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The Los Angeles Times–bestselling author of Helen of Pasadena offers a smart, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about new love, new life, and Shakespeare.
"A charmingly funny and effortless read....wonderfully developed cast of characters"
— Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)
Elizabeth Lancaster, an English professor at Pasadena City College, finds her perfectly dull but perfectly orchestrated life upended one summer by three men: her movie-star ex-husband, a charming political operative, and William Shakespeare. Until now, she'd been content living in the shadow of her high-profile and highly accomplished family. Then her college boyfriend and one-time husband of seventeen months, A-list action star FX Fahey, shows up with a job offer that she can't resist, and Elizabeth's life suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting. She's off to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the summer to make sure FX doesn't humiliate himself in an avant-garde production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
As she has done so skillfully with her novels, The Sweeney Sisters and Helen of Pasadena, which spent more than a year on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list, Lian Dolan spins a lively, smart, and very funny tale of a woman reinventing her life in unexpected ways.
— Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)
"A Shakespeare-influenced delight."
— Flavorpill
"Whipsmart...Elizabeth the First Wife...tackles reinvention, love, and finding yourself—all with a delicious soupcon of Shakespeare."
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times-bestselling author of Pictures of You
“Brings humor and warmth to a contemporary story about a woman coping with family, career, and romance.”
—Tampa Bay Times
“A joyous and delightful tale.”
— Shelf Awareness
“Lian Dolan has created the perfect blend of vulnerability, complication, and wit in this outstanding second novel. With timeless storylines that play out on the stage and in the real world, this is a purely enchanting read.”
— Robin Kall, host, Reading with Robin
“It is a work of fiction, but boy is it detailed about what goes on in Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.”
—The Jefferson Exchange
"Reading Elizabeth the First Wife by Lian Dolan is kind of like sitting down for coffee with that really smart, witty friend who always has a madcap story (or three) to share."
—Hamlet Hub