Reviews

An intriguing, if sinister take on Romeo and Juliet. Very interesting to see the extremes the author could twist the plot to, while still staying fairly accurate to the original dialog.

lrayner's review against another edition

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3.0

Some good description but clumsy use of Shakespeare and dubious interpretation.

chloew94's review

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sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

jmatkinson1's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When her mother dies, young Rosaline Capulet is told that she must enter a convent. She negotiates a respite, determined to live a little and so gatecrashes a party held by the family's enemies, the Montagues. There Rosaline meets the handsome, older Rmoeo Montague and falls crazily in love. Romeo promises marriage but Rosaline hears rumours and is unsure so breaks it off. Then Romeo turns his eye on her younger cousin, Juliet.
I really loved this book! Solomons has taken a minor character from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and woven a whole story around her. Rosaline has no presence in the original play but here she is pivotal to a complete retelling of the story. Romeo comes across as a predator and Juliet a victim but the voices that are loudest are those of the women of Verona, powerless to the whiles of the men.

ssj1993's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

martav24's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

andshe_reads's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Well what a fantastic retelling of Romeo and Juliet, spoken from Rosalines POV.

Most people know of the classic version of this story however Natasha Solomons puts a whole new perspective on the tragedy in her version.

We get more insight into Romeos Wicked ways especially towards women. Within the story its also made clear how much women and young girls are taken advantage of and how they were once treated, even by the men in their own families. It was so sad to read about Rosalines life and what lay ahead for her. I grew very fond of her character and honestly I felt all the emotions right with her from her anger to her devastation.

The ending made it a 5 star read for me. This is my first book by this author and I'll be looking forward to reading more in the future.

Thank you to Bonnier Books for kindly sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

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