Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench; Brendan O'Hea
Narrated by Barbara Flynn; Brendan O'Hea; Judi Dench

I laughed so much during this audiobook and the enthusiasm of Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea is contagious. Big deal if I know so little about Shakespeare's work, I could listen to these two talk about their time acting Shakespeare for hours on end. Getting to listen to these two argue, squabble, tease, and laugh just made everything they were saying so much more funny.

Apparently Judi swears about every third word so just know that even though you only hear a few swear words here and there, in reality the conversations between Judi and Brendan were just one big swear word bonanza. And they laugh so much, you can tell how much fun they had acting Shakespeare. For someone (me) who has seen and read so little Shakespeare, I do know quite a bit about his work and listening to Judi describe her time acting the various parts is so interesting. It's also interesting hearing them talk about how Shakespeare invented so many words and phrases that we use today. I had no idea how often I'm quoting Shakespeare and never even knew I was doing it.

Judi can no longer see to read so when you hear her quoting Shakespeare, as she does at the beginning of chapters, this is Judi quoting from memory. Her stories of those she worked with, the plays she acted in, her highs and lows, are so fascinating. Of course Shakespeare is just a part of all her accomplishments, she is such an talented person and I'm so glad that Brendan O'Hea wanted to have these conversations with her and wanted to share them with us.

This audiobook was 5 stars of entertainment for me. I will try to get my hands on a print copy of the book since there is mention of Judi's doodles making an appearance in the print book. While we hear Judi's voice quoting Shakespeare before each chapter and also get to hear her in freestyle chit chat with Brendan (there was a lot of microphone drooping and they had fun with that innuendo) at the end of the book, as I understand it, Barbara Flynn narrates Judi's conversations (sans a zillion swear words) with Brendan for the body of the chapters. There is so much laughter, so much a sense of how much fun they have together and how much respect they have for each other and their work. I loved hearing about both actors I know and actors I didn't know well (even though they might be world famous) and all the silly things that would happen while performing or rehearsing the work. And then there are Judi's thoughts on what a character might be thinking, why they might have done this or that, she has done a great job of making me want look at Shakespeare's work in the future.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is so magical and wonderful. You do not need to like Shakespeare or have read any of his plays to enjoy this book, but it certainly makes it a lot more fun. The love that Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea both have for Shakespeare is absolutely intoxicating. Also Judi Dench is possibly the cutest person to have ever existed. She doesn't take anything, especially herself, too seriously and she loves people so deeply and so passionately. Her views on acting are incredible, if you're interested in being an actor I think her insights are invaluable. However, if you're not interested in acting this book is still so wonderful. She has such an interesting perspective on the world, anyone can learn from her. I really can't say enough good things. This is by far my favorite celebrity memoir and I think a big part of why is that this is very accidentally a memoir, Judi Dench has just entwined Shakespeare with her life so much that she can't tell the story of one without the other.
I also loved the audiobook, Barbara Flynn and Brendan O’Hea do a lovely job reading. Then there's a little conversation at the end that is more of a podcast than an audiobook and it's the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life. If Dame Judi Dench starts accepting applications for grandchildren to adopt I will fight my way to the top of that list.

This was a really fun book that was part memoir, part study of some of Shakespeare's plays. Dame Judi Dench is a wonderful actor and spent much of her time on stage performing a variety of parts in many of the plays of Shakespeare, and in this book she recounts some of the stories of her time performing each part and how each character fits into the story as well as an overview of the play in general. I really enjoyed the back and forth between co writer Brendan O'hea and Dench and I can see how the conversations would have had some questions that would have been prepared for each part covered, but also would have happened in a more organic way as the discussion went on. This method was nice as it allowed Dench to dig into the characters and how she feels the parts and plays work. As she says there is no one way to interpret Shakespeare, and it was really interesting to see how this wonderful actress interprets the parts.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook which I think was wonderful as it really allowed the conversational element of the book to shine. I especially liked that it included little excerpts of Judi reciting lines from the plays at the beginning of some of the chapters. I generally enjoyed the narrator for Judi's parts and on the whole think they picked someone who was able to imitate Judi's voice well but there were a few times I found myself having a hard time listening to her (I especially struggled with her laughs when they came) but in general I think this book works better as an audiobook than it does in a written form.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this audiobook! It was like listening in on a long interview with the great Judi Dench, talking about all things Shakespeare! What could be better? I learned a lot about Shakespeare and acting, but the best thing about this was the deep dive into Shakespeare's great female characters. This is a rare gift. I particularly liked the section on A Winter's Tale because it's a play I don't know well. Another added bonus are the stories about other actors and directors. This is just a gem! I would recommend this to anyone who loves Shakespeare.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

This title offers a series of reflections and conversations between Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea. Originally created for an archive, the two got the idea to publish a book and release an audio title together, and the reader is so lucky that they made that decision.

Readers get to share in Judi’s life and her professional career. Her love for her husband, her daughter and her craft all come across. She is witty, wise, and the entire work was an absolute pleasure.

Judi Dench and her husband, referred to Shakespeare as the man who pays the rent because they were in so many productions over the years. However, Shakespeare never really became routine for them and Judi brought her best self to every performance.

The first play that is reflected upon is Macbeth. Judi Dench very much views it as a play about the relationship between Lord and Lady Macbeth. She sees the deterioration of their marriage as a true tragedy.

Included here are Dench’s thoughts on nineteen plays interspersed with other reflections. A couple of examples of these are Company and Fireside Ramblings.

For anyone who admires Judi Dench or who wants to more deeply understand the bard, the book or the recording is a must.

I think that I can honestly say that this is one of the best audio books that I have EVER listened to. To hear Judi speak on the plays, to quote from them and to just be so real was the most amazing treat. I cannot recommend Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent enough. I loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you MacMillan for Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent. This audiobook is such a delight, and I recommend this format over the physical book so you can hear Judi Dench talk about her roles and just enjoy the interview style storysharing. This is one to listen to and enjoy.

Stand outs, other than this being a most welcome change from my usual audiobooks:
1. Humor, the stories are funny, joyful, and I felt a lot of respect for the stories, the opportunity that the interviews offered.
2. History and insights into Judi Dench's long career with Shakespeare, her behind the scenes stories and rich detail are captivating
3. Her recall of lines, passages from Shakespeare, what a gift to listen to her perform

Highly recommend. If I taught Shakespeare I would assign this to my students!

This was a delightful book about Dame Judy Denche’s relationship to Shakespear. It was immensely funny and well written. I loved the banter between Judy and Brendan. You can tell that they are good friends and very comfortable with each other.
I had read many of Shakespeare’s plays, and seen my fare share or them as movies. I did not know that Judy had played in so many of his plays. Her dry wit and hilarious humor truly shined in this book. This is a great book for anybody who loved Shakespear. Even if you don’t know much about his plays, you will enjoy this book.
The audio version of this book was excellent. Even though the reader wasn’t Judy Dench, but Barbara Flynn, she did an excellent job of reading Judy’s parts. Brendan was great. We also got a cool extra with the actual voice of Judy and Brendan at the end of the audiobook that was narrated by them. I loved every part of the audio version and can’t recommend it enough.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent is a compilation of interviews between Brendan O'Hea and Dame Judi Dench. Their humorous conversations take a look into the actress' life experiences performing Shakespeare's work. There are chapters dedicated to each of the plays that Judi has performed in from Romeo & Juliet, to Hamlet, to her least favourite of them all - The Merchant of Venice.

I was given a rare opportunity to be given the audio and digital ARC around the same time. I decided to do a read along, and it was the best decision!

The audiobook is narrated by Brendan O'Hea and the talented Barbara Flynn. Listeners also get the opportunity to hear Judi Dench recite some of Shakespeare's most famous lines at the start of some chapters. These lines are not included in the digital copy. It is also easier to pick up more of the jest and camaraderie between the Brendan and Judi that didn't come out as clearly in the digital copy.

In the digital book, having the ability to read along with the narrators as they perform their lines in Shakespeare's iambic pentameter really helps pull you into the book. Readers are also privy to some of Judi's recent illustrations which are scattered throughout the book as she sketches some of the characters she has portrayed and Shakespeare himself.

Overall, this is a fantastic book! The audio/digital book combo complimented each other immensely. Regardless of which version you choose, you're in for a treat. Judi Dench is hilarious and her expertise in portraying Shakespeare's leading ladies is unmatched.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press (digital ARC) and Macmillan Audio (audio ARC) for the opportunity to read this title in advance of its publishing date. Opinions are my own.

There are no words to describe how fabulous this listening experience was. And I must say I can’t imagine reading this with my eyes instead of listening. To hear Dame Judi Dench perform Shakespeare and chat about it is an incredible treat. The stories and asides are both fascinating, informative, and hilarious. She holds nothing back when it comes to her opinions on each play and character they discuss. Plus Judi and Brendan have a great rapport; they bounce off each other the entire time.
At the end we get a kind of podcast section that was also fantastic. I can get over just how funny she is.
It did help to be familiar with the plays to better understand the breakdown we got. However, there were several I’d never read, and still didn’t feel lost as they discussed. Plus as Judi emphasized at one point, she’s really talking about how one performs these plays, and not necessarily as a thematic study.
Anyway, I highly recommend the audio for this. It was just a next level enjoyable experience!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.