No Bed For Bacon by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon

"In future, he decided, he must try to find time to read his plays before buying them."

What's a lady to do when she admires a playwright and longs to tread the boards? Why pretend to be a man of course. While the plot may seem decidedly like the movie Shakespeare in Love,  then you would be absolutely correct, and yet this one came first.
While at times a little melodramatic and not nearly as funny as I would have liked, this still has its moments. If you know me, you know how I love me some Shakespeare and I'll take it anyway I can.
My introduction to the novel was its inclusion in the Guardian's 1000 novels everyone must read list in the Comedy section. Having said that, if you seek tonnes of laughter this probably isn't the place. Not to say this isn't entertaining. Of course it is.

 4 out of 5 times there's nothing to shake a spear at.