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A Tip for the Hangman
Christopher Marlowe, a brilliant aspiring playwright, is pulled into the duplicitous world of international espionage on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I. A many-layered historical thriller combining state secrets, intrigue, and romance.
England, 1585. In Kit Marlowe's last year at Cambridge, he receives an unexpected visitor: Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, who has come with an unorthodox career opportunity. Her Majesty's spies are in need of new recruits, and Kit's flexible moral compass has drawn their attention. Kit, a scholarship student without money or prospects, accepts the offer, and after his training the game is on. Kit is dispatched to the chilly manor where Mary, Queen of Scots is under house arrest, to act as a servant in her household and keep his ear to the ground for a Catholic plot to put Mary on the throne.
While observing Mary, Kit learns more than he bargained for. The ripple effects of his service to the Crown are far-reaching and leave Kit a changed man. But there are benefits as well. The salary he earns through his spywork allows him to mount his first play, and over the following years, he becomes the toast of London's raucous theatre scene. But when Kit finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the uncertain world of espionage, conspiracy, and high treason, he realizes everything he's worked so hard to attain--including the trust of the man he loves--could vanish before his very eyes.
Pairing modern language with period detail, Allison Epstein brings Elizabeth's privy council, Marlowe's lovable theatre troupe, and the squalor of sixteenth-century London to vivid, teeming life as Kit wends his way behind the scenes of some of Tudor history's most memorable moments. At the center of the action is Kit himself--an irrepressible, irreverent force of nature. Thrillingly written, full of poetry and danger, A Tip for the Hangman brings an unforgettable protagonist to new life, and makes a centuries-old story feel utterly contemporary.
England, 1585. In Kit Marlowe's last year at Cambridge, he receives an unexpected visitor: Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, who has come with an unorthodox career opportunity. Her Majesty's spies are in need of new recruits, and Kit's flexible moral compass has drawn their attention. Kit, a scholarship student without money or prospects, accepts the offer, and after his training the game is on. Kit is dispatched to the chilly manor where Mary, Queen of Scots is under house arrest, to act as a servant in her household and keep his ear to the ground for a Catholic plot to put Mary on the throne.
While observing Mary, Kit learns more than he bargained for. The ripple effects of his service to the Crown are far-reaching and leave Kit a changed man. But there are benefits as well. The salary he earns through his spywork allows him to mount his first play, and over the following years, he becomes the toast of London's raucous theatre scene. But when Kit finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the uncertain world of espionage, conspiracy, and high treason, he realizes everything he's worked so hard to attain--including the trust of the man he loves--could vanish before his very eyes.
Pairing modern language with period detail, Allison Epstein brings Elizabeth's privy council, Marlowe's lovable theatre troupe, and the squalor of sixteenth-century London to vivid, teeming life as Kit wends his way behind the scenes of some of Tudor history's most memorable moments. At the center of the action is Kit himself--an irrepressible, irreverent force of nature. Thrillingly written, full of poetry and danger, A Tip for the Hangman brings an unforgettable protagonist to new life, and makes a centuries-old story feel utterly contemporary.
374 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2021
201 people are currently reading
7933 people want to read
About the author
Allison Epstein
12 books318 followersAllison Epstein earned her M.F.A. in fiction from Northwestern University and a B.A. in creative writing and Renaissance literature from the University of Michigan. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago, where she enjoys good theater, bad puns, and fancy jackets. She is the author of A Tip for the Hangman, Let the Dead Bury the Dead, and Fagin the Thief. You can find her on Substack at rapscallison.substack.com.
(Goodreads Note: I use this site as a tracker of what I read in a year. I either rate books 5 stars or I don't rate them. Many books I don't rate, I enjoyed very much!)
(Goodreads Note: I use this site as a tracker of what I read in a year. I either rate books 5 stars or I don't rate them. Many books I don't rate, I enjoyed very much!)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 414 reviews
February 11, 2021
I mean, I like it a lot!
January 8, 2025
Wow, A Tip for the Hangman is a refreshing take on historical fiction/thriller. With modern language and touches of humor, Allison Epstein’s thrilling novel about Christopher Marlowe, wannabe playwright, turned spy for Queen Elizabeth I, is brilliant and masterful.
Christopher “Kit” Marlowe is asked to spy on Mary Queen of Scots, currently under house arrest. He works as a footman in her household, hiding his true identity as a student at Cambridge. This role is serious and a risk to his life on either end, whether he disappoints the people who dispatched him and the Queen, or whether he is found out by the chamberlain of Mary’s household. Danger is all around him.
My favorite parts are when the book moved on to Marlowe’s theatre world. Also, Kit. Exuberant, creative Kit. How could one not love him? He shines. I absolutely loved this book. I was charmed by the storytelling.
I couldn’t help but think many times that Allison Epstein bridged a divide for those who find historical fiction dry. I hope she has many more stories like this to share with us. I loved everything about this one!
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Christopher “Kit” Marlowe is asked to spy on Mary Queen of Scots, currently under house arrest. He works as a footman in her household, hiding his true identity as a student at Cambridge. This role is serious and a risk to his life on either end, whether he disappoints the people who dispatched him and the Queen, or whether he is found out by the chamberlain of Mary’s household. Danger is all around him.
My favorite parts are when the book moved on to Marlowe’s theatre world. Also, Kit. Exuberant, creative Kit. How could one not love him? He shines. I absolutely loved this book. I was charmed by the storytelling.
I couldn’t help but think many times that Allison Epstein bridged a divide for those who find historical fiction dry. I hope she has many more stories like this to share with us. I loved everything about this one!
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
April 29, 2021
I very much wanted to love this book - in fact, I was full on expecting to. But it took me ages to finish, and I didn't particularly enjoy the experience of it for some reason. I can't quite articulate or pinpoint why that is. Because, on paper at least, Allison Epstein writes very well, and she is basically blending together a checklist of all my favourite fictional tropes. Espionage! Romance! Theatre! Historical fiction!
Over the many weeks I spent putting this book down and then almost grudgingly picking it back up again, I mused about why it didn't work for me. Partly it's because I don't connect with Epstein's writing style. For me, her attempts at depth and characterisation don't quite work - and I will forgive a lot if you give me a coherent, deeply felt, real character to root for. Her characters drifted into one another, but never quite connected, with me or with one another.
And then, I just couldn't buy into the plot of the novel either. I barely knew any of the real historical facts of Christopher Marlowe's life - we know the other Elizabethan playwright far better - and I did skim Wikipedia but decided I'd rather just let the story take me wherever it wanted to go. So it's not like I was fretting about historical accuracy all the time. I just couldn't fathom how Epstein's spies operated - none of the work they did felt real, from Kit's recruitment to the nigh-on miraculous work he did (in the novel) in Her Majesty's service. Turns out Kit's time in Mary Stuart's household didn't feel remotely real or credible because it WASN'T based in fact.
To that end, I found reading Epstein's afterword both illuminating and frustrating, because she explains where she turned fiction into fact and vice versa - and I found myself disagreeing with most of those decisions because I didn't feel as if they lent her novel more narrative coherence, as she claimed.
By the end, I almost wished Epstein had just broken with fact and history entirely, instead of trying to shape her novel around a life she was constantly rewriting to suit her own purposes anyway. All her ostensible nods to historical fact end up feeling awkward and dragging the book out or slowing it down in a way that doesn't ring true. When Ingram Frizer turned up at the end, I wanted to scream because it just all felt like pointless historical name-checking that didn't mean anything. Give me this same story, with that same rich undercurrent of love between Kit and Tom (the best part of this book), but set it free from this weird, alienating mix of fact and fiction.
Over the many weeks I spent putting this book down and then almost grudgingly picking it back up again, I mused about why it didn't work for me. Partly it's because I don't connect with Epstein's writing style. For me, her attempts at depth and characterisation don't quite work - and I will forgive a lot if you give me a coherent, deeply felt, real character to root for. Her characters drifted into one another, but never quite connected, with me or with one another.
And then, I just couldn't buy into the plot of the novel either. I barely knew any of the real historical facts of Christopher Marlowe's life - we know the other Elizabethan playwright far better - and I did skim Wikipedia but decided I'd rather just let the story take me wherever it wanted to go. So it's not like I was fretting about historical accuracy all the time. I just couldn't fathom how Epstein's spies operated - none of the work they did felt real, from Kit's recruitment to the nigh-on miraculous work he did (in the novel) in Her Majesty's service. Turns out Kit's time in Mary Stuart's household didn't feel remotely real or credible because it WASN'T based in fact.
To that end, I found reading Epstein's afterword both illuminating and frustrating, because she explains where she turned fiction into fact and vice versa - and I found myself disagreeing with most of those decisions because I didn't feel as if they lent her novel more narrative coherence, as she claimed.
By the end, I almost wished Epstein had just broken with fact and history entirely, instead of trying to shape her novel around a life she was constantly rewriting to suit her own purposes anyway. All her ostensible nods to historical fact end up feeling awkward and dragging the book out or slowing it down in a way that doesn't ring true. When Ingram Frizer turned up at the end, I wanted to scream because it just all felt like pointless historical name-checking that didn't mean anything. Give me this same story, with that same rich undercurrent of love between Kit and Tom (the best part of this book), but set it free from this weird, alienating mix of fact and fiction.
February 6, 2021
Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore the works of Shakespeare, but what they might not know is that, even though I do prefer his plays, Shakespeare isn’t my favorite Elizabethan playwright—that honor goes to Christopher Marlowe, and I’ve been longing for a novel about him for years. With A Tip for the Hangman, Allison Epstein has written the queer historical spy novel of my dreams.
Epstein’s prose here is beautiful and hilarious and clever beyond reason and she’s spun Kit Marlowe’s life into a thrilling, romantic, and dramatic ride through Elizabethan England’s secrets and scandals that’s destined to enrapture its readers, even those who come to it bearing no knowledge of Marlowe’s life or works, because while Marlowe’s trademark violence and blasphemy could’ve easily bent him toward villainy, Epstein instead makes of Marlowe an unforgettable protagonist—a tragic hero with a filthy tongue and an unsettled mind who we can’t help but root for, even as we see the shadow of death creeping ever closer.
This year, I’ll be turning the same age Marlowe was when he was murdered and I do still wonder what we could’ve gotten from him had he not met such an untimely death. That he was eventually overshadowed by Shakespeare isn’t terribly surprising, but I have a sneaking, hopeful suspicion that A Tip for the Hangman will renew an interest in Marlowe and his works. I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world, doing precisely what Marlowe did in life: raging against everything and thoroughly delighting us all the while.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and to Doubleday for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Epstein’s prose here is beautiful and hilarious and clever beyond reason and she’s spun Kit Marlowe’s life into a thrilling, romantic, and dramatic ride through Elizabethan England’s secrets and scandals that’s destined to enrapture its readers, even those who come to it bearing no knowledge of Marlowe’s life or works, because while Marlowe’s trademark violence and blasphemy could’ve easily bent him toward villainy, Epstein instead makes of Marlowe an unforgettable protagonist—a tragic hero with a filthy tongue and an unsettled mind who we can’t help but root for, even as we see the shadow of death creeping ever closer.
This year, I’ll be turning the same age Marlowe was when he was murdered and I do still wonder what we could’ve gotten from him had he not met such an untimely death. That he was eventually overshadowed by Shakespeare isn’t terribly surprising, but I have a sneaking, hopeful suspicion that A Tip for the Hangman will renew an interest in Marlowe and his works. I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world, doing precisely what Marlowe did in life: raging against everything and thoroughly delighting us all the while.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and to Doubleday for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2020
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book to read for a blurb, and let me tell you, you all are in for an absolute treat when this book is released next year. The characters are unforgettable, the plot suspenseful, and the writing gorgeous. Below is my blurb!
"Debut author Allison Epstein delivers an absolute tour de force in A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN. This masterfully researched, beautifully written novel takes the reader inside the spy networks, taverns, theatres, and halls of power of Tudor England, with the irreverent Christoper Marlowe as our guide. Epstein is a talent to watch, and A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN is not to be missed!"
"Debut author Allison Epstein delivers an absolute tour de force in A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN. This masterfully researched, beautifully written novel takes the reader inside the spy networks, taverns, theatres, and halls of power of Tudor England, with the irreverent Christoper Marlowe as our guide. Epstein is a talent to watch, and A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN is not to be missed!"
May 26, 2021
how did you make kit marlowe boring?
December 17, 2020
Christopher Marlowe is a man of our history. He existed, even if you've never heard of him, and is one of the most influential playwrights to ever live. A man of mystery, historians have speculated his life for 500 or so years, but even our author could not change his destiny.
Known to his friends as Kit, he's approached at Cambridge by Frances Walsingham and offered a job as a spy for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I. His first job is in the house of Mary, Queen of Scots where he proves to be good at his job. But being good at his job has some unintended consequences.
I think the first thing I can say is I'd give Kit 12 stars as a character. I liked pretty much everything about him. His moral flexibility, loyalty to his friends, and his work ethic give his character a lot of depth. Likable. Relatable. Not another character in this book is written with quite as much care. The entire book I hoped it wouldn't end the way I knew it would.
Likewise, I found some of the more villainous characters such as Poley, Baines, Cecil, and even Nick to be very one dimensional. Just a hint on why they had such a strong desire to be shitty humans would have been great. What was driving them? Character development, 3 stars.
As for plot development, I think the pacing is good, with just enough tension to keep me reading. A solid 4 stars. And again, because I liked Kit. And the chapters with he and Tom were my favorites. I loved the love they had for each other, their complete lack of shame. It would have been beautiful if we had gotten a lot more open communication, between the two. That would have made my heart happy.
Over all I liked the book. Mostly for Kit. I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a historical fiction and I'm looking forward to seeing how this author develops as a writer.
Known to his friends as Kit, he's approached at Cambridge by Frances Walsingham and offered a job as a spy for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I. His first job is in the house of Mary, Queen of Scots where he proves to be good at his job. But being good at his job has some unintended consequences.
I think the first thing I can say is I'd give Kit 12 stars as a character. I liked pretty much everything about him. His moral flexibility, loyalty to his friends, and his work ethic give his character a lot of depth. Likable. Relatable. Not another character in this book is written with quite as much care. The entire book I hoped it wouldn't end the way I knew it would.
Likewise, I found some of the more villainous characters such as Poley, Baines, Cecil, and even Nick to be very one dimensional. Just a hint on why they had such a strong desire to be shitty humans would have been great. What was driving them? Character development, 3 stars.
As for plot development, I think the pacing is good, with just enough tension to keep me reading. A solid 4 stars. And again, because I liked Kit. And the chapters with he and Tom were my favorites. I loved the love they had for each other, their complete lack of shame. It would have been beautiful if we had gotten a lot more open communication, between the two. That would have made my heart happy.
Over all I liked the book. Mostly for Kit. I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a historical fiction and I'm looking forward to seeing how this author develops as a writer.
July 20, 2021
Honestly, though the book wasn't without its flaws, I feel that this is a great approach to historical fiction. It stays close enough to the actual events that it can remain spiritually faithful while still having room for a little creative license to better serve a compelling narrative. And though some characters felt vaguely cartoonish, overall the author did well to give everyone a personality and paint a clear portrait of their quirks and motivations.
That being said, I was irked here and there. My biggest issue is that Kit almost has too easy a time infiltrating the opposition.
~~~
"By Jove, Kit, all the Catholics around you keep dying and you're always let go. You're not a Protestant spy, are you?"
"No sir."
"Brilliant! In that case, here's the top secret plan we've been working on!
~~~
That is an exaggeration to serve my point, of course. Furthermore, there were times where I felt that the author overempasized how much Kit's feelings and reactions needed to be explored in between lines of dialogue, and it stretched the suspense a little uncomfortably. But these are all minor, subjective misgivings, and I really did enjoy myself overall.
And that ending! I thought the conclusion was beautifully rendered: emotional without losing itself in cheap melodrama, and respectful in a way. By the same token, the epilogue was a vital read and actively increased my enjoyment of the work as a whole, my appreciation for the author's stylistic choices, and my newfound interest in Christopher Marlowe as a historical figure.
That being said, I was irked here and there. My biggest issue is that Kit almost has too easy a time infiltrating the opposition.
~~~
"By Jove, Kit, all the Catholics around you keep dying and you're always let go. You're not a Protestant spy, are you?"
"No sir."
"Brilliant! In that case, here's the top secret plan we've been working on!
~~~
That is an exaggeration to serve my point, of course. Furthermore, there were times where I felt that the author overempasized how much Kit's feelings and reactions needed to be explored in between lines of dialogue, and it stretched the suspense a little uncomfortably. But these are all minor, subjective misgivings, and I really did enjoy myself overall.
And that ending! I thought the conclusion was beautifully rendered: emotional without losing itself in cheap melodrama, and respectful in a way. By the same token, the epilogue was a vital read and actively increased my enjoyment of the work as a whole, my appreciation for the author's stylistic choices, and my newfound interest in Christopher Marlowe as a historical figure.
March 19, 2021
This is a really gripping, well written novel and I was absolutely gobsmacked when I realized that this is the first full-length book by this author.
The story is based on the life of British playwright Christopher Marlowe but in a definitely fictionalized way which is fine.
So, there is some spy stuff but at the core of this book are questions about morality, love and in a way faith. And if this sounds dry to you - it's not. It's thoroughly engrossing.
Also, it's a book that's very cleverly done (if you care about things like that) by somewhat hinging the plot on parallels to Marlowe's plays but it's done in a way that doesn't make the author seem trying to be clever, if that makes any sense to anybody.
At the end of the day quotes like this made me love it:
"Tom wanted to believe that. But even if Kit wouldn't tell him the truth, there was nothing he could do. Secrets were woven into the fabric of them now. Look what happened the last time he demanded the truth. He could only pretend it didn't hurt, which was impossible, and love Kit, which was the simplest thing in the world."
Good book, highly recommended (and for the peeps - definitely not Romance(tm)).
The story is based on the life of British playwright Christopher Marlowe but in a definitely fictionalized way which is fine.
So, there is some spy stuff but at the core of this book are questions about morality, love and in a way faith. And if this sounds dry to you - it's not. It's thoroughly engrossing.
Also, it's a book that's very cleverly done (if you care about things like that) by somewhat hinging the plot on parallels to Marlowe's plays but it's done in a way that doesn't make the author seem trying to be clever, if that makes any sense to anybody.
At the end of the day quotes like this made me love it:
"Tom wanted to believe that. But even if Kit wouldn't tell him the truth, there was nothing he could do. Secrets were woven into the fabric of them now. Look what happened the last time he demanded the truth. He could only pretend it didn't hurt, which was impossible, and love Kit, which was the simplest thing in the world."
Good book, highly recommended (and for the peeps - definitely not Romance(tm)).
December 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this book! Sometimes historical fiction can feel weighed down by a pre-determined plot, but this one did a splendid job of weaving historical details into a genuinely intriguing man’s life. I am not a Shakespeare/Marlowe buff, but I took enough courses to recognize the allusions and appreciate the journey into the life and mind of the man who brought the world Faustus. A book worthy of your time!
File Under: Gay Poet Spies!
File Under: Gay Poet Spies!
April 6, 2021
Maybe it's because this was one of my most anticipated books or maybe because the 4 books I read before it were 5-stars but...it wasn't everything I was hoping it would be
December 4, 2020
So let me start off by saying that I love historical fiction. I have a degree in history and it's always fascinating to see the ways in which authors weave a narrative out of historical happenings, the things they pick and choose to craft a story from beginning to end out of the pieces and parts that were left to us.
And let me tell you: Epstein crafts a beautiful narrative. Her writing is fantastic, her dialogue is modern but not modern enough to take you out of the moment, and she has made me want to know all there is to know about Kit Marlowe, whose level of wit I aspire to and who I came to care about very deeply by the end of the book despite knowing jack about him when I first picked up this novel.
I'm actually glad I didn't have specific knowledge of this particular area of history because the ending of this story took me entirely by surprise. If you know what happens to Kit in "real life," you might see the signs before I did, and hopefully it'll make you appreciate this novel even more. I couldn't put it down.
And let me tell you: Epstein crafts a beautiful narrative. Her writing is fantastic, her dialogue is modern but not modern enough to take you out of the moment, and she has made me want to know all there is to know about Kit Marlowe, whose level of wit I aspire to and who I came to care about very deeply by the end of the book despite knowing jack about him when I first picked up this novel.
I'm actually glad I didn't have specific knowledge of this particular area of history because the ending of this story took me entirely by surprise. If you know what happens to Kit in "real life," you might see the signs before I did, and hopefully it'll make you appreciate this novel even more. I couldn't put it down.
January 30, 2023
The “centuries-old story feel[ing] utterly contemporary” from the blurb should have been a warning sign for me… the characters talk as if they were in a Hallmark version of the Elizabethan era! Also, in the author’s note, we read: “there were some places where the historical timeline conflicted with my narrative timeline in small, annoying ways…” I would have let it (and plenty more) slide if Epstein hadn’t gone out of her way to make Marlowe an achingly dull character.
June 28, 2021
this book had absolutely no reason to be this goddamn good, holy god.
i literally binged this in one sitting and i regret nothing.
—————
not me getting emotional over a tragic factionalized Christopher Marlowe who literally died 500 years ago…
i literally binged this in one sitting and i regret nothing.
—————
not me getting emotional over a tragic factionalized Christopher Marlowe who literally died 500 years ago…
February 9, 2021
A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein is an excellent historical fiction that has it all: mystery, suspense, intrigue, espionage, intricate plots, and fascinating characters. This book kept me interested from beginning to end.
What I love about this book the most is the way the Author took actual events, people, and real-life historic plots and weaved a tale that incorporates these items into an alternative what if. In her Author’s note, Ms. Epstein gives the reader a bit more insight into what is fact vs fiction, and what details she had to slightly alter in order to fit the narrative. What she was able to create is nothing short of fantastic.
After reading this novel, I had to research more in regards to Christopher Marlowe (Kit). While I know plenty about Mary Stuart and the Babington plot, I knew nothing of Marlowe and enjoyed finding out more. I love reading HF and it inspiring me to learn more.
This book is set in the late 1500s Elizabethan England. We see Kit being drawn in to spying, code breaking, lies, secrets, and espionage by Sir Francis Walsingham and the Privy Council.
The Author did an amazing job creating a plot that flows to perfection, complex characters that peak interest, and creating suspense and mystery throughout to keep the reader wanting more.
An excellent book, and an impressive debut. I look forward to more from this Author in the future.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and Doubleday for this excellent ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
What I love about this book the most is the way the Author took actual events, people, and real-life historic plots and weaved a tale that incorporates these items into an alternative what if. In her Author’s note, Ms. Epstein gives the reader a bit more insight into what is fact vs fiction, and what details she had to slightly alter in order to fit the narrative. What she was able to create is nothing short of fantastic.
After reading this novel, I had to research more in regards to Christopher Marlowe (Kit). While I know plenty about Mary Stuart and the Babington plot, I knew nothing of Marlowe and enjoyed finding out more. I love reading HF and it inspiring me to learn more.
This book is set in the late 1500s Elizabethan England. We see Kit being drawn in to spying, code breaking, lies, secrets, and espionage by Sir Francis Walsingham and the Privy Council.
The Author did an amazing job creating a plot that flows to perfection, complex characters that peak interest, and creating suspense and mystery throughout to keep the reader wanting more.
An excellent book, and an impressive debut. I look forward to more from this Author in the future.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and Doubleday for this excellent ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.
February 17, 2021
What a thrilling ride! It’s hard to believe this is a debut, because author Allison Epstein has crafted an intriguing historical fiction novel with such skill and mastery.
I have been a Christopher Marlowe fan ever since I read Edward II for fun back in my college days so this was a treat. I had no idea that he most likely was involved in spy work for Queen Elizabeth I. I understand based on the author’s notes that not all of the events in the book are accurate but it made for an exciting and entertaining read.
At the heart of the novel was an unexpectedly tender gay love story between Kit (Marlowe) and Tom. The romance was written perfectly and served as a way of showing Kit’s humanity and conscience during his downward spiral, especially in part 2 of the novel.
I strongly recommend this book for historical fiction lovers, especially people who appreciate LGBTQ+ historic figures.
Thank you to Doubleday for the gifted copy. #PRHPartner
Look for more of my thoughts on A Tip for the Hangman on Instagram on 2/18/21.
I have been a Christopher Marlowe fan ever since I read Edward II for fun back in my college days so this was a treat. I had no idea that he most likely was involved in spy work for Queen Elizabeth I. I understand based on the author’s notes that not all of the events in the book are accurate but it made for an exciting and entertaining read.
At the heart of the novel was an unexpectedly tender gay love story between Kit (Marlowe) and Tom. The romance was written perfectly and served as a way of showing Kit’s humanity and conscience during his downward spiral, especially in part 2 of the novel.
I strongly recommend this book for historical fiction lovers, especially people who appreciate LGBTQ+ historic figures.
Thank you to Doubleday for the gifted copy. #PRHPartner
Look for more of my thoughts on A Tip for the Hangman on Instagram on 2/18/21.
February 25, 2021
I SO wanted to love this book. The description had me captivated instantly.... the actual book, however... nah. Normally I can breeze through a book of this length within a few days, but it was like pulling teeth to get me to pick it back up!
It does have it's parts where I couldn't put it down, but they are few and far between. I feel as though it glazed over some big deal events (that from the description should have been the whole plot?) and focused too much on details that didn't really add to the story. I also feel as though the book jumped around a lot without notice. I caught myself a few times, looking back to see if I had skipped a page or paragraph etc.
I'm very sad that this didn't live up to what I wanted it to be!!!
It does have it's parts where I couldn't put it down, but they are few and far between. I feel as though it glazed over some big deal events (that from the description should have been the whole plot?) and focused too much on details that didn't really add to the story. I also feel as though the book jumped around a lot without notice. I caught myself a few times, looking back to see if I had skipped a page or paragraph etc.
I'm very sad that this didn't live up to what I wanted it to be!!!
March 3, 2021
This is by far my favorite historical fiction I ever read! A must read !
April 16, 2021
On my blog.
Rep: gay mcs
CWs: death, violence, execution (beheading, hang drawn & quartered), gore, implied domestic abuse, child abuse
Galley provided by publisher
A Tip for the Hangman is a book that will ruin you. Especially if you, like I did, make the mistake of reading the author’s note before you read the book (it’s not my fault, it came first!). I mean, it’ll ruin you either way, but it will do so even more because you know what’s coming.
(So, really, my tip is, don’t read the author’s note first. Come back to it.)
The novel follows Kit Marlowe from his student days in Cambridge to everything that happens five years later (I’m being purposefully vague because I’m not sure what to say here that isn’t massive spoilers. But anyway). In the midst of his final year, he is seconded into the service of the Queen’s Spymaster, Walsingham, and sent to spy on Mary Stuart, who is believed to be fomenting rebellion in an attempt to dethrone Elizabeth.
What I loved about this book was the way it brings the characters to life. I mean. Okay, they’re already real people, but there’s still a way to go from the real people of nearly 5 centuries ago to today. But this book does it so well. You can just feel Kit’s pining for Tom, or his frustration and guilt when he spies on Mary. That’s what sucks you into the book first and foremost.
And it definitely helps that the plot is compelling. I think here is where it’s best not to have read the author’s note, in particular. It’s well-known history anyway (if you’re brought up doing the Tudors to absolute death in the UK school system, at least), but you want to keep that little bit of a surprise for yourself. Even if you do know what’s going to happen, though, you’re still intrigued by it all and will definitely find yourself unable to put it down.
I think the only thing I liked less about this book was the ending. And that’s wholly down to me not liking tragic endings, that’s all. Probably, it wasn’t helped by my having read the author’s note, but, really, I should have expected it anyway. It’s a story about Christopher Marlowe, after all.
But, minor dislike of the ending aside, this was an excellent book. And one I would highly recommend you pick up in February.
Rep: gay mcs
CWs: death, violence, execution (beheading, hang drawn & quartered), gore, implied domestic abuse, child abuse
Galley provided by publisher
A Tip for the Hangman is a book that will ruin you. Especially if you, like I did, make the mistake of reading the author’s note before you read the book (it’s not my fault, it came first!). I mean, it’ll ruin you either way, but it will do so even more because you know what’s coming.
(So, really, my tip is, don’t read the author’s note first. Come back to it.)
The novel follows Kit Marlowe from his student days in Cambridge to everything that happens five years later (I’m being purposefully vague because I’m not sure what to say here that isn’t massive spoilers. But anyway). In the midst of his final year, he is seconded into the service of the Queen’s Spymaster, Walsingham, and sent to spy on Mary Stuart, who is believed to be fomenting rebellion in an attempt to dethrone Elizabeth.
What I loved about this book was the way it brings the characters to life. I mean. Okay, they’re already real people, but there’s still a way to go from the real people of nearly 5 centuries ago to today. But this book does it so well. You can just feel Kit’s pining for Tom, or his frustration and guilt when he spies on Mary. That’s what sucks you into the book first and foremost.
And it definitely helps that the plot is compelling. I think here is where it’s best not to have read the author’s note, in particular. It’s well-known history anyway (if you’re brought up doing the Tudors to absolute death in the UK school system, at least), but you want to keep that little bit of a surprise for yourself. Even if you do know what’s going to happen, though, you’re still intrigued by it all and will definitely find yourself unable to put it down.
I think the only thing I liked less about this book was the ending. And that’s wholly down to me not liking tragic endings, that’s all. Probably, it wasn’t helped by my having read the author’s note, but, really, I should have expected it anyway. It’s a story about Christopher Marlowe, after all.
But, minor dislike of the ending aside, this was an excellent book. And one I would highly recommend you pick up in February.
May 18, 2021
Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing.
Christopher (Kit) Marlowe lived in a time of great intrigue and strife. The throne of England was contested by Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth the First. These cousins both had genealogical claims to the throne. A cobblers’ son attending Cambridge irritated those of means.
Kit had another problem, a lack of total subservience to the aristocracy. His humble beginnings were always a thorn of contention and a spear of disdain. As Kit is finishing his Masters’ he is approached by one of the heads of Queen Elizabeth’s spy service. His task was to unravel an intricate series of messages between Mary Queen of Scots and her supporters. Kit had shown himself very adept at breaking foreign syphers.
Kit is also a very prolific playwright. He is thrust into the under-belly of London society to uncover plots against the Queen. Tangled webs of deceit and subterfuge complicate his life and endanger him wherever he goes. Forces beyond his control continue to press him to decipher and expose the potential usurper to the throne. Getting into the good graces and trust of Queen Mary is one of his assignments. He succeeds and Mary is exposed and beheaded.
This author has pulled together a very believable narrative with predictable ends. Once one begins to read the book you must see it through to its’ conclusion.
The smells, sights, sounds, and the religious turmoil caused by a king who wanted to divorce his wife are sad. Beheadings are a common occurrence and hanging is rampant I recommend this book to any history buff. 5 stars - C.E. Williams
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.
Christopher (Kit) Marlowe lived in a time of great intrigue and strife. The throne of England was contested by Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth the First. These cousins both had genealogical claims to the throne. A cobblers’ son attending Cambridge irritated those of means.
Kit had another problem, a lack of total subservience to the aristocracy. His humble beginnings were always a thorn of contention and a spear of disdain. As Kit is finishing his Masters’ he is approached by one of the heads of Queen Elizabeth’s spy service. His task was to unravel an intricate series of messages between Mary Queen of Scots and her supporters. Kit had shown himself very adept at breaking foreign syphers.
Kit is also a very prolific playwright. He is thrust into the under-belly of London society to uncover plots against the Queen. Tangled webs of deceit and subterfuge complicate his life and endanger him wherever he goes. Forces beyond his control continue to press him to decipher and expose the potential usurper to the throne. Getting into the good graces and trust of Queen Mary is one of his assignments. He succeeds and Mary is exposed and beheaded.
This author has pulled together a very believable narrative with predictable ends. Once one begins to read the book you must see it through to its’ conclusion.
The smells, sights, sounds, and the religious turmoil caused by a king who wanted to divorce his wife are sad. Beheadings are a common occurrence and hanging is rampant I recommend this book to any history buff. 5 stars - C.E. Williams
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.
February 16, 2021
First of all, this does NOT read like a debut. I was hooked from the first sentence and totally immersed in Elizabethan England, following Kit from Cambridge student to spy to famed playwright. Whether you're a fan of historical fiction, royal history, or just a really good novel, this should be on your must-read list this year!
December 15, 2020
I've been putting off writing this review because no words can possibly express how much I loved this book. It's the kind of novel that transports you so fully into the narrator's head that you forget it was written by a modern-day author rather than the character himself - in this case, Kit Marlowe. Kit seems so real, with his irreverent wit and alluringly unbridled spirit, that I can't be blamed if I started talking to him when I'm sitting on the sofa! Epstein also manages to do a beautiful job with each of the other characters who get a turn from their point of view - Kit's love interest, Mary Stuart, various side characters. Each one has a unique, easily identifiable voice.
I think the characters are what most drew me into the story, as well as the relationships between them. I don't want to spoil anything, but I am in LOVE with Kit and Tom (I won't tell you how it ends for them!). Beyond that, though, were the incredibly evocative settings and the fast-paced plot. I could hardly put this book down, and had to fight to keep from opening it up on my Kindle when I was driving/at work/in the middle of conversations with people.
I adored A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN and cannot wait to purchase a copy when it comes out next year. Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Allison Epstein for the advance copy!
I think the characters are what most drew me into the story, as well as the relationships between them. I don't want to spoil anything, but I am in LOVE with Kit and Tom (I won't tell you how it ends for them!). Beyond that, though, were the incredibly evocative settings and the fast-paced plot. I could hardly put this book down, and had to fight to keep from opening it up on my Kindle when I was driving/at work/in the middle of conversations with people.
I adored A TIP FOR THE HANGMAN and cannot wait to purchase a copy when it comes out next year. Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday, and Allison Epstein for the advance copy!
Read
October 24, 2021I thoroughly enjoyed this book, for Epstein's first novel consider me highly impressed. The world Epstein painted was incredibly vivid and tactile, from Cambridge, Northamptonshire, Southwark and the foreboding Thames. The intertwining of Christopher Marlowe's life and interests and Epstein's exciting narrative felt seamless and I found myself hanging onto every word. It felt well paced and I found Kit to be very well-written and championable - alongside Tom and Walshingham. Despite the action being set across the late 1500s, 'A Tip for the Hangman' felt incredibly modern and accessible, truly a delight. 5 stars!
December 5, 2020
A Tip for the Hangman is brilliantly written, rife with tension and wit and characters that explode from the page. Kit is a flawlessly delivered protagonist, real and nuanced, admirable and tragic and complex. Epstein also painted the historical setting exceptionally well. I came into this read knowing very little about the history surrounding Kit Marlowe, but I never once felt stranded or left behind. It's detailed and immersive without being overwhelming, and left me with a hunger to know more - after I recover from those last few chapters. Highly recommended!
Want to read
December 31, 2020
May 24, 2021
In 1585 England, impoverished Cambridge scholar Kit Marlowe is secretly writing a play in his evenings, secretly in love with his best friend Tom, and obviously both of great intellect and something of a smart-ass, the latter being a coping mechanism after years of abuse and ridicule from his delinquent father. When Kit is recruited by Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, at the recommendation of Cambridge’s president as a means of helping Kit earn some money, Kit is thrust into the world of espionage and political strife between the Protestants and the Papists, and the claims of both sides to the English crown. It’s a world he's not entirely suited for even as he becoming more and more skilled as a code-breaker and spy, as well as one which he comes to love all the more the more and more dangerous it becomes.
A Tip for the Hangman is all about Kit Malowe's life as a spy, and it’s neat to see how spying sometimes involved endless days of sweeping floors while masquerading as a servant and sometimes acting as a double-agent where one wrong move will earn a knife to the throat. The book is divided into two parts, the first covering Kit’s early days as a scholar-spy in the house of the captive Papist Queen Mary, and the second years later after his career as a great playwright is already established.
I found the time skip rather abrupt and the first half rushed. The second half quite engaging, showing us much more of Kit's covert actions and intelligence (less housework, more fieldwork) with the stakes being so much higher, him all at once fighting for his kingdom, his beloved, and his own life. Kit is a complex and engaging character—hotheaded and cocky and the cause of a lot of his own problems, while also emotionally damaged by the work's increasing toll (a realistic response that we don't often see in spy thrillers) as well as the demons of his poor, abusive upbringing, even as his plays bring him fame and wealth like he could never imagine. The story's m/m romance between Kit and Tom is appealing, a loving and supportive long-term relationship that adds a further hint of danger to the story through same-sex relationships being illegal. At the same time, the romance did take up more of the story's focus than I expected.
Overall, A Tip for the Hangman is a fast-paced, enjoyable story that would have been even better had each half comprised its own book to slow down that time skip and show even more how events unfolded against Queen Mary, as well as to delve more into Marlowe's plays and his becoming as a successful playwright.
A Tip for the Hangman is all about Kit Malowe's life as a spy, and it’s neat to see how spying sometimes involved endless days of sweeping floors while masquerading as a servant and sometimes acting as a double-agent where one wrong move will earn a knife to the throat. The book is divided into two parts, the first covering Kit’s early days as a scholar-spy in the house of the captive Papist Queen Mary, and the second years later after his career as a great playwright is already established.
I found the time skip rather abrupt and the first half rushed. The second half quite engaging, showing us much more of Kit's covert actions and intelligence (less housework, more fieldwork) with the stakes being so much higher, him all at once fighting for his kingdom, his beloved, and his own life. Kit is a complex and engaging character—hotheaded and cocky and the cause of a lot of his own problems, while also emotionally damaged by the work's increasing toll (a realistic response that we don't often see in spy thrillers) as well as the demons of his poor, abusive upbringing, even as his plays bring him fame and wealth like he could never imagine. The story's m/m romance between Kit and Tom is appealing, a loving and supportive long-term relationship that adds a further hint of danger to the story through same-sex relationships being illegal. At the same time, the romance did take up more of the story's focus than I expected.
Overall, A Tip for the Hangman is a fast-paced, enjoyable story that would have been even better had each half comprised its own book to slow down that time skip and show even more how events unfolded against Queen Mary, as well as to delve more into Marlowe's plays and his becoming as a successful playwright.
November 1, 2023
A Tip for the Hangman is a semi-fictional take on the life of Christopher "Kit" Marlowe, famous English playwright and suspected government spy. In this book, Allison Epstein weaves a tale expanding upon many of the mysterious aspects and rumors about Marlowe, such as his sexuality, involvement in the government, and ambiguous death.
Generally speaking, I enjoyed A Tip for the Hangman while I was reading it. It kept my attention and the characterization of Kit Marlowe was very likeable and interesting, but I definitely feel like there were a few things that could've been a little bit stronger.
Out of the cast of characters, Kit was the only fully realized, emotional, and compelling character. No other characters got much of a backstory and we didn't get many glimpses into the motivations of others, unless hating/loving Kit or their loyalty to the Queen is enough of a justification.
I liked Kit's romance with Tom - I felt that it was one of the strongest aspects of the story, but I will admit that although there is plenty of physical intimacy between the two, the emotional intimacy was lacking a bit. There aren't many real conversations or moments of connection that Kit and Tom share. I guess I wanted more love, emotion, and romance between them, and instead, their love was always expressed through physicality, which is fine, but I wanted to really feel the depth of their relationship.
The ending was also not very satisfying. It was kind of abrupt and there's no real follow through. We don't see any fallout or reactions to the events of the ending. I wanted to see the aftermath of it all. It felt kind of jarring to follow Kit through the whole story for it to end all at once.
Despite those criticisms, I still enjoyed A Tip for the Hangman. It is Allison Epstein's debut, which is incredibly impressive. Her writing was believable, the dialogue funny, Kit's desperation was palpable, and she really brought the Elizabethan era to life. I just wish the story was a little bit more captivating for me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction. The way Kit moves through a world that is so set against him - as a gay man, as an artist, as a man with no religion, and the impoverished son of a shoemaker - is intense and sad and, at times, gruesome. I can't wait to read more from Allison Epstein!
Generally speaking, I enjoyed A Tip for the Hangman while I was reading it. It kept my attention and the characterization of Kit Marlowe was very likeable and interesting, but I definitely feel like there were a few things that could've been a little bit stronger.
Out of the cast of characters, Kit was the only fully realized, emotional, and compelling character. No other characters got much of a backstory and we didn't get many glimpses into the motivations of others, unless hating/loving Kit or their loyalty to the Queen is enough of a justification.
I liked Kit's romance with Tom - I felt that it was one of the strongest aspects of the story, but I will admit that although there is plenty of physical intimacy between the two, the emotional intimacy was lacking a bit. There aren't many real conversations or moments of connection that Kit and Tom share. I guess I wanted more love, emotion, and romance between them, and instead, their love was always expressed through physicality, which is fine, but I wanted to really feel the depth of their relationship.
The ending was also not very satisfying. It was kind of abrupt and there's no real follow through. We don't see any fallout or reactions to the events of the ending. I wanted to see the aftermath of it all. It felt kind of jarring to follow Kit through the whole story for it to end all at once.
Despite those criticisms, I still enjoyed A Tip for the Hangman. It is Allison Epstein's debut, which is incredibly impressive. Her writing was believable, the dialogue funny, Kit's desperation was palpable, and she really brought the Elizabethan era to life. I just wish the story was a little bit more captivating for me.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction. The way Kit moves through a world that is so set against him - as a gay man, as an artist, as a man with no religion, and the impoverished son of a shoemaker - is intense and sad and, at times, gruesome. I can't wait to read more from Allison Epstein!
April 14, 2021
I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about Christopher Marlowe except that he was a contemporary of Shakespeare. What a surprise! At least I didn’t have to worry about historical accuracy, since I didn’t know any better. Though I do know somewhat more about Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster, and here I wasn’t disappointed. I thought he and Cecil were very believable, so I was able to accept the Marlowe story as well. Since a spy’s life is shadowed in mystery anyway, why couldn’t these things have happened? Marlow got sucked into this shadow world during his college years, when he seemed singularly unsuited to academia—though his genius at storytelling apparently was in overdrive, so to speak. Initially sent to spy on Mary Queen of Scots as the imprisoned queen plotted treason, Marlow discovered he had a propensity for this dangerous occupation. At the same time, his conscience tormented him; he felt like a murderer, betraying those who trusted him. Surviving this first challenge, he became intimate with his college friend Thomas, whose love gave him a lifeline for the next several years when Walsingham’s demands threatened to overwhelm him. Marlow had a love/hate relationship with his spying profession and tried to protect Thomas from the darker side of his life—with mixed results. The farther into the book we read, the darker the story. Poor Marlow, who may be a rake and a troublemaker, has a good heart and is not morally suited for this life of double-dealing. But it seems he can’t extricate himself. All the while he puts out unconventional blockbuster plays that shake the Elizabethan stage. He’s a very interesting character who makes a mess of his life because he seems to be addicted to living on the edge.
April 21, 2022
(hey, look at me, mom, maybe one day I actually will get around to finally talking about all of the books I really want to review but have been putting off!)
in all fairness, I think that it is probably very difficult to write a novel about christopher marlowe after a dead man in deptford, which in my (admittedly non-expert) opinion could be considered a definitive, or at least superlative, treatment of its story. kathe koja did it, but she has a raw, forceful stylism on her side: any book by kathe koja is completely and unmistakably kathe koja’s, because everything about her everything is—if you can call it nothing else—unique. she also put a bit of a different spin on things. and, maybe most importantly, if there's one thing both koja and burgess are not afraid to do, it's take risks.
unfortunately, that vivid sense of stylism is lacking here. so is the presence of any kind of twist or reframing when it comes to the expected narrative. you aren't going to find anything in here that could be called a risk. this novel is, in a single word, generic; at no point did I feel as though it was doing or saying anything interesting or anything new. it was a standard sort of story, told in a very standard way, and that’s—look, that’s fine, okay, but it really doesn’t work when you’re writing a novel about christopher marlowe.
there are two things which I think would have improved this novel overall: it should have been longer, and it shouldn’t necessarily have been about marlowe.
the length problem has to do more with the pacing than with the actual, physical length of this novel—it moved way, way too fast for me, speeding past events and characters without lending any depth to them, and then aspiring to a sentimentality which was never, ever earned. I think this easily could have been another hundred or so pages, and maybe that’s just because I love long, dense novels that I can sink my teeth into, but I really feel like the politics and relationships here needed much more time to be properly developed and explored. the thrust of this novel pretty much requires that you have an emotional connection to the characters, but it never bothers giving you time or opportunity to create one. things just keep happening, and we’re told flatly over and over again how kit and tom feel about them, but I never really believed it, you know?
the second problem that I mentioned is going to sound harsher: something about this book just felt kind of juvenile to me. the narrative seemed unable to detach itself from what was, in the end, a very simple and superficial understanding of history, or maybe even the world. I think that simplicity is a neutral term, and it absolutely has its place; when used in the right story by skillful hands, it can be rewarding, insightful, profound. at least for me, the word “childlike” isn’t an insult by default. but this wasn’t childlike in the intro-to-cocteau’s-la-belle-et-la-bête sort of way, where to engage with the story like a child allows for a more open-minded and fluid approach to understanding it, like, a freedom from the jaded detachment of an "adult" perspective. no, when I say that something like a tip for the hangman feels childlike, I guess it's almost the opposite: it's not a liberation, it’s a limitation, a basic framework deficiency. it’s built-in. the novel is never able to move beyond a fundamentally uncomplicated view of its characters, its world, and the events happening therein. again, in another context this might have been fine. but the story this novel wants to tell is fundamentally about complicated people surrounded by complicated things happening in a complicated world, and so on a foundational level this book is incapable of creating anything interesting out of its ideas, its characters and their relationships, or even its plot. it's like a really nice, subtle, layered wine which has been almost unrecognizably watered-down.
the most damning word I could apply to this book is conventional, I think. ultimately, that’s the feeling I came away with, and it left me so unsatisfied. you can’t help noticing that just under the surface, the story here is almost desperate to burst out of those conventions. but it never does.
I don’t know if maybe my take on this is harsher than a tip for the hangman deserves. it could be–like, is it just a high expectations and formidable marlowe-novel-predecessors kind of thing? I’ve been putting off this review for a while, because it reminds me just how disappointed I was! I wanted so, so badly to love this. I wanted it to be great. but ultimately, I don’t believe that this novel was really up to grappling with its own potential or realizing its own ideas with the richness and flexibility that they deserved. and, you know, I think that’s kind of a shame.
in all fairness, I think that it is probably very difficult to write a novel about christopher marlowe after a dead man in deptford, which in my (admittedly non-expert) opinion could be considered a definitive, or at least superlative, treatment of its story. kathe koja did it, but she has a raw, forceful stylism on her side: any book by kathe koja is completely and unmistakably kathe koja’s, because everything about her everything is—if you can call it nothing else—unique. she also put a bit of a different spin on things. and, maybe most importantly, if there's one thing both koja and burgess are not afraid to do, it's take risks.
unfortunately, that vivid sense of stylism is lacking here. so is the presence of any kind of twist or reframing when it comes to the expected narrative. you aren't going to find anything in here that could be called a risk. this novel is, in a single word, generic; at no point did I feel as though it was doing or saying anything interesting or anything new. it was a standard sort of story, told in a very standard way, and that’s—look, that’s fine, okay, but it really doesn’t work when you’re writing a novel about christopher marlowe.
there are two things which I think would have improved this novel overall: it should have been longer, and it shouldn’t necessarily have been about marlowe.
the length problem has to do more with the pacing than with the actual, physical length of this novel—it moved way, way too fast for me, speeding past events and characters without lending any depth to them, and then aspiring to a sentimentality which was never, ever earned. I think this easily could have been another hundred or so pages, and maybe that’s just because I love long, dense novels that I can sink my teeth into, but I really feel like the politics and relationships here needed much more time to be properly developed and explored. the thrust of this novel pretty much requires that you have an emotional connection to the characters, but it never bothers giving you time or opportunity to create one. things just keep happening, and we’re told flatly over and over again how kit and tom feel about them, but I never really believed it, you know?
the second problem that I mentioned is going to sound harsher: something about this book just felt kind of juvenile to me. the narrative seemed unable to detach itself from what was, in the end, a very simple and superficial understanding of history, or maybe even the world. I think that simplicity is a neutral term, and it absolutely has its place; when used in the right story by skillful hands, it can be rewarding, insightful, profound. at least for me, the word “childlike” isn’t an insult by default. but this wasn’t childlike in the intro-to-cocteau’s-la-belle-et-la-bête sort of way, where to engage with the story like a child allows for a more open-minded and fluid approach to understanding it, like, a freedom from the jaded detachment of an "adult" perspective. no, when I say that something like a tip for the hangman feels childlike, I guess it's almost the opposite: it's not a liberation, it’s a limitation, a basic framework deficiency. it’s built-in. the novel is never able to move beyond a fundamentally uncomplicated view of its characters, its world, and the events happening therein. again, in another context this might have been fine. but the story this novel wants to tell is fundamentally about complicated people surrounded by complicated things happening in a complicated world, and so on a foundational level this book is incapable of creating anything interesting out of its ideas, its characters and their relationships, or even its plot. it's like a really nice, subtle, layered wine which has been almost unrecognizably watered-down.
the most damning word I could apply to this book is conventional, I think. ultimately, that’s the feeling I came away with, and it left me so unsatisfied. you can’t help noticing that just under the surface, the story here is almost desperate to burst out of those conventions. but it never does.
I don’t know if maybe my take on this is harsher than a tip for the hangman deserves. it could be–like, is it just a high expectations and formidable marlowe-novel-predecessors kind of thing? I’ve been putting off this review for a while, because it reminds me just how disappointed I was! I wanted so, so badly to love this. I wanted it to be great. but ultimately, I don’t believe that this novel was really up to grappling with its own potential or realizing its own ideas with the richness and flexibility that they deserved. and, you know, I think that’s kind of a shame.
March 1, 2021
“Kit wrote death to purge it from his mind; London watched death for the theater of it. They’d revel in real death like poetry, and when they left, life would wash the blood from them like rain, and they would return to their work, to peace.”
Thank you to Doubleday Books for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Have you ever thought to yourself that historical fiction needs more queer spy playwrights? Because, oh man, do I have the book for you!
A Tip for the Hangman follows Christopher “Kit” Marlowe from his days at Cambridge through the rest of his life while he not only works to become famous for his plays, but also helps thwart the Catholic uprisings against the Crown. We follow Kit as he goes through taverns, theatres, meeting with the most powerful men in England and the disgraced Queen of Scotland.
This book is *excellent*. Kit comes to life from the first page and I loved him. Witty, reckless, arrogant, Kit is everything we want in our Elizabethan heroes and reluctant spies. The plot is full of betrayal, moral ambiguity, treason, bloodlust. All the while bringing these historical figures to life through not only their interactions with him, but also with glimpses into their thoughts and motivations.
The story is compelling, fast paced, with enough tension strung throughout to keep the reader turning pages until the end. Every time I had to set down the book I did so reluctantly while constantly looking forward to being able to dive back into Kit’s life. I appreciated the modern writing that made it easy to keep up with Kit’s adventures even during the events where I didn’t have much previous knowledge.
SMALL SPOILERS
The last couple chapters mixing with the last few scenes of Doctor Faustus? Amazing. The scene cuts like that are one of my favorite types of raising tension and I thought this part was so well done in A Tip for the Hangman.
Thank you to Doubleday Books for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Have you ever thought to yourself that historical fiction needs more queer spy playwrights? Because, oh man, do I have the book for you!
A Tip for the Hangman follows Christopher “Kit” Marlowe from his days at Cambridge through the rest of his life while he not only works to become famous for his plays, but also helps thwart the Catholic uprisings against the Crown. We follow Kit as he goes through taverns, theatres, meeting with the most powerful men in England and the disgraced Queen of Scotland.
This book is *excellent*. Kit comes to life from the first page and I loved him. Witty, reckless, arrogant, Kit is everything we want in our Elizabethan heroes and reluctant spies. The plot is full of betrayal, moral ambiguity, treason, bloodlust. All the while bringing these historical figures to life through not only their interactions with him, but also with glimpses into their thoughts and motivations.
The story is compelling, fast paced, with enough tension strung throughout to keep the reader turning pages until the end. Every time I had to set down the book I did so reluctantly while constantly looking forward to being able to dive back into Kit’s life. I appreciated the modern writing that made it easy to keep up with Kit’s adventures even during the events where I didn’t have much previous knowledge.
SMALL SPOILERS
The last couple chapters mixing with the last few scenes of Doctor Faustus? Amazing. The scene cuts like that are one of my favorite types of raising tension and I thought this part was so well done in A Tip for the Hangman.
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