Conversation so far:
What was something important from the plot?
Shakespeare falling in love and finding inspiration for his later plays.
what is a similarity?
The writers of Shakespeare in Love were sued in 1999 by bestselling author Faye Kellerman.
She claimed that the plotline was stolen from her 1989 novel The Quality of Mercy.
was it successful?
An out-of-court settlement was reached but the sum agreed between the parties indicates that the claim was "unwarranted".
what was similar between the two?
Shakespeare romances a Jewish woman who dresses as a man, and attempts to solve a murder.
anything else interesting?
certain publications, including Private Eye, noted strong similarities between the film and the 1941 novel No Bed for Bacon, by Caryl Brahms and S.
J.
Simon.

Question: Who wrote the novel?
Self-contained rewrite: Who wrote the Shakespeare in Love novel?