Monday, January 24, 2011

My Latest Obsession: Romeo & Juliet


Did you know that the earliest version of Romeo & Juliet was actually set in Siena, not Verona? That's right, Shakespeare's tale of these star-crossed lovers was not the original, just the most famous. 

The above novel, "Juliet" by Anne Fortier, has had me absolutely enraptured. I don't think a novel has taken me over completely like this since Jane Eyre. From the moment I began reading Juliet I could barely tear myself away from it. Each chapter left me hanging and I found myself unable to sleep, thinking about what was going to happen next, should I read just one more chapter?

The Story:
"Juliet, an ambitious, utterly engaging historical novel on the scale of The Thirteenth Tale and The Birth of Venus, follows a young woman who discovers that her family’s origins reach all the way back to literature’s greatest star-crossed lovers.

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo—but where is he?" (Source)

 The way each chapter travels from Julie Jacobs' story in the present day to Giulietta Tolomei's story set in 1340, was just brilliant. This is just such an amazing idea for a novel! I couldn't help but be completely & utterly consumed by this story to the point that I was torn between getting to the next chapter & not wanting the story to ever end. Sadly I have finished it & am now having to resort to dreaming of my next trip to Siena....

Do you have a novel that has consumed you in this way? Do tell.

~ Clare x



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Thanks for sharing on Soulful Mama ~ Clare x