Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly: Book Review

Took some time off over Fourth of July to spend some much-needed time away from the desk and with the Offspring and Spousal-Type Creature. While the STC spent most of his vacation from his mistress (aka the Army) watching Criminal Minds, I became engrossed with a wonderful new author. While she’s not erotica, there are erotic elements in her novel, and her prose is so rich that reading it makes you feel as though you’ve been stroked. I absolutely love encountering novels that affect me like this. It’s what keeps me reading.

Before giving you a run down and summary, here’s a quote:

“Once I am in Will’s bed I forget all my terror, and what we do now is like no other love-making that I have ever known, such is its silence and its slow tenderness. As we twist and rock together, I feel my mind fill with a profound sweetness, and I smile as I kiss him, locked closer, closer till we finish as one creature, still soundless, deeply bound.”

Sally O’Reilly has won a life-long reader in me with this book, titled Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare’s Dark Lady. The story is about Aemilia Bassano, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, who began life as the illegitimate daughter of a court musician, became the mistress of Lord Hunsdon, then, upon becoming pregnant, was hastily married to Alfonso Lanyer. History, poetry, and magic combine in this tale to tell a hauntingly realistic story of the Bard, Elizabethan London, and Aemilia herself.

In general, I’m skeptical of historical fiction when it involves such a huge historical figure as Will Shakespeare. Put in the wrong hands the entire book can flop, hoping to hang on the notoriety of the figure alone, without taking time to construct their own version of the person in the context of the story. But O’Reilly does no such thing, and her rich language, so ripe that the book practically oozes on the table, engaging characters, and vivid descriptions continue to drift through my thoughts. This is one of those books that will enter into my personal literary canon, and I hope others enjoy it that much as well.

Have you read Sally O’Reilly? Have an opinion on using historical characters in fiction? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment! When the “official” review is up, I’ll be sure to post a link.