Read Elizabeth the First Wife Online
Authors: Lian Dolan
Elizabeth the First Wife
“Lian Dolan has created the perfect blend of vulnerability, complication, and wit in this outstanding second novel. Our main character Elizabeth is definitely the kind of friend you'd be lucky to have! With timeless storylines that play out on the stage and in the real world, this is a purely enchanting read.”
âR
OBIN
K
ALL, HOST
, R
EADING WITH
R
OBIN
“I loved
Elizabeth the First Wife
. Lian Dolan's Elizabeth is smart, sassy and just As You Like It. This is a love story about moving on from young love and finding the right spot for yourself, in work and in relationships, interspersed with fun insights about the Bard. You'll laugh out loud at the pop culture comparisons between Shakespearean couples and today's notorious duos. Romance, celebrity, and Shakespeareâthere's nothing better than that.”
âK
AIRA
R
OUDA, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
H
ERE
, H
OME
, H
OPE
AND
A
LL THE
D
IFFERENCE
“Elizabeth is a smart and lighthearted yet complicated woman whose journey will enthrall you. And with the references to Shakespeare, it will have book clubs talking for hours.”
âM
ARI
P
ARTYKA
, M
ANIC
M
OMMIES
B
OOK
C
LUB
* A full year on the
Los Angeles Times
Bestseller List
* #1 Mover & Shaker on
Amazon.com
* Finalist for Best Fiction, Southern California Independent Bookseller Awards
“A compelling narrative and a memorable cast.”
âP
UBLISHERS
W
EEKLY
“A send-up of a 40something mom who finds herself suddenly widowed, broke, and forced to reinvent herselfâ¦opinionated, energetic, and sassy.”
âM
ANDALIT DEL
B
ARCO
, NPR
“A knockout debutâ¦it mixes up the classics and class structure in a deliciously witty romp.”
âC
AROLINE
L
EAVITT
, N
EW
Y
ORK
T
IMES
B
ESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
P
ICTURES OF
Y
OU
“Every reader will see something of herself in Dolan's likable heroine, Helen of Pasadena. Offering up every woman's worst fear, Dolan pulls the rug out from under Helen, and we get to watch as she recovers and reinvents herself with wit, charm, and smarts.”
âS
ALLY
B
JORNSEN, AUTHOR OF
A S
INGLE
G
IRL'S
G
UIDE TO
M
ARRYING A
M
AN
, H
IS
K
IDS AND
H
IS
E
X
-W
IFE
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIAN DOLAN AT
WWW.LIANDOLAN.COM
PROSPECT PARK BOOKS
Copyright © 2013 by Lian Dolan
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Published by Prospect Park Books
969 S. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, California 91105
www.prospectparkbooks.com
Distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution
www.cbsd.com
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data is on file
with the Library of Congress
For reference only:
Dolan, Lian
Elizabeth the First Wife / Lian Dolan.
ISBN 978-1-938849-06-0
1. NovelistsâFiction. 2. ShakespeareâFiction.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
DESIGNED BY KATHY KIKKERT
IN MEMORY OF MY PARENTS
EDNA KLARMAN DOLAN
JAMES JOSEPH DOLAN
Boy Meets Girl, Shakespeare-style
6 Great Lines Guys Should Steal
Elizabethean Fashion Dos & Don'ts for the Modern Woman
Which Shakespearean Bad Boy Is for You?
6 Classy Ways to Throw Down an Insult
3 Surefire Lines to Get What You Want
Why William Shakespeare Would Be a Bad Boyfriend
3 Simple Steps to Be a Cleopatra in the Bedroom
Shakespeare-style
MIX & MATCH YOUR ROMANTIC PLOTLINE
BOYÂ Â | GIRL |
Troubled Prince  | Young Maiden |
Exiled Duke  | Fairy Queen |
Banished Black Sheep  | Frosty Countess |
Handsome Rogue  | Shipwrecked Cross-dresser |
Alleged Pirate  | Sharp-tongued Shrew |
At a Ball
On an Island
Against All Odds
With an Ass
Mistaken Identity  | Prolonged War |
Murdered Relative  | Fatal Miscommunication |
Vengeful Mother  | Filial Ingratitude |
Bad Fairy Dust  | Jealous Rage |
Unfortunate Duel  | Political Ambition |
Forged Letter  | Crazy Sister |
They marry
They die
They rule
“So, is this a relationship built on manipulation or intellectual attraction?”
Please God, someone have an answer.
Anybody
. Nobody. I looked out at my class of twenty-four students, only about sixteen of whom were feigning interest in the material. Not a single hand was raised, not even Lydia's, which was a bad sign. Lydia was my prize student in Shakespeare 401, my upper-level English class at Pasadena City College. A bright young Korean second-gen with UC Berkeley dreams, she was my go-to responder on days when even I didn't feel like discussing the Bard. Lydia would pull some question out of thin air and keep the discussion going until the bell rang or Antonio's cell phone went off
(Party Rockers in the House Tonight!)
, whichever came first.