4.5, rounded up. Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea's close readings of Shakespeare (peppered with Dame Dench's dry, sharp wit) remind me of the best parts of my English graduate program. What a beautiful love letter to "the man who pays the rent".

Thank you for the ARC! I love memoirs and while I enjoy a memory that follows a linear time line, this was a refreshing look at a career told through one of her favorite disciplines. Highly recommend this book - thank you, again!

This was such a delightful book! I have never been that curious about Shakespeare’s plays, but hearing Judi Dench talk about her experience playing different characters was a treat.

Loved the banter between Judi and Brendan, it was very entertaining.

If you are a fan of Shakespeare, Judi Dench or if you are just curious about his work (like I was), read this!

This book could be twice as long and I would still happily be listening to it. What an absolute joy to hear these amazing stories from a woman who appreciates Shakespeare even more than I do. Her photographic memory for his brilliant lines and her analysis of his meaning are awe inspiring. Likewise I learned about her wicked sense of humor and her ability to relate to each character she’s played as if they are old friends. It has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a memoir so much.

If you are a fan of Judy Dench and Shakespeare too. This book will just make you happy!
Ms. Dench has a phenomenal memory of what she wore, the role she played, and the words spoken at all of her Shakespeare performances. She remembers when and where the play took place.
Great stories about the actors and how it was to be part of the troupe
She is smart, graceful and completely honest about what she thought of her performance. She also gives a good bit of dialogue on the characters she played and how she thought of them.
Wonderful book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

Loved this. I really enjoyed everything about this. I loved the story completely. Very interesting and informative. It will stay with me for a long time. I appreciate that the author has very strong voice - one I really enjoy. She’s a legend!

I enjoy Shakespeare but I am not a learned aficionado. But I am a huge Dame Judi Dench fan, so I dive into this with anticipation.

It was worth it. Not only do you get to hear Dench’s thoughts on ever Shakespearean role she has ever performed (with lots of being the scenes stories of a life as an actor), but I came out with a deeper understanding of the plays themselves and the characters in them, even the ones she didn’t like.

Dench is funny, perceptive, intelligent and the kind of has-no-filter person you want to sit around with and talk to for hours. Or, more likely, just listen.

The wealth of Shakespeare knowledge held by Judi Dench is extraordinary. She falls into quoting the text and breaks down the characters' relations so naturally which allows the reader to understand the plays with an ease that only comes from living the works as Dench has done. Not only that but she can recount specific memories from her time working on each of the plays which are just glimmers of her prolific career. It is a gift to be able to read about even a small amount of her career.

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this deep dive into Dame Judi Dench's decorated career as an actor in countless productions of Shakespeare's catalog. I ended up reading this after it was published, so I alternated between the ARC file on my Kindle and the audiobook from the library. I loved that the audiobook contained sound bites of Dame Judi Dench performing lines from her favorite performances, that was such an interesting and special addition to the audio.

I will suggest this to any of my fellow Shakespeare-loving friends and anyone who enjoys theatre history!

The mention of Shakespeare, for some, can elicit fear or cause painful memories from school to resurface. The import of Shakespeare looms large in English letters and explorations into his extensive work can feel daunting. Thankfully, Judi Dench with the help of Brendan O'Hea guide readers through this vast body of work with care and insight and humor. Dench offers up an engaging and intimate journey all while giving centuries old works new meaning.

I'm a big fan of Judi Dench's but not very knowledgeable on Shakespeare. Therefore, for me, the book started out a little slow (I had a lot of learning to do), but as it progressed it got better and better. By a quarter of the way into the book, I was hooked! It's written in the form of interviews by Brendan O'hea and Judi's responses. There were times when I laughed out loud and certainly many times when I learned more about Shakespeare's plays and Judi as an actress.

This book was tremendous fun—almost mandatory in something you want to pick up to read right now. The book is based on a series of intimate conversations between Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea, and I felt as if I were in the room with them, a welcome guest. Dench's off the cuff command of the material, even going back to parts she played decades before, is stunning. If she had been 40 when she wrote this I would have been just as impressed; the fact that she was in her 80s is astonishing. I should note that you do not need to be a Shakespeare buff to enjoy this, as Dench provides ample setups to her stories. Brendan O'Hea is a delight as well, and their tremendous report is charming and truly priceless. If you love the theater (and maybe even if you don't) this book is a must read. Before you read it, I highly recommend watching Dench's impromptu Sonnet performance on the Graham Norton show from October 27,2023. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0gp8klg

Dame Judi Dench is delightful as she reminisces about her experience in many Shakespearean productions. Director Brendan O'Hea spent four years interviewing Dench about her Shakespearean roles with the original intent of sharing the discussions with the theatre archive. fortunately for us, they penned a book instead.

The book is a transcript of these fascinating discussions. Each chapter discusses a different role and Dench provides interesting insight into the character and thoughtful analysis of the play. She also relates many a colorful take about the performances.

Dench first came to international acclaim when she was cast as M in the James Bond movies. But thee award winning actress has starred in British theatre and television and numerous films for almost seven decades. She won an academy award for her appearance as Queen Elizbeth in "Shakespeare in Love", which is appropriate since she began her career performing is Shakespeare's plays when she joined the Old Vic and later, the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She and her husband actor Michael Williams used to joke that Shakespeare was the man who pays the rent. The discussions are so insightful that actors will find this book of great use, as Ohea originally intended. But anyone who loves the theater will adore this memoire.

I was thrilled to win this book from the publishers in a giveaway contest. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Watch my video review @story.book.lady on Instagram or Storybook Lady on Facebook.

This was interesting but if you didn't know at least a reasonable amount of Shakespeare, you might not find it that entertaining. There were some funny bits and added to my knowledge of Shakespeare. I could definitely hear Judi Dench's personality and humour. Lots of names dropped that I recognized including lots I didn't know did Shakespeare. Good insights on what was meant in the plays and how they portrayed various characters. Overall I enjoyed it.

A walk down memory lane with the Queen herself- Dame Judi Dench.

Now anyone who has dabbled in British cinematography has most likely come across Judi Dench at one point or another whether they realize it or not. Her acting is commanding, and iconic. Very near and dear to the hearts of many fans and, if you are here now- you most likely count yourself among us.

The man Who Pays the Rent is a beautiful peek behind the curtain, delving into Dench's memories during her countless years dedicated to Shakespearian works. Every chapter covers a different play that she has been involved in and features several sketches from her personal collection. I am torn, however, because this book isn't quite what I expected it to be.

I was looking forward to long exposes and comedic tales of Judi Dench's (mostly) stage life. What I got was an interview-format smattering of her career. While this is charming in its own right the book is limited by the interviewer's questions. Interviewer? Yes- This book is a recreated Q&A format, which I imagine would lend itself best to an audio format despite the inclusion of Judi's hand drawings.

The questions felt haphazard at best, with Judi Dench on several occasions being quoted as confused by the direction the narrative was leading, needing more clarification and rambling. You would do best to have a clear understanding of Shaespeare's works prior to picking up this tome.

HOWEVER- Because of my love for Dame Judi Dench and the whimsy captured herewithin I would still recommend taking up and cherishing this read IF you are nostalgic for the actress or the theatrical culture. Undoubtedly you will find this a light and charming read provided you fall into the overlapping subject matter. If not, it may fall short. Either way, you will be able to get through it in an afternoon no problem.

[Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a free copy of this read in exchange for an honest review.]

As someone who hardly knows anything about Shakespeare, this was entertaining and fun, Dench being absolutely hilarious while describing her experiences on the productions, while also giving her thoughts on the bard and his plays. This felt like both a nice way to spend some time while learning new perspectives about such an important part of literary culture.

I read #Shakespeare:TheManWhoPaystheRent as a free ebook from #NetGalley. Judi Dench talks to Brendan O'Hea about her roles in the Shakespeare plays she did when she acted at the Old Vic and for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She also acted the roles on the radio. The book brings forth many emotions as all of us have at one time either seen or read at least one Shakespeare play. Along with the plays and the parts that she played she talks about the other actors and actresses and what she enjoyed and didn't enjoy. She talks about her daughter growing up in the theater and her husband Michael. As you read it, you hear her voice in your head. Some of the plays were less well known to me and I started getting bored with the book so I skipped those chapters and read her general chapters such as the chapter entitled Audience. I recommend this book to people who like reading memoirs.

The most perfect Shakespeare lesson ever compiled. Dench and O'Hea have in-depth discussions about many of The Bard's greatest (and some not-so-known) plays based on the roles she has played. I guarantee you will walk away with a greater understanding of the plays themselves and their importance in culture and the English language from reading this book than with almost any class you could possibly find about Shakespeare.

You do get some great personal insights and stories by Dame Judi Dench, but the book truly is about the man whose work she has brought to life on the stage over the course of her many decades of career. The insights are almost little asides about things that happened while she was working on a play and barely mentions unless it's something that really had to do with the play. Not a big deal when you consider how amazing an education on Shakespeare the book turned out to be, but I somehow expected more of a memoir.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the informational read!

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this as I’m neither here nor there on Shakespeare. However, as I should have suspected, Dench won me over immediately! These are her personal thoughts and memories of working on countless different productions, and it is far more entertaining than anything else I’ve read on Shakespeare! I knew that she has had a prolific career in the theatre but I had no idea just how many of his plays she has acted in.

This was funnier than I expected it to be; I always think of Shakespearian actors as fully on board with all of Shakespeare’s characters but Dench challenges so many of them. Not only are there some hilarious anecdotes (with some big name actors), I felt much more comfortable in my own understanding of Shakespeare after. I also appreciated that she recognised that she truly disliked several of his plays; we don’t get that form many Shakespearean actors, and it highlights her true honesty.

Where was this book when I was struggling to understand the appeal of Shakespeare in my high school English classes? Hearing the passion that Judi Dench has for the Bard's works is infectious. I may actually go see a play!

I loved the conversational quality of this book! It was a pretty easy read in that it flowed so well from topic to topic without bogging down anywhere. Like eavesdropping on a really good conversation at a coffee shop. *innocent angel halo face*

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! This is my honest review.