Picoult, known for exploring social issues in her best-selling fiction, returns with a thought-provoking tale of two female playwrights and the similar compromises they make 400 years apart. Emilia Bassano, mistress to Lord Chamberlain, has a sharp wit and a talent for writing but no outlet for her work, so she agrees to let a man publish her plays under his name, thereby writing herself out of history. Centuries later, Melina Green has written a play inspired by her ancestor, Emilia, and it wins a contest after she impulsively submits it under a male name, forcing her to decide whether she will allow her identity to be removed to ensure her work will be performed. In the end, both women must decide what price they will pay to satisfy their desires and ambitions. (Ballantine, Aug. 20)
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZK%2Bwu8qsZmtoYml8cYOOa2hoppWseqO7zqSqZp6fp3q0wcymnKtn