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el_thegoblinwitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this title.
Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, but what about Rosaline? In this Shakespearean retelling, Natasha Solomons takes a background character who is often overlooked in modern adaptations, and twists the classic tale of star-crossed lovers into something wholly new. It's still a tragedy, but from a whole new perspective. Solomons paints Romeo as a predator, and I have to say I'm here for it!
Romeo and Juliet is heralded as the perfect romance, but in reality the entire premise of the story (especially the fact that Juliet is only 13!) is rather problematic and full of red flags. I really enjoyed how these issues are explored in Fair Rosaline, including the age gap; Romeo's gaslighting and manipulation; and Juliet's naivety. It's a fresh take on a story we all know, and while the earlier chapters were kind of painful (knowing what was coming had me mentally screaming at Rosaline to wake up!), it felt so rewarding in the latter half when things started to come to light!
Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet, but what about Rosaline? In this Shakespearean retelling, Natasha Solomons takes a background character who is often overlooked in modern adaptations, and twists the classic tale of star-crossed lovers into something wholly new. It's still a tragedy, but from a whole new perspective. Solomons paints Romeo as a predator, and I have to say I'm here for it!
Romeo and Juliet is heralded as the perfect romance, but in reality the entire premise of the story (especially the fact that Juliet is only 13!) is rather problematic and full of red flags. I really enjoyed how these issues are explored in Fair Rosaline, including the age gap; Romeo's gaslighting and manipulation; and Juliet's naivety. It's a fresh take on a story we all know, and while the earlier chapters were kind of painful (knowing what was coming had me mentally screaming at Rosaline to wake up!), it felt so rewarding in the latter half when things started to come to light!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Child death, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts
magicsarah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Cursing, Child death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
clotalksbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this exploration into the minor players of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although it includes the key moments covered in the play, it provides context and background to the scenes we know so well, and in a believable way! I am totally convinced these things were happening behind the scenes. It made me care desperately for characters that I just dismiss in the original, like Tybalt. I shed a fair few tears...
I loved the way women are given power in a time when they appeared to have little say, despite there being a Queen. Not all men are painted as devils though, nor all women as saints, which I liked. It was just so well written, and I'm desperate to read others by the author which I already have on my TBR that have been there too long!
I loved the way women are given power in a time when they appeared to have little say, despite there being a Queen. Not all men are painted as devils though, nor all women as saints, which I liked. It was just so well written, and I'm desperate to read others by the author which I already have on my TBR that have been there too long!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
battyaboutbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
🦇 Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons Book Review 🦇
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❝ "Our meeting was like lightning, so bright and sudden that the whole world was lit. But then lighting also in an instant vanishes." ❞
❓ #QOTD What story would you want to read from a female's perspective? ❓
🦇 How much of Romeo and Juliet's story was told through the eyes of men? In Rosaline's version, he's just as quick to fall in love with her. After losing her mother, Rosaline is promised not to a husband, but to a convent. She only has days to make the most of her free life. Romeo's candied words and poetic promises of a better future draw her in like a bee to pollen, but once he's ruined her and delayed their wedding, she realizes his behavior is predatory, poison. When Rosaline casts him aside, Romeo sets his pursuits on young Juliet. Can Rosaline save her fair cousin in time, or are they both ruined?
💜 Natasha Solomons' feminist untelling is a stunning, empowering, chilling accomplishment. She manages to weave a story both familiar and unwritten. In the original Romeo and Juliet, we're only told of Rosaline through the gaze of men. She's made to be a joke. Solomons' Rosaline (a lively, spirited fusion of Shakespeare's other Rosalines) refuses to be an offhand mention in someone else's story. Her version is so real and raw that, if the story were true, we'd all be inclined believe it (especially in this post-Me Too movement world).
💜 There's a dark subtext in Rosaline's version, though. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's age (not yet 14) is mentioned multiple times, whereas Romeo's is not mentioned once. We imagine them as young, star-crossed lovers, but what if Romeo was 20, 30? In this version, Romeo has a history of preying on young women, ruining them, and casting them aside, only for other men to take advantage of what remains. Despite the modern subtext, Solomons does a fantastic job of maintaining Shakespeare's lyrical prose in a way that's still easy to read. The smallest details breathe the city of Verona to life, making it vivid and engaging. The metaphor of Rosaline becoming physically dirty on the outside after Romeo sullied her from within was gut-wrenching.
🦇 As well-written as this untelling is, there's a constant melancholy to the entire story as Rosaline grieves for her mother. That melancholy makes it easy for us to understand why Rosaline is so enthralled by Romeo; he becomes her escape. However, it also becomes a weight. It's also difficult to fall for Romeo the way Rosaline does. There are INSTANT red flags the moment they cross paths, and they become more obvious with every interaction. It almost takes too long for Rosaline to realize his honied words are poison. The reveal that the Friar is using Romeo to his advantage--and to the advantage of most men in Verona--felt a bit too much as well. However, Solomons excels at remaining true to the original story while posing it from a fresh lens.
🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves a good retelling. This story is empowering, thought-provoking, and a reminder that most of history was told through the lenses of men.
✨ The Vibes ✨
🌹 Speakspeare Retelling
🌹 Lyrical Prose
🌹 Feminist Revision
🌹 Not a Love Story
🌹 Vivid and Descriptive
🦇 Major thanks to the author @natashasolomonsauthor and publisher @sourcebooks / @bookmarked for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FairRosaline #Sourcebooks #SourcebooksLandmark
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
❝ "Our meeting was like lightning, so bright and sudden that the whole world was lit. But then lighting also in an instant vanishes." ❞
❓ #QOTD What story would you want to read from a female's perspective? ❓
🦇 How much of Romeo and Juliet's story was told through the eyes of men? In Rosaline's version, he's just as quick to fall in love with her. After losing her mother, Rosaline is promised not to a husband, but to a convent. She only has days to make the most of her free life. Romeo's candied words and poetic promises of a better future draw her in like a bee to pollen, but once he's ruined her and delayed their wedding, she realizes his behavior is predatory, poison. When Rosaline casts him aside, Romeo sets his pursuits on young Juliet. Can Rosaline save her fair cousin in time, or are they both ruined?
💜 Natasha Solomons' feminist untelling is a stunning, empowering, chilling accomplishment. She manages to weave a story both familiar and unwritten. In the original Romeo and Juliet, we're only told of Rosaline through the gaze of men. She's made to be a joke. Solomons' Rosaline (a lively, spirited fusion of Shakespeare's other Rosalines) refuses to be an offhand mention in someone else's story. Her version is so real and raw that, if the story were true, we'd all be inclined believe it (especially in this post-Me Too movement world).
💜 There's a dark subtext in Rosaline's version, though. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's age (not yet 14) is mentioned multiple times, whereas Romeo's is not mentioned once. We imagine them as young, star-crossed lovers, but what if Romeo was 20, 30? In this version, Romeo has a history of preying on young women, ruining them, and casting them aside, only for other men to take advantage of what remains. Despite the modern subtext, Solomons does a fantastic job of maintaining Shakespeare's lyrical prose in a way that's still easy to read. The smallest details breathe the city of Verona to life, making it vivid and engaging. The metaphor of Rosaline becoming physically dirty on the outside after Romeo sullied her from within was gut-wrenching.
🦇 As well-written as this untelling is, there's a constant melancholy to the entire story as Rosaline grieves for her mother. That melancholy makes it easy for us to understand why Rosaline is so enthralled by Romeo; he becomes her escape. However, it also becomes a weight. It's also difficult to fall for Romeo the way Rosaline does. There are INSTANT red flags the moment they cross paths, and they become more obvious with every interaction. It almost takes too long for Rosaline to realize his honied words are poison. The reveal that the Friar is using Romeo to his advantage--and to the advantage of most men in Verona--felt a bit too much as well. However, Solomons excels at remaining true to the original story while posing it from a fresh lens.
🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves a good retelling. This story is empowering, thought-provoking, and a reminder that most of history was told through the lenses of men.
✨ The Vibes ✨
🌹 Speakspeare Retelling
🌹 Lyrical Prose
🌹 Feminist Revision
🌹 Not a Love Story
🌹 Vivid and Descriptive
🦇 Major thanks to the author @natashasolomonsauthor and publisher @sourcebooks / @bookmarked for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FairRosaline #Sourcebooks #SourcebooksLandmark
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual content, Child death, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Infidelity, and Violence
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