It's a real treat to read! Entertainingly and witty written, and full of useful information. Ben Crystal really knows how to get his point across. Within a few pages he's getting you completely hooked on what Shakespeare and his work, his plays, are about. After that putting the book away is a though call, I had to read on. Crystal explains perfectly how different the time Shakespeare lived in was opposed to ours and why that makes a big difference in how we perceive the plays today. "Shakespeare on Toast" gives you a splendid instruction in understanding the bard, his work and his time better. And overall you really start to like and enjoy it!

The book is great and I will recommend it every student always and forever. It give you the handiwork to understand Shakespeare without dumbing down the text, which in my opinion is very important. We have to take the fear of Shakespeare from the students. He's not that hard to understand but you have to work a bit to get him. Don't be afraid, he was a human being after all^^ Especially the last scenes with his analysis of a scene from the Scottish play is awesome. He shows you how to decode Shakespeare for yourself and makes the text more interesting than just the dialogue. There's so much more in Shakespeare's plays than only difficult words and weird structures.