Galland ALMOST pulls this off. I don't buy that Iago was ever this nice or that he began his machinations without ever intending real harm--that his conscience troubled him throughout and he was horrified when things turned bloody. And I ship Othello and Desdemona too much to believe Othello was the real villain while Iago was the tragic hero. That's what Galland valiantly attempts to argue, but her characters differ from Shakespeare's. She carefully sidesteps any racism in Iago, which was both

WARNING: I feel a bloody mess coming on.....I had an internal debate about the star rating, already, this does not bode well for a review. How do you rate a "re-telling" on it's own merit? How?! All I can think about is how this is a rework, POV reassignment of a Classic... and why did Galland tell me this?! I could blissful have enjoyed this book, drawn my own parallels, deduced as much then thought nothing of it! Alas, Galland kept all the title names the same and in doing such; both rode on t...

He would leave this mortal coil understood by nobody but me. Is that not a kind of love? Maybe more of a 1.5 girl, idkI, Iago is a half prequel, half retelling of Othello told from Iago's point of view. The first 2/3 of this book are Iago's backstory and the events leading up to him meeting Emilia and Othello, and then later Desdemona and Cassio. The last third is the events of the play Othello, but from Iago's point of view. The first 2/3 wasn't awful but wasn't great. The events moved slowl

"I knew to the depths of my soul that nothing I did was errant, that in the greater sense, I acted out of righteousness, however vengeful and indirect it seemed." In Nicole Galland’s wonderful, “I, Iago”, Iago ponders the intricate web of deceit, defamation and lies he weaves that will culminate in an inevitable calamity of heartache, pain and bloodshed. The reader, of course, knows what’s coming. William Shakespeare’s “Othello” is well known in its original form, but has also been adapted for m...

I, Iago, by author of The Fool’s Tale Nicole Galland, is the retelling of Othello, by William Shakespeare (whose birthday is being celebrated around the world today), from the point of view of Iago. Iago has long been known as one of literature’s greatest villains – he even earned a spot on our the bracket for our Tournament of Villains earlier this year. Galland does her best to make the reader sympathetic to Iago. She tries to make the reader understand that there’s a reason Iago acted the way...

This book is written by a woman, and it really shows. Not a bad thing; it just is. The time devoted to Emelia's wit, beauty, and few yet captivating flaws became a tad trite mid way through the novel; I got kind of tired of reading about Iago's infatuation with her collarbones after the first two times it's mentioned. The book doesn't really pick up on the irresistible inner workings of the premeditating murderer/liar/abuser/usurper we all love and hate Iago for til about 3/4th's into the book,

Ruthless ambition that leads to disaster. The author is Very committed to complete disaster and ruin in this take on Othello from Iago’s point of view. Who’s the most corrupt? Hard to say in this version based on Shakespeare, a ruthless creator of tragedy. Even true love can’t save these men from their fate. I have not read the play, I think I’ll have my retired English teacher dad tell it to me. He likes to retell stories. Maybe it’ll be more bearable. Kudos to the author who did the story just...

Having finished this book, I'm sort of overwhelmed with emotion. Othello has always been one of my favorite plays -- it's fascinating to explore and analyze and discuss, and the potential for character history and background is endless. I, Iago explores one potential history for arguably the most famous character of this Shakespearean drama, Iago. It's a rich history, incredibly well-written and interesting. This novel is a war story on several different levels, but it's also -- as the author ac...

Iago tops any list of Shakespeare's most evil characters, hands down. He isn't driven by a code of business like Shylock or ambitions for her husband like Lady Macbeth. Rather, based on the flimsiest imagined grievances (passed over for promotion; suspects his wife is sleeping with his boss), he ruins the marriage, careers, and lives of multiple innocent people, even killing his wife himself.But wait - why is Iago the villain and Othello a (tragic) hero? Othello kills his wife too, just because

This one is definitely one of the best novels I've read this year. If anyone had told me I would stoop to reading a re-hashing of Othello, I would've laughed at their face. But I did, and it was fantastic. Galland writes beautifully and confidently, never trying to "improve" on Shakespeare, but giving more "meat" and facets to the characters, giving them a stronger and richer background and psychological motives, filling in gaps in their stories and making the whole thing come alive with colors,...

This book bored me to death - I just so didn't care about anyone, and it was all so predictable. Stick with Shakespeare

I, Iago is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a book I’ve been waiting for my whole life - one that takes the blame off a villain who is very nearly a scapegoat, and spreads that blame evenly among the other characters. I mean, honestly - were Romeo and Juliet not being just the least bit spoiled and immature? They had to have each other, and if they couldn’t have each other, then they didn’t want to live anymore? Apparently a lot of people call this “romance”; in my house that’s called

All you need to know about this book is that it's Othello from Iago's perspective. Iago is one of my two favorite Shakespearean villains (the other being Lady Macbeth, and Iago wins because he doesn't go crazy. In fact, he's basically like, "Yeah. I engineered ALL OF THIS and I will not tell you why.") and so it was very interesting to read a book from his perspective.Although it starts with his childhood, the book doesn't really get going until he meets and falls in love with Emilia. And, of co...

It's pretty ballsy to take one of Shakespeare's most famous characters and write a novel about him from his viewpoint, and there are tons of opportunities to make a horrible misstep. However, Nicole Galland's novel about Iago is awesome. It's straight up a great read: a meaty historical that is rich with detail but doesn't drown the reader, thick with evocative characters and exotic locales, dramatic plot and wonderful writing. Being unfamiliar with Othello isn't a problem, as Galland's story is...

I am a huge, huge fan of the Classics Retold genre. If this genre has an actual name, I don't know what it is. Classics Retold is just what I call them. I was first introduced to this genre in college. Jane Eyre is one of my all time favorite books. I've read it so many times, I've lost count. In college, I was taking a literature class where we were slated to read Jane Eyre followed by a book entitled Wide Sargasso Sea. I had never heard of the second book, but I soon found out that Wide Sargas...

They called me “honest Iago” from an early age, but in Venice, this is not a compliment. It is rebuke. One does not prosper by honesty.Othello doesn’t end well. If you are at all familiar with Shakespeare’s tragedies, you know as much. Othello is a tale of jealousy and ambition, love and passion, deception and manipulation. However, one of the most disturbing aspects of the play is Iago. Good, honest Iago. Othello’s right hand man who, when passed over for lieutenancy, determines to ruin the li

Let me start with what I liked about this book: 1) Galland obviously did her research on Venice. Anytime a novel has great historical credibility, I consider that a 'win.'2) Iago's characterization: How creative was this?! Galland gives us an Iago who is a mixture of Othello, Desdemona, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth. Galland's Iago is the "original" Othello--a man driven by passion and jealousy. He is as naïve as Desdemona (read the book to find out why I say this). He has all the ambition of Macbet...

I picked this up after reading her collaboration with Neal Stephenson (The Rise and Fall off D.O.D.O, which I loved). it's a novelization of Shakespeare's Othello, written from Iago's point of view in the first person. Her writing goes down easy -- it's generally incisive and fast-moving at the same time. The first half or so of the book, before the events of the play, is enjoyable on its own as historical fiction set in Renaissance Venice. I completely bought her take on Iago's childhood and fa...

An excellent retelling of Othello told from Iago's point of view. We get the full backstory on the mysterious Iago. In Othello, not much is said about his motivation or what led him to be so spiteful and full of vengeance. The author creates a likeable character in the beginning before it all goes downhill. Definitely recommend.

“I am honest Iago, and I ask you: might not you be dishonest with yourself?” --I, Iago by Nicole GallandI, Iago is a contemporary rendition of the tragic Shakespearean play Othello. I, Iago was written in the first-person through the perspective of the great “honest Iago.” In summary, the character Iago is the antagonist in the play Othello whose deception leads to the tragedy’s conclusion. Interestingly, readers have admired Iago’s mischievous antics for hundreds of years, because Shakespe...