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lookmairead's review against another edition
2.0
Some of the sharpest and intriguing parts of this book was placed in the 1340’s. I found wishing this timeline was the ONLY story line. Honesty, the concept is strong enough by itself.
I felt any scene with Janice took me out of the flow in this book. I also wished Julie had a little more confidence/ oomph.
I felt any scene with Janice took me out of the flow in this book. I also wished Julie had a little more confidence/ oomph.
adiscoveryoflit's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Honestly, I didn't think I would like this book, even though the synopsis sounded so intriguing, because its not what I usually read. However, I think that's the best part. Picking up a genre that you usually avoid can ignite a new love for it.
Just by reading the synopsis, and learning that it is inspired by Romeo and Juliet is enough to pull me in. I've always been that person who big time gushed at Romeo & Juliet, especially the movie adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio; yes I'm that kind of person. So I immediately purchased this book, thinking it would be a fun modern re-write. Turns out though that this was so much more - it went beyond Shakespeare tale of the tragic love story and mingled past lives, romance, history, mystery, adventure, betrayals and all the fun stuff to make it a book that I want to re-read immediately. I also loved how every chapter is pre-faced with a Shakespeare quote from his Romeo and Juliet story.
It's set in Siena for the most part and the descriptions of the town makes it so swoon worthy which is easy to imagine even for someone who has never been there. The two tales - modern and past blend together beautifully and it says a lot about the author that I was equally invested in both stories. Anne did an amazing job with the whole lot of research that probably had to go into this story, and actually writing a story that was inspired by this well know tragic love story, WOW. The premise involved Julie travelling to Italy on a quest to get something her mother had left her after her aunt died, in the belief that it will be worth a lot of money and clear her debts after she was written out of her aunt's will. In Italy, she travels under her real name, Giulieta Tolomei and discovers that her family is at the centre of an ancient feud with another family and that her name holds some medieval tradition. Her inheritance turns out to be some book and a crucifix, and Giulietta is disappointed but hopes it may explain where the treasure is. However, the book turns out to be a diary that talks about Giulieta and Romeo, her ancestor and her lover who were the inspiration for the early Italian tellings of Romeo & Juliet before Shakespeare got ahold of it, and brought to life the tragic love story we all know well and love.
Where in Shakespeare's tale you have the Montegues and Capulet's, in Anne Fortier's Juliet there are the Tolomei's and the Salimbenis. You also encounter another family name that has a lot to do with this story, that name is Marescotti. I don't want to talk too much about the different families because all three have apart to play within this story of unraveling the mystery. I had a weird yet beautiful reading experience with this. At first I was getting overly confused as to how Romeo and Juliet are still alive 600 years after the original Romeo and Juliet who inspired all theses stories, however I did soon figure it all out when Giulietta started to find out her past more, and why she inherited the name.
Did I mention that Giulietta has a twin sister? You will meet her at the beginning. I did not click with Janice (Gianozza) one bit, I found her to be selfish, rude and obnoxious. However further on into the book she grew on me, and I found her to be a more selfless and a bit of a badass too. Another think I find badass, the way Romeo and Juliet's story was portrayed within this book, I personally found it to be more tragic than that of Shakespeare'. I liked that this story was not too focused on the romance, but the family politics and overall plot line. It made it more thrilling. There was of course a romance though and I love it.
'In my opinion, your story - and Romeo and Juliet as well - is not about love. It is about politics, and the message is simple. When the old men fight, the young will die. Juliet, Anne Fortier
The whole journey of unraveling these secrets and learning about her past was extraordinary for me, I wanted to savour every chapter of this book and I think that's why I didn't fly through it, I just took it slowly. I adore the writing style, it flowed perfectly for me and I literally had a little cry when I came to the end. Will I be re-reading this book? Time and time again. This is by far one of my favorite books of all time. You should pick it up too. I know I say this in most of my reviews, but I am generally serious when I say that you will not regret it.
'A grave? O no, a lantern, slaughter'd youth. For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence, full of light.' William Shakespeare
-~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~-
~ Full review to come ~
Just by reading the synopsis, and learning that it is inspired by Romeo and Juliet is enough to pull me in. I've always been that person who big time gushed at Romeo & Juliet, especially the movie adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio; yes I'm that kind of person. So I immediately purchased this book, thinking it would be a fun modern re-write. Turns out though that this was so much more - it went beyond Shakespeare tale of the tragic love story and mingled past lives, romance, history, mystery, adventure, betrayals and all the fun stuff to make it a book that I want to re-read immediately. I also loved how every chapter is pre-faced with a Shakespeare quote from his Romeo and Juliet story.
It's set in Siena for the most part and the descriptions of the town makes it so swoon worthy which is easy to imagine even for someone who has never been there. The two tales - modern and past blend together beautifully and it says a lot about the author that I was equally invested in both stories. Anne did an amazing job with the whole lot of research that probably had to go into this story, and actually writing a story that was inspired by this well know tragic love story, WOW. The premise involved Julie travelling to Italy on a quest to get something her mother had left her after her aunt died, in the belief that it will be worth a lot of money and clear her debts after she was written out of her aunt's will. In Italy, she travels under her real name, Giulieta Tolomei and discovers that her family is at the centre of an ancient feud with another family and that her name holds some medieval tradition. Her inheritance turns out to be some book and a crucifix, and Giulietta is disappointed but hopes it may explain where the treasure is. However, the book turns out to be a diary that talks about Giulieta and Romeo, her ancestor and her lover who were the inspiration for the early Italian tellings of Romeo & Juliet before Shakespeare got ahold of it, and brought to life the tragic love story we all know well and love.
Where in Shakespeare's tale you have the Montegues and Capulet's, in Anne Fortier's Juliet there are the Tolomei's and the Salimbenis. You also encounter another family name that has a lot to do with this story, that name is Marescotti. I don't want to talk too much about the different families because all three have apart to play within this story of unraveling the mystery. I had a weird yet beautiful reading experience with this. At first I was getting overly confused as to how Romeo and Juliet are still alive 600 years after the original Romeo and Juliet who inspired all theses stories, however I did soon figure it all out when Giulietta started to find out her past more, and why she inherited the name.
Did I mention that Giulietta has a twin sister? You will meet her at the beginning. I did not click with Janice (Gianozza) one bit, I found her to be selfish, rude and obnoxious. However further on into the book she grew on me, and I found her to be a more selfless and a bit of a badass too. Another think I find badass, the way Romeo and Juliet's story was portrayed within this book, I personally found it to be more tragic than that of Shakespeare'. I liked that this story was not too focused on the romance, but the family politics and overall plot line. It made it more thrilling. There was of course a romance though and I love it.
'In my opinion, your story - and Romeo and Juliet as well - is not about love. It is about politics, and the message is simple. When the old men fight, the young will die. Juliet, Anne Fortier
The whole journey of unraveling these secrets and learning about her past was extraordinary for me, I wanted to savour every chapter of this book and I think that's why I didn't fly through it, I just took it slowly. I adore the writing style, it flowed perfectly for me and I literally had a little cry when I came to the end. Will I be re-reading this book? Time and time again. This is by far one of my favorite books of all time. You should pick it up too. I know I say this in most of my reviews, but I am generally serious when I say that you will not regret it.
'A grave? O no, a lantern, slaughter'd youth. For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence, full of light.' William Shakespeare
-~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~-
~ Full review to come ~
ddgwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
rhondafuller's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, wow, wow! I loved this book soooo much! It's a mixture of lore, romance & intrigue - all the things i love! What i enjoyed most about this book is that each chapter would jump back and forth from AD 1340 and present time, so I was always dying to find out about the past and get some more information about what happened so I could piece everything together. I also enjoyed the many twists & turns in this (there are many!) and I was always left thinking "Whaaaaaaaaatt??" I never saw them coming or figured them out. I listened to this on audio book and I don't think I would've enjoyed it as much if I read it because their was alot of italian in it and Italian names which i think I may have not been able to pronounce and I may have gotten very confused. I did take me a while to finally get round to reading it but I'm so glad i did because it's wonderful.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Audio book performed by Cassandra Campbell.
Julie Jacobs and her twin sister, Janice, were orphaned as toddlers. They’ve been raised by their great Aunt Rose, with the help of her houseman, Umberto. When Rose dies suddenly, her will is a complete surprise that drives a deep wedge between the sisters. Janice gets the house and all the money. Julie gets the key to a safe deposit box and the name of the banker in Siena Italy that her mother trusted. She also gets a new identity … or shall we say her true identity.
Moving back and forth between the 1340 “true” story of star-crossed lovers in Sienna – Giulietta Tolomei and Romeo Marescotti – and the modern day Julie Jacobs’s efforts to find her mother’s legacy, this is a novel that tries to be a romantic epic and a suspense thriller. The result is that it doesn’t quite succeed on either count.
I was pretty caught up in the 1340 story. Although some of the “coincidences” strained credulity, I was willing to go along because it’s a story handed down through generations. But the modern story just irritated me. There were far too many complications, with multiple double-crosses, and triple-crosses. People show up very conveniently and without good explanation. The modern love story was weak. But my biggest complaint is that Julie behaves so stupidly – over and over again.
On the plus side, Fortier did a very good job of putting the action in the city of Siena and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The location is practically a character; it is so vividly drawn and so central to the story. She also does a decent job of keeping the plot moving and building suspense. Cassandra Campbell’s narration on the audio book was very good; her ability to voice the many characters made it easy to keep them straight, especially when dialogue was fast and furious between two or more characters.
Julie Jacobs and her twin sister, Janice, were orphaned as toddlers. They’ve been raised by their great Aunt Rose, with the help of her houseman, Umberto. When Rose dies suddenly, her will is a complete surprise that drives a deep wedge between the sisters. Janice gets the house and all the money. Julie gets the key to a safe deposit box and the name of the banker in Siena Italy that her mother trusted. She also gets a new identity … or shall we say her true identity.
Moving back and forth between the 1340 “true” story of star-crossed lovers in Sienna – Giulietta Tolomei and Romeo Marescotti – and the modern day Julie Jacobs’s efforts to find her mother’s legacy, this is a novel that tries to be a romantic epic and a suspense thriller. The result is that it doesn’t quite succeed on either count.
I was pretty caught up in the 1340 story. Although some of the “coincidences” strained credulity, I was willing to go along because it’s a story handed down through generations. But the modern story just irritated me. There were far too many complications, with multiple double-crosses, and triple-crosses. People show up very conveniently and without good explanation. The modern love story was weak. But my biggest complaint is that Julie behaves so stupidly – over and over again.
On the plus side, Fortier did a very good job of putting the action in the city of Siena and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The location is practically a character; it is so vividly drawn and so central to the story. She also does a decent job of keeping the plot moving and building suspense. Cassandra Campbell’s narration on the audio book was very good; her ability to voice the many characters made it easy to keep them straight, especially when dialogue was fast and furious between two or more characters.
tmathews0330's review against another edition
3.0
There were times I didn't want to put this book down and others when I could not keep my eyes open to keep going. The story was interesting with maybe one too many twists on what was really going on, but there were moments when the pacing would get thrown off. Overall, an excellent idea for a book.