his poison. But it would take more than one day to develop these characters.
I realize that the author’s main theme is the insidious racism in the school and how it poisons the students. This she makes abundantly clear and does it well. It is racism, not jealousy that causes the final tragedy. Teachers who should have known better fail their students and students are only repeating what they have observed the adults at school and at home do. Tolerance and compassion are still lessons that need to be learned.
As one reviewer mentioned, the audience would seem to be Middle School or Young Adult. It certainly would be a good book to use in a classroom. And so I will give it three stars as a book illustrating the evils of racism. But there is so much more to Othello….
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Othello becomes Osei, a handsome eleven year old from Ghana, the son of diplomatic parents. Desdemona is Dee, the prettiest and most popular girl in sixth grade. Iago is Ian, the ultimate villain. Emilia is Minnie the nervous and unwell girlfriend of Ian. The principal of the school is Mrs. Duke, not exactly the Duke of Venice but close enough. Chevalier turns Desdemona’s father Brabantio into the sixth grade teacher Mr. Branant whose favorite student is sweet Dee. Objects are transposed. The strawberry handkerchief belonging to Othello’s mother and given to Desdemona becomes a strawberry pencil box belonging to a beloved sister and given to Dee. Othello’s spellbinding tales about the anthropophagi and men with their faces in their chests are retold as a young boy’s adventures in far off Ghana, London, New York. The novel has five short chapters, about as long as a five act play. Check….check….check.So why did this novel not work for me personally? I think the author tried too hard to draw the parallel. I have to keep stressing that this is a very personal opinion because the novel is well-written, and the story is certainly fast-moving and compelling. Chevalier set the novel in a good school in a middle class Washington DC suburb in the 1970’s. Osei is the first Black child to enroll in this public school and so has to face a racist environment yet again. As the child of diplomats he has gotten used to being in this situation and knows how to handle the flinching, the furtive whispers, the outright rudeness of his fellow classmates, the distain and dislike of his teachers. This school becomes different in one respect. The sweet girl appointed to be his guide is fascinated by the new boy and soon they become friends, begin to “go out” together (i.e., sit by themselves at recess and share a kiss.) Yet, by the end of the day, for Chevalier allows only one day for her story, Shakespeare’s tragedy comes to fruition.
Things are too rushed. I know the lives of eleven year olds are rushed. They have best friends on Monday who are ignored two days later. Their hormones are beginning to kick in and they have to deal with these new strange and wonderful feelings. Still, too much happens in too short of a time. Osei seems too savvy a kid to fall for Ian’s manipulations. And I don’t think Ian works at all as a character. He is an outright bully, extorting money from his classmates, picking fights, terrorizing the younger students. The kids are afraid of him and he does have only one sidekick, the useless Rodrigo/Rod. The point about Iago is that the audience knew his evil intentions because he tells them, but to his fellow characters he is the perfect ensign, the hail fellow well met, the chum to get drunk with. He has earned Othello’s trust through his behavior, which appears exemplary. That’s the reason Othello believes his story about Desdemona and Cassio. He has not a single reason to suspect him. There is no one in the playground who would believe anything Ian says and even the new kid, Osei has seen him brutalize the fourth graders. So why would Osei suddenly begin to trust this kid?
Maybe it would have worked more for me if Chevalier had made Osei the popular young Ghanaian who really thinks he is accepted by his classmates until he crosses the line by becoming Dee’s “boyfriend” and opens the wedge to allow his best friend Ian to work his poison. But it would take more than one day to develop these characters.
I realize that the author’s main theme is the insidious racism in the school and how it poisons the students. This she makes abundantly clear and does it well. It is racism, not jealousy that causes the final tragedy. Teachers who should have known better fail their students and students are only repeating what they have observed the adults at school and at home do. Tolerance and compassion are still lessons that need to be learned.
As one reviewer mentioned, the audience would seem to be Middle School or Young Adult. It certainly would be a good book to use in a classroom. And so I will give it three stars as a book illustrating the evils of racism. But there is so much more to Othello….
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LibraryThing member theeccentriclady
I requested this book from Librarythings early reviewers because I have enjoyed several of Tracy Chevalier's books. Not being familiar with the story line of Othello I did not know what I was in for. I was surprised by the small size of the book but there is a lot contained in this small book!
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Being a modern day telling of the story of Othello in the 1970's with the characters being 6th grade students and their teachers captured my attention right away. I found much of the story line to ring true to the times since I was also this age during this time in history. For those of you who know the story will know this is not a light read and is at times very dark. Tracy did a wonderful job bringing the raw emotions of each character alive and challenging the reader to engage emotionally with the plot lines This is a book that leaves you stunned but also gives you a lot of food for thought. A great book club book. Show Less
LibraryThing member karmabodhi
I have read Tracy Chevalier's work before and enjoyed the novels, so even though this isn't exactly what she normally writes I decided to give it a try. This is my first time reading a Hogarth Shakespeare book, so I assume they are modern retellings of Shakespeare's work. I found this retelling of
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Othello was very emotional and poignant. Set in the 1970's among a sixth grade class, it sheds new light on the characters in Shakespeare's version as well. Overall, this book is a fast read you won't want to put down. Show Less
LibraryThing member mel927
This amazing retelling of Shakespeare's Othello was a joy to read. It takes place in a 1970's Junior High School and spans just one day of school. The characters are well developed and the themes of racism, loyalty, and friendship are all there. Chevalier did a wonderful job!
LibraryThing member kbuchanan
This is the third book that I have read from the very interesting and rewarding "Hogarth Shakespeare" series, the publisher's worthy set of new imaginings of Shakespeare texts from various contemporary writers. Tracy Chevalier's take on "Othello" worked surprisingly well for me. The decision to set
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the novel in a grade-school, with the action spanning one day mimicked convincingly both the compressed time-scheme found in a play and the heightened emotional world presented in Shakespeare's tragedies. As "Othello" as a work hinges on this magnified sense of right, wrong, hyper-analytical treatment of small interactions and petty jealousies, the world of the school yard was uniquely appropriate. The momentousness of tiny actions, deemed unimportant to the outside observer, is a hallmark of life throughout a school day. The borders are clear, the settings limited. Cliques, popularity, and the neat confinement of the action to the different "acts" of school yard recesses and cafeteria were much more than coincidentally related to the structure of the five-act tragedy following theatrical rules and convention of Shakespeare's time. If Ian is perhaps not as fascinating as Shakespeare's Iago (and how could we really expect him to be?), Osei and Dee offer some fresh perspectives into the characters of Othello and Desdemona, who sometimes appear to shine somewhat less in Shakespeare's original than the calculating villain of the piece. Osei and Dee's tender interactions both ring true and are well illuminated by the private glimpses Chevalier grants the reader into their private thoughts and personal spaces. In this novel, where emotions run high and time moves swiftly, Chevalier has given us a poignant snapshot of joy, pain, and struggle in a Washington DC still negotiating its problems with racial difference, through the eyes of children on the verge of growing up. The on-the-brink nature of this novel permeates every interaction and makes the reader feel unsettled in the way that the best of "Othello" does as well. The long slide of agonizing realization present in Shakespeare's work is effectively put forth here as well, in a novel that is a fast read packing an extraordinary emotional punch. Show Less
LibraryThing member 3bythesea
I struggled with this book. I really wanted to like it and in many ways thought that moving the story of Othello to the 1970's and a school setting worked well. It's brevity and clean writing work to build the tension. However, the timeframe, one day, and the age of the characters, 6th graders,
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didn't ring true for me to the point of distraction. If it had taken place in junior or senior high school over the course of a month that would have worked much better for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member BLBera
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is the latest in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, a retelling of Othello. Chevalier has set the story in an elementary school in the early 1970s. The action takes place over the course of one day, the day a new boy comes to school.
Othello is a powerful story. Setting it in
Chevalier stays true to the spirit of the play, maintaining a constant tension. And after spending a day with the characters on the playground and in the classroom, the ending is even more shocking.
Othello is a powerful story. Setting it in
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a sixth-grade class makes it even more disturbing. Chevalier does a good job with the characters. Osei, the new boy who is black and Ian, the school bully, are especially well drawn. We can clearly see the sense of isolation that O feels, surrounded by white kids. He thinks of his visits to Ghana: "Osei always sensed...the ease of being among people who looked like him. His people, who did not stare at him or pass judgment on his skin color." This is a bright, likable young man, who is under a lot of pressure. Casting Ian (Iago) as a bully also makes sense. Ian has to be the most powerful kid in the class. When, Dee, the most popular girl, is friendly to O, Ian has to destroy him. As in the play, we don't see much of a motive; it's mostly because he can.Chevalier stays true to the spirit of the play, maintaining a constant tension. And after spending a day with the characters on the playground and in the classroom, the ending is even more shocking.
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LibraryThing member amaryann21
This retelling is simple, but not simplistic; short, but powerful. Othello is presented as one day in the lives of sixth graders in Washington, DC in the 1970's. O comes to an all-white school, son of a diplomat, and faces all the pressures of being different, new and pre-pubescent. Some of the
I'm thoroughly enjoying the series of having acclaimed authors retell Shakespeare. This is fantastic and should continue!
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action feels a little older than 11-12 year olds, but the story works overall. I'm thoroughly enjoying the series of having acclaimed authors retell Shakespeare. This is fantastic and should continue!
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LibraryThing member kdabra4
I did not read all of the Shakespeare plays as a kid and certainly won't start doing so now, especially Othello which sounds like a real bummer. Well, it IS a tragedy. Tracy Chevalier was charged with retelling the plot, and she sets in the 1970's; but it could just as well be today. I read a quick
Othello was a Moor, a person of color. Here, Osei is a new boy in school, born in Ghana, and although it's nearing summer break, it's O's first day. Dee (Desdemona) is a popular girl assigned the task of taking O around to make him comfortable. The entire book takes place in one day, mind you, and almost immediately O and Dee hit it off and are considered "going together." (These sixth graders move fast.) Then the bully Ian has to step in and manipulate everything and everyone until chaos reigns and the story is turned on its head.
I think Chevalier did a really good job with portraying racism and bullying. I didn't think I'd be interested in the Hogarth series, but I am a fan of Chevalier. And Hamlet retold by Gillian Flynn sounds like a sure winner.
A Bookstr win 2/2017.
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summary of Othello just to see what happens, who lives and who dies. Geez, there's a lot of dying going on there. I was afraid of where Chevalier was going to lead us, as her story is populated with sixth graders on the school yard of a Washington DC elementary school.Othello was a Moor, a person of color. Here, Osei is a new boy in school, born in Ghana, and although it's nearing summer break, it's O's first day. Dee (Desdemona) is a popular girl assigned the task of taking O around to make him comfortable. The entire book takes place in one day, mind you, and almost immediately O and Dee hit it off and are considered "going together." (These sixth graders move fast.) Then the bully Ian has to step in and manipulate everything and everyone until chaos reigns and the story is turned on its head.
I think Chevalier did a really good job with portraying racism and bullying. I didn't think I'd be interested in the Hogarth series, but I am a fan of Chevalier. And Hamlet retold by Gillian Flynn sounds like a sure winner.
A Bookstr win 2/2017.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
This is the most disappointing installment of the Hogarth Shakespeare series I've read to date. The author reimagines the setting of Othello as a sixth grade classroom in 1970s Washington, DC. Osei is a new kid from Ghana who makes friends with Dee. Ian is the class bully. Other children, the I did get a chuckle out of the reference to Joe Namath and his pantyhose as I remembered the original stir the commercial created. This retelling does not make me want to grab any of the author's other works. This review is based on an advance review copy received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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teachers, and a principal all carry on the other parts. The handkerchief of the original play is now a pencil case. The re-imagining did not work for me. I felt I was reading a book marketed for middle schoolers. I felt the sixth graders of the 1970s were a little more like modern sixth graders than ones of that era. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dreesie
This is Chevalier's retelling of Othello for Hogarth. The story itself was good--but clearly I need to reread Othello, as it has been decades. How much it paralleled Othello I cannot say just yet.
She did, though, really nail what 6th grade is like. I absolutely hated 6th grade--girls and boys
She did, though, really nail what 6th grade is like. I absolutely hated 6th grade--girls and boys
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pairing up and breaking up within a day, the playground and things getting boring for that older grade, the politics, the teachers treating the kids like 2nd graders. UGH. Show Less
LibraryThing member indygo88
I was lucky to be the recipient of an early reviewer copy of this, requested not because of the subject matter but because I enjoy Tracy Chevalier's writing. This is one of several books in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, and is a more modern-day telling of the story of Othello. I have to admit to
New Boy takes place primarily on a grade school playground in the suburbs of Washington D.C. in the 1970's, all in the span of one day. When Osei ("O"), the son of a black diplomat originally from Ghana, arrives at the all-white suburban school, dynamics shift and seemingly simple events of the day evolve into something more profound.
This is unlike any of Chevalier's other novels, written simply and likely for a younger audience, or at least it would be a good choice as an adaptation and teaching tool for the middle school age range. As simple as it is, and though the setting takes place several decades ago, the racial dynamics portrayed are still very relevant to today's culture. Having not actually read Othello, I cannot truly compare this to that, but it appears to be a well-written and true-to-life adaptation. A quick read, but an enjoyable and thought-provoking one.
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never having read Othello and really not being familiar with the storyline. It was only after I finished this short novel that I went back to read a plot summary of the original.New Boy takes place primarily on a grade school playground in the suburbs of Washington D.C. in the 1970's, all in the span of one day. When Osei ("O"), the son of a black diplomat originally from Ghana, arrives at the all-white suburban school, dynamics shift and seemingly simple events of the day evolve into something more profound.
This is unlike any of Chevalier's other novels, written simply and likely for a younger audience, or at least it would be a good choice as an adaptation and teaching tool for the middle school age range. As simple as it is, and though the setting takes place several decades ago, the racial dynamics portrayed are still very relevant to today's culture. Having not actually read Othello, I cannot truly compare this to that, but it appears to be a well-written and true-to-life adaptation. A quick read, but an enjoyable and thought-provoking one.
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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
New Boy by author Tracy Chevalier is the fifth installment in the Hogarth Shakespeare series and is a modern retelling of Othello. Set in the 1970s, eleven-year-old Osei or O as he is usually called since most white people can’t pronounce his name, is embarking on his first day at a new school.
It has admittedly been a long time since I read Othello but Chevalier seems to have done an admirable job of maintaining the original story with all the jealousy, hatred, cruelty, betrayal, and emotional and sexual manipulation. But it was because of this that I believe that it would have worked better if the children were even just a few years older. The behaviour and dialogue seems much too mature for children this young. And having the action all take place within the space of a single day made it even harder to believe. Where Chevalier makes up for this, though, is in her exploration of the effects of racism on the children and the teachers.
Despite my criticisms, however, I found the story compelling. Chevalier is an excellent writer especially in her ability to recreate place and emotion and, despite the problems of her rendition of Othello, she manages to convey much of the power of the original play. This may be a flawed homage to one of the Bard’s greatest dramas but it is still well worth the read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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As the son of a Ghanian diplomat, this is the latest in a long series of elementary schools, this time in Washington DC. Despite the fact that he is the only black child, the day begins well, in fact, much better than usual. Dee, one of the most beautiful and popular girls at the school, is given the task of showing O around and the two immediately fall in love. But Ian, the schoolyard bully, immediately sees O as a target, partly just because he is new but also because he is black - there is absolutely no way, he would tolerate a relationship between a black boy and a white girl. He immediately begins devising a plan to end the relationship and he pulls many of the other children, most unknowingly, into his plot. Before the day is over, his manipulations will lead not only to broken hearts but tragedy.It has admittedly been a long time since I read Othello but Chevalier seems to have done an admirable job of maintaining the original story with all the jealousy, hatred, cruelty, betrayal, and emotional and sexual manipulation. But it was because of this that I believe that it would have worked better if the children were even just a few years older. The behaviour and dialogue seems much too mature for children this young. And having the action all take place within the space of a single day made it even harder to believe. Where Chevalier makes up for this, though, is in her exploration of the effects of racism on the children and the teachers.
Despite my criticisms, however, I found the story compelling. Chevalier is an excellent writer especially in her ability to recreate place and emotion and, despite the problems of her rendition of Othello, she manages to convey much of the power of the original play. This may be a flawed homage to one of the Bard’s greatest dramas but it is still well worth the read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member debkrenzer
This whole story takes place in a suburban Washington schoolyard during O's first day at his new school. The characters all come from the two sixth grade classes that attend the school. It is amazing what can happen all in one day. These kids can start to "go together" in the morning and break up
What takes place in that schoolyard is shocking, more than likely realistic and can leave you with your head shaking. I read this book and found myself talking to these characters. It was unbelievable some of the things that were going on. The experiment with telling a story in a circle secretly to the person next to you and how it gets turned around at the end of the circle is a HUGE part of this book. I was amazed that these characters were falling for some of the crap, but then they were just sixth graders.
This was a very heart wrenching book that definitely left me feeling some genuine strong emotions. Because of the nature of the story, I hate to really call it entertaining. However, it was a good read and I was glad I got the chance to do so.
Thanks to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book. And, the whole story took place in just one day. SMH.
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by lunch. What takes place in that schoolyard is shocking, more than likely realistic and can leave you with your head shaking. I read this book and found myself talking to these characters. It was unbelievable some of the things that were going on. The experiment with telling a story in a circle secretly to the person next to you and how it gets turned around at the end of the circle is a HUGE part of this book. I was amazed that these characters were falling for some of the crap, but then they were just sixth graders.
This was a very heart wrenching book that definitely left me feeling some genuine strong emotions. Because of the nature of the story, I hate to really call it entertaining. However, it was a good read and I was glad I got the chance to do so.
Thanks to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book. And, the whole story took place in just one day. SMH.
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LibraryThing member LoisCK
This is one of the books published by Hogarth where authors were commissioned to rewrite Shakespeare in modern times. This book is based on the story of Othello and it follows that story quite literally with all the characters in place. Unfortunately, they are middle school students who spend a lot
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of time on the playground (?) and think more deeply than most middle schoolers that I know. Sure kids are all wrapped up in themselves and falling in and out of love by the hour but these kids are plotting and dreaming at a pretty high level. O the new kid from Africa comes to school on his first day and Dee immediately falls for him and he for her. Then there is the unloved, devious ian who mistreats everyone out of his own self loathing and sets up the fall of O - literally. Not as successful rendering as some of the others in this Hogarth series. Nevertheless, I think it's an interesting project and will continue to read them. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaylia3
Tracy Chevalier moved the story of Othello from 16th century Venice to a 1970’s school yard in the suburbs of Washington, DC, but has kept almost every bit of the tale’s searing power and tragedy. The characters are 5th graders or their teachers, and with them Chevalier explores and exposes
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endemic everyday racism, manipulative bullying, and the loss of innocence. Written with beauty and efficacy, it’s hard to look away from this book. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781781090329
Physical description
5.31 inches