So Now Go Tell

Jenny Watson is at lose ends when she is offered her dream job running a Shakespeare festival at a pub. She grabs the job without any second thoughts even though the pub is in shambles and the boss is somewhat of a mystery. When she finds an old skull in the basement she takes on determining it's history while trying to convince the small town that a Shakespearean play would be fun. The problem is, Jenny isn't there by chance and she has a few secrets of her own. Unique story with some insightful Shakespearean information! If you like a British mystery, a bit of Shakespearean or consider yourself an actor, So Now Go Tell is for you! #matador #Sonowgotell #SusanSachon

This novel taught me more about how to read and to understand Shakespeare than all of my high school literature classes! This novel started off as a cozy mystery, but it definitely started becoming darker around the halfway point (TW: sexual assault). The character progression of the protagonist, Jenny, was well-done, and the novel was very atmospheric. An enjoyable read for Shakespeare fans!

The pacing felt a bit off towards the end, but still, a solid debut!

Thank you to Matador for my advanced reader copy.

The description of this book really drew me in - I adore Shakespeare - and it really didn't disappoint,

It got darker as it went on but it perfect for me, got me thinking, kept me gripped and has made me want to go and read more Shakespeare!

Definitely reccommend.

Jenny Watson is a bit lost as she has recently been made redundant and divorced when she goes to a job agency and this perfect job just appears for her or what appears to be the perfect job. It turns out to be a look back into her past which she would prefer remain quiet but she has no choice but what it does show us is that sometimes we are stronger than we think and if you have good people around you that no matter happens when you need help they will be there for you.

I have received this book in order for an honest review and I would definitely recommend this book, as I read this book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. I would also like for people to remember that where there is dark the light can’t be far behind and as long as you have inner strength and good people around you, there will always be people willing to help you.

I enjoyed this book but the pacing was slow for the most part. It wasn't until past the halfway point that the story started moving at a good pace. Once the pace picks up, this book is great! Each chapter has a Shakespeare quote which was a wonderful touch to the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would reccomend it. 9/10 and a reccomendation. Special 'Thank You' to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
*This review will also be posted on Goodreads *

I enjoyed this novel which is the story of a woman who takes on an unusual job to bring back a failing old village pub and revive a Shakespeare festival that had taken place there in the past
It’s a complex multilayered story, which comes out slowly during the book as we learn more about the narrator’s life and why she suffers from intermittent stress related neurological symptoms .There is a tense story of her feeling harassed and stalked by a male stranger and near death episode by drowning .
I review, a lot of novels every year for my book and I’m always a bit apprehensive when I read a book by somebody who I know personally. I have met Sue and her husband part of our local Amateur dramatics group and knew of her love and knowledge of Shakespeare, having watched two of her two of the productions that she is directed for the group. I didn’t know that she was a novelist as well. It was therefore with some trepidation that I picked up the novel and I was delighted when I find myself enjoying it considerably.
This first novel is an accomplished piece of writing ,the book is perfectly crafted and has multiple layers to it. I read it in one sitting having been caught by the story right from the start The book did take a while to get going, but once it was flowing, and the Shakespeare auditions were in process the story progressed at a fast rate and had me wanting to know more.
The scenes that I will remember most after reading the novel and that resonated most with me were those are the lead character, Jenny is directing performances of a scene from Hamlet during the audition process. The necessity of actors understanding that their performance is more than just the words in written on the page as each character has an internal monologue continuously going on in their heads was described as being a vital process, the actor needs to go through to develop their performance .It was beautifully described.
As well as the background story of the pub in the Shakespeare festival, there were other elements covered in the story as part of the main character’s d ifficult past, some of which were quite traumatic. The author manages to do this with subtlety and skill The scene with the young child in the mother with the bedwetting for example is very traumatic, but felt very real. The historical rape scene is also covered very sensitively.

The author’s characters are well developed, and I definitely recognised character traits of people that I know within the characters of the novel.

The novel is set in and around Northampton and descriptions, particularly of the old pub where most of the action is set were highly visual, and I could imagine the novel being brought to life as a TV series in the future

I enjoyed the Shakespeare element to the story,the Shakespeare quotes at the beginning of each chapter were some I’ve not seen before ,it was not always easy to see how they were linked to the chapter. I know that the author has a special interest and knowledge of Shakespeare’s writings. However, I wondered how much the general readership would understand.
The author has a clear and easily read prose style, making the book an enjoyable experience to read, There are several lines in the novel that I personally resonated with, including “Theatre fed, and washed my soul as nothing else ever had” which the narrator Jenny use describe how theatre enriches her life and and another quote regarding Shakespeare’s writing, ““an extraordinary playwright, whose iridescent words had bought a roar to my heart that would never be silenced” was rather beautiful.

I do hope that there will be more books about the characters in this novel as it seems to me, it would make a brilliant series of books I also think it would make a great TV series it would be lovely if the TV rights were taken up I for one would also like to see the play that Jenny writes in the novel produced on the stage.

I would recommend this novel for those who enjoy domestic thrillers or mysteries which are both character and story lead .Of the novels, I’ve read recently I think the one that her is most similar is Janice Hallett, The Appeal a who done it set in the background of an Amateur dramatics society
This review will appear on Goodreads, Amazon, UK, and on my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com

Thank you to Netgalley and Matador Publishers for a copy of this book.

Jenny is at a turning point in her life. She is recently divorced, has health issues, was laid off from her job, and has other overall past trauma. She gets the opportunity to work at a tudor pub, and put on a Shakespeare festival. However, this dream job it’s not as it may seem. Mysterious things are happening, there is an ancient skull in the house, and Jenny thinks someone may be out to hurt her.

Trigger warning for rape.

Overall, this is a solid first book for a debut author. I thought some of the characters could’ve been a little bit more flushed out and the thriller aspect could’ve been ramped up. The part that was the most interesting was Jenny’s background.

This was cleverly written and has a really unique premise that stood out to me! There was a lot of focus on Shakespeare which I wasn't expecting and amnt sure added much ti the story but I liked the characters and the twists and turns in the story. I literally read it in an emafternoon and it felt like a really refreshing change ti the majority of thrillers ive read because its so original. I'd definitely recommend

Jenny Watson, at 40, is offered her dream job running a Shakespeare festival at a 400 year old Tudor pub. The pub is remote and her mysterious boss is permanently away. Her boss decides on the play that will be performed but, local amateur actors aren't happy.
Things begin to get a little weird and strange things begin to happen to her.
Will the play be staged? Will the local community rally round and help? What will the outcome be for her new life?

Full disclosure - I can't act or lie and I know absolutely nothing about Shakespeare, despite have a masters degree in Library and Information Science.
My brain plays elevator music whenever he comes up. I know, awful.
Anyway, our girl wakes up from fainting and she's in the hospital. The doctor is like "oh you panicked from stress and have a head injury and now you're blind but only for a minute." Which is like "wtf?" but maybe healthcare is THAT much better in the UK.
She recovers and she gets a job offer to run a little historic pub in another city. And she's like "sure why not?" So she goes. Her friend is like "are you insane?!" And the bar is like old and musty and cold and gross. But it beats being homeless so she stays.
And there is literally an old skull in the basement and people are like "oh yeah he's cool."
Basically even though this involves an ancient dead white guy I never care about before - This girl is living me dream. She is working in and preserving an old building, planning community programs, and dealing with documents 500 years old, or so. And she is getting paid to do it. Sign me up. I will take the creepy bits.

A story which will appeal to many readers, the book offers a sense of cozy mystery which also captures the tension of a dark thriller. I loved the setting of the Shakespeare festival, which added an extra layer of interest.

As a fan of Shakespeare i found this a real gem to read. The story was skillfully woven against Shakespeare. I did feel a knowlesge or like of Shakespeare would increase your enjoyment.
Jenny is a multilayered character and we get to see her history revealed throughly and skillfully always relevant to the story. All the characters she meets are well written. This is more than a atory about a women given a job to fo a Shakespeare festival in a rundown pub. Its about finding yourself in the darkest of times, coming to terms with your past and dearing to go for your dreams and all the time helping others.
Thank you netgallery ,publisher and author for a solid four star read

I like a “thriller” and I like Shakespeare, and this had both! This novel was full of twists and turns - I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next! Such a clever link to Shakespeare as well. I can't wait to see what else Susan Sachon will write next!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I loved the creepy setting of this book, great atmosphere. This was a great thriller to read and I really enjoyed it.