The Taming of the Drew

Author: Strohm, Stephanie Kate

Number Of Pages: 304

Details:

Cass McKay has been called stubborn, temperamental, difficult, and that word that rhymes with “witch” more times than she cares to count. But that’s all about to pay off. She has finally landed the role she was born to play—Kate, in The Taming of the Shrew—in the summer apprentice program of a renowned Shakespeare theater company in the forests of Vermont. But Cass can barely lace up her corset before her troubles begin. Her leading man, Drew, is a complete troll, and he’s going to ruin Cass’s summer. Even worse, Cass’s bunkmate Amy has somehow fallen head over heels for Drew. Cass can’t let Amy throw herself at a total jerk, so she comes up with a genius plan to give Drew the personality makeover he so desperately needs: they’ll tame Drew just as Petruchio tames Kate! But as Shakespeare’s classic plays out offstage, Cass finds it harder and harder to resist falling for Drew herself. The best kind of entertainment, The Taming of the Drew is smart, funny, fresh, and original. You’re going to love this badass heroine and her friends. You might even end up liking Drew, too. From School Library Journal Gr 10 Up-Following her parents' contentious divorce, recent high school graduate Cass doesn't believe in relationships. She does, however, believe in the theater and is eager to begin an internship playing Kate in a summer production of The Taming of the Shrew in Vermont. Unfortunately, she and her leading man, Drew, take an instant dislike to each other. In the spirit of the play, Cass sets out to torment Drew, as much for her own amusement as to help mold him into the perfect new boyfriend for her lovelorn friend and castmate, Amy. Over the next two weeks, revulsion blooms predictably into romance as Cass and Drew get to know each other, both onstage and offstage. Befitting her character, Cass's narrative voice has a flair for the dramatic, and the story is steeped in Shakespearean quotes and references. At times, however, the plot seems a bit contrived, and a subplot involving a nearby group of pro skateboarders-and a rival love interest for Cass-feels unnecessary. The characters are largely one-dimensional, and the tidy resolution wraps up the central conflicts almost hastily. VERDICT This is a breezy, if predictable, summer rom-com that will especially please burgeoning actors and theater aficionados.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Abington School District, PAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reviews:

"I loved this madcap story! Cass is overdramatic, opinionated, and scheming—just like every drama queen should be. Stephanie Kate Strohm writes characters you fall in love with even as they make questionable choices, and keeps the swoon factor amped up deliciously. One need not be a theatre geek to fall in love with this summer stock romance."—Amy Spalding, author of Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys)

"What do Shakespeare, Clueless, and Punk'd have in common? This novel. Cass, a Springsteen-loving white actress from New Jersey, just landed her pre-college dream job playing the lead in Taming of the Shrew at Vermont's premier outdoor Shakespeare theater, which comes with the added bonus of escaping the aftermath of her parents' tumultuous divorce. Much as 10 Things I Hate About You does on film, Strohm's latest novel ( Confederates Don't Wear Couture, 2013, etc.) deftly fuses Shakespeare's play about the battle of the sexes with pop culture and romantic comedy. Since the aforementioned play is actually performed onstage here rather than merely referenced, readers become audience members, drawn into the beauty of the Bard's language and the zaniness of backstage drama. A car accident becomes a meet-cute with a sarcastic and infuriating New Yorker, who turns out to be Drew, her leading man in the upcoming production. To teach him a lesson, Cass decides to

"tame" Drew by playing pranks on him, much as...

EAN: 9781510702158

Release Date: 12-04-2016

Languages: English

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp. Hardcover Used - Very Good Ships fast! 2016

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood

Binding: Hardcover