Juliet

Apr 01, 2012 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone, romantics

Shelves: italy, shakespeare, romance, past-lives, fiction, 2011reads, re-read, favourites, 2012reads

I'm in love with this book. That's not an understatement, I would probably have picked it straight up and read it again but, I'm so behind schedule that it wasn't an option (although I might have to stick a post-it on the front to remind myself in future ;))

I've always been the stereotypical woman who has swooned appropriately at Romeo & Juliet so I picked this book up thinking it would be a fun modern re-write that I could forget about soon after. Turns out though that this was so much more...more I'm in love with this book. That's not an understatement, I would probably have picked it straight up and read it again but, I'm so behind schedule that it wasn't an option (although I might have to stick a post-it on the front to remind myself in future ;))

I've always been the stereotypical woman who has swooned appropriately at Romeo & Juliet so I picked this book up thinking it would be a fun modern re-write that I could forget about soon after. Turns out though that this was so much more - it went beyond the Shakespeare tale (and was the better for it) and mingled pastlives, romance, destiny, soulmates, history, crime, mystery, adventure, betrayals and all the fun stuff to make a book that I want to re-read immediately. I'm a sucker for all that so it's like the book was written exactly to my own specifications, which I clearly cannot complain about at all. Also - added bonus, every chapter is prefaced with a R&J quote - how can you not appreciate that?

It's set for the most part in Siena and the descriptions of the town makes the locales easy to imagine even for someone who has never been there and I almost want to go and book a holiday to Siena solely to experience some of it. 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, even though I knew that one was going to end tragically. The premise involved Julie travelling to Italy on a quest to get something her mother had bequeathed 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 her aunt's will unexpectedly. 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 weight nowadays. Her inheritance turns out to be some books and a crucifix, and disappointed begins to read in the hope it explains where the treasure is and 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.

It was a wonderful book, and although I'm sure there were aspects of it that people could find fault with - the characterisation of Janice was maybe a little ott and a little out there, but I didn't really mind it that much tbh. I just didn't mind it that much, and I honestly didn't have any complaints. It checked every box that I could possibly want it to check and the balance just felt right.

The film rights to this have been sold already. As a person who loved the book as completely as I did, I'm delighted to have another way to enjoy it but I just really hope they do it justice. No crappy casting choices just to have some big name in the role who is completely unsuitable, and although I love her, no Amanda Seyfried either. If they are going to botch up the casting, I'd rather they just left it personally.

Now I'm just sad that this was a new release - it means I'm going to have years for the author's follow-up book.(less)

like 40 likes · see review

Jul 08, 2011 kari rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

So, where to begin?
The first page is wonderfully crafted; the first page. I thought, wow, this is going to be really wonderful. And I still love that first page, but the other 446 pages not so much. I wanted to love all of it, I really did. O, I am fortune’s fool to have believed in you, first page!
There are two main stories running throughout the book. The modern day one is about the search for a priceless treasure which will possibly lift the curse on the two houses, Shakespeare’s Capulets and...more So, where to begin?
The first page is wonderfully crafted; the first page. I thought, wow, this is going to be really wonderful. And I still love that first page, but the other 446 pages not so much. I wanted to love all of it, I really did. O, I am fortune’s fool to have believed in you, first page!
There are two main stories running throughout the book. The modern day one is about the search for a priceless treasure which will possibly lift the curse on the two houses, Shakespeare’s Capulets and Montagues or the Salimbenis and the Tolomeis from the historical version. The other story is a re-telling of the story of Romeo and Juliet, supposedly the actual historical people and events. I don’t know if it is the real story or not, but I do know it’s far more entertaining than the modern story.
I don’t know if the real Juliet or Giulietta had a twin sister. I kind of hope that’s historically accurate because the sister character in the modern parts was a huge problem for me and I’d have preferred not to have her in the story. She didn’t add anything, nor did she move the plot along. She seemed like a very cardboard character tossed in for no real reason. She is presented as this selfish, self-centered almost evil creature, always grasping and taking from her twin sister, very rapacious and greedy. Juliet doesn’t like her or trust her or want her around, but she shows up in Italy anyway. Juliet is angry with her for a bit and then they work together. They are now just good buddies. Wait! What? WTH??? This person has made her life miserable, ruining everything all the time, making sure anything that Juliet dreamed of was put down, stomped on. There is not any resolution of this, other than Juliet thinks she actually looks contrite a time or two. Really? Really??? Someone has made your life a misery and you just shrug it off because she looks a bit sad or sincere? Hogwash! Poppycock! Balderdash!
I didn’t quite get into the character of Juliet, either. Her attitude toward men seemed odd. She behaves or thinks like an uptight spinster which seems somewhat odd for a woman of twenty-five. I get that she had to remain a virgin for the plot, but her attitude that all men are wanting her for some kind of prize made me think she thought pretty highly of herself while at the same time she would be remembering that people only ever noticed her sister.
And while we’re on that subject of the characters, how about describing the people just a bit? I’ve finished this and I still have no idea what Juliet or Janice look like. I don’t know their eye color, hair color, nothing. Oh, one has princess hair and one has bear hair; what the heck does that mean? I know Allesandro has green eyes and dark hair and a lean, muscled physique, I guess.
I could understand the non-descriptions if everything was that way, but the buildings and places and scenery are almost overly described so I don’t quite know why the main character still remains such a blank. There are descriptions of palazzos and towers and cathedrals and castellos and fields and alleys so I know the author does enjoy describing things; I guess just not people.
The romance of historical Romeo and Juliet was beautifully told and that was what kept me reading. The twists and turns and the way the author wove in the Palio horse race and the conflicts between the powerful families was really well done. The historical part was page-turning and heartbreaking until toward the end when it becomes a bit too much telling and not enough showing, but there are centuries to be closed up so I understood that.
The romance in the modern day, sorry to say, didn’t work. I could feel the author pushing this romance forward, but it felt very forced. I think she was going for witty banter, but instead what appears is too many distrustful question and answer sessions and I didn’t feel anything happening between them. Even the love scenes, if you can call them that, are very flat. I wasn’t even sure what had happened when they finally got together in the physical sense. Not that I need a play by play, but I wasn’t even sure it had taken place. Okay, rumpled sheets, did they sleep together or did they sleep together? If you’re going to write something about Romeo and Juliet, then (although it’s a tragedy, it’s the romance that folks remember) or now, you need the story to be romantic. The romance is somewhat central to the story, both historical and modern, so it really needed to soar. I’m sad that it didn’t do that and sad that I felt somewhat blah about it. I really wanted the modern story to get out of the way so I could enjoy the historical one and since the majority of the story is the modern one, that isn't good.
In the last chapters, there is tons of backstory which took away a lot of the urgency of the plot. I know there was a need for all the information, but I wish it had been presented in some different way. It’s like the story suddenly got in the way of it’s own plot. Yeah, I know that seems confusing, but it’s the only way I can describe it.
The ending was okay. However, there is something introduced on the last pages which leads me to believe there will be a sequel or related book at some point in the future. I don’t know whether or not I’d read it. This one was a bit of a slog to get through. The historical story was brilliant and full of emotion; the modern one, not so much.
(less)

like 23 likes · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I saw great reviews about this book in several places, including at least two magazines. So I gave it a go. But now I'm left with the confusion that comes when you don't like something that everyone else seems to love.

The story follows the modern-day ancestors of the real-life Romeo and Juliet, who believe themselves to be victims of a curse that has plagued the families for 600 years, ever since Romeo and Juliet were not allowed to be together. The book provides some insight into the historical...more

like 23 likes · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Normally I wont buy a hard cover...III wait till it comes out in paperback or borrow. But as I was reading the inside flap of the book of Juliet, it seemed to be told compariable to authors Barbara Erskine & Kate Mosse. The story is told in past/present as Barbara Erskine does with her books. Anne Fortier did a good job with this.The story also has a Labyrinthine structure which Kate Mosse does in hers which also was well done.Though the medieval parts are good,I found them not always exciti...more

like 4 likes · see review

Jan 17, 2011 Tonya Leavitt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it, favorites

Modern day Juliet finds her own Romeo while searching for the real Romeo and Juliet, who inspired Shakespeare's famous play. Basically you get two love stories for the price of one, told side by side and all wrapped up in history, mystery, family drama, tragedy, and sprinkled with Shakespeare. If I was on a hamster wheel with my last two reads (Fallen and Torment) then I was on a bullet train with this book and I had a fabulous trip!

Just can't complain about....Siena, Italy, the setting of this...more Modern day Juliet finds her own Romeo while searching for the real Romeo and Juliet, who inspired Shakespeare's famous play. Basically you get two love stories for the price of one, told side by side and all wrapped up in history, mystery, family drama, tragedy, and sprinkled with Shakespeare. If I was on a hamster wheel with my last two reads (Fallen and Torment) then I was on a bullet train with this book and I had a fabulous trip!

Just can't complain about....Siena, Italy, the setting of this book sounds so beautiful and rich with history and culture. I'd love to visit someday. Janice, Julie's polar opposite twin sister - now she's a character! Some of my favorite lines in the book come from Janice, especially when she talks about driving the bus into cherry town, I laughed out loud. Alessandro, dreamy Italian guy, small Euro swimsuit :) Clever and beautifully crafted literacy that just feels good coming off your tongue.

Just a few complaints though....This author knows how to tell a great story but I think she failed when it came to developing her main character, Julie Jacobs (aka Giulietta or Juliet). It wasn't until after I finished the book that I realized I didn't know what Julie looked like; I couldn't picture her in my mind. I didn't even really like her very much and couldn't see why any guy, especially Romeo, would like her either. Some authors describe their characters so well that you feel like they become a familiar old friend. It doesn't help that Julie does everything opposite of what she should do. She trusts all the wrong people; when someone tells her the truth she thinks they are lying, when someone is lying she completely falls for it. She runs when she should stay put and she lingers too long when she should really being trying to get away. All of this makes it really hard to believe that Romeo is actually going to fall in love with her after a week or two. I enjoyed the mid-evil Romeo and Juliet story more that the modern-day one. However, it is a pretty romantic idea that you could go to Italy and find a gorgeous Italian guy to fall in love with you. That's why I read books - for the fairytale - not for reality. The author did such a great job at including parts of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The whole time I was waiting for a balcony scene and it never came - slightly disappointed. (less)

like 3 likes · see review

Aug 27, 2011 Jasminka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

"Juliet" is a story of everlasting and immortal love of Romeo and Juliette, but not as in Shakespeare’s tale. This is a a story within a story novel, the narrative switches between present day and the middle ages in 1340. Romance( in great amounts), mystery, history, treasure hunts, curses, suspense, adventure - all set in glorious Italy, in Siena (not Verona!).There are so many deceptive twists and turns in this entertaining novel, it's definitely a page-turner, and that is the reason why I gav...more

like 4 likes · see review

Ananda Jase, ke chekam review od tvoja strana, bidejki planiram da ja chitam knigava...pa da vidam shto ti mislish za sodrzinata. Pozdrav:)
Aug 25, 2011 05:29pm

Jasminka Ми се допадна, лесно четиво, толку интересно и забавно и иако има 650 страни, навистина брзо се чита. Многу интересно замислен, меѓутоа има и доста ма...more
Aug 26, 2011 01:32pm

Ananda Многумина веќе ми ја препорачаа книгава, а сега откако и ти кажа дека се работи за интересна приказна...дефинитивно ќе се потрудам да ја стиснам во ра...more
Aug 26, 2011 01:52pm

Sep 25, 2011 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grown-up-book, 2011

I'm so happy to be finished with this book - it feels like I've been reading it forever! Unfortunately, my stash of books didn't last the whole vacation so I was forced to pick this one up for the lengthy flight from Los Angeles to Columbus.

I always test books I buy by reading the first page and this book had the most outstanding first page out of all my options. I breezed through the first part of the book and then it dragged.

I tried reading one chapter a night. Now, two weeks later, I finally...more

like 8 likes · see review

May 15, 2012 Dina Begum rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Burp* (Maaf)
Begitu kira-kira reaksiku sehabis baca kalau novel Juliet ini makanan. Sungguh lezat dan mengenyangkan – dan yang pasti enggak bikin gemuk. Saking banyaknya membaca atau menonton nukilan kisah Romeo dan Juliet, tidak pernah terpikir olehku untuk membaca karya Shakespeare itu. Apa menariknya, toh jagoannya mati—bunuh diri pula. Aku tidak pernah merasa bersimpati kepada orang yang bunuh diri karena cinta. Yang membuatku tertarik adalah unsur misteri dan harta peninggalan Juliet. Aha!

K...more *Burp* (Maaf)
Begitu kira-kira reaksiku sehabis baca kalau novel Juliet ini makanan. Sungguh lezat dan mengenyangkan – dan yang pasti enggak bikin gemuk. Saking banyaknya membaca atau menonton nukilan kisah Romeo dan Juliet, tidak pernah terpikir olehku untuk membaca karya Shakespeare itu. Apa menariknya, toh jagoannya mati—bunuh diri pula. Aku tidak pernah merasa bersimpati kepada orang yang bunuh diri karena cinta. Yang membuatku tertarik adalah unsur misteri dan harta peninggalan Juliet. Aha!

Kisah yang diawali dengan kematian seorang bibi dari gadis kembar berdarah campuran Italia-Amerika ini langsung memikat mataku untuk terus membaca. Karakter kedua saudari kembar itu tidak mungkin bisa lebih berbeda lagi. Yang satu, Janice, cantik jelita, populer dan punya banyak pacar sedangkan kakaknya, Julie, memilih untuk menjadi sebaliknya dan mendapatkan julukan ‘virgitarian’ alias masih perawan dari Janice. Bibi Rose mewariskan seluruh hartanya kepada Janice, sedangkan Julie hanya mendapatkan sebuah anak kunci, paspor dengan nama aslinya, Giulietta Tolomei, dan sepucuk surat yang menjelaskan bahwa ia harus pergi ke Italia untuk mencari peninggalan ibunya yang ‘jauh lebih bernilai daripada segala sesuatu yang pernah kumiliki.’ Lewat surat itu, bibinya memberi petunjuk agar ia menemui seseorang di bank tertentu dan mengambil sebuah kotak berisi surat-surat berharga. Anak kunci itulah yang bisa membuka kotak berisi petunjuk tentang peninggalan tersebut. Jadi, berangkatlah Julie, atau Giulietta, ke Italia.

Di Italia, tidak saja Julie mendapati bahwa hartanya benar-benar ada, melainkan juga mengungkapkan legenda Romeo-Juliet. Dia bertemu dengan Eva Maria Salimbeni yang katanya percaya bahwa ada kutukan merundung keluarga Tolomei dan Salimbeni yang harus dihapuskan dengan cara mempersatukan keturunan Romeo dan keturunan Juliet alias Giulietta untuk memperbaiki nasib kedua keluarga tersebut. Julie juga bertemu dengan anak baptis Eva Maria, Alessandro, yang ¡voila! mewarisi nama Romeo. Sampai di sini aku merasa bisa menebak akhir cerita dan mulai ogah-ogahan membacanya.

Ternyata oh ternyata, jalan ceritanya sama sekali tidak seperti yang kusangka. Kawan ternyata berubah jadi lawan, dan yang tadinya kusangka lawan ternyata kawan. Aku merasa seperti diseret-seret menyusuri ceruk dan lorong Siena yang memesona dan dibuai oleh kisah cinta tragis Romeo dan Juliet yang ‘sesungguhnya.’ Ada pihak-pihak lain yang menginginkan harta itu. Julie dibuntuti, kamar hotelnya diobrak-abrik entah oleh siapa, intinya, ia tidak aman. Benarkah mafia terlibat? Saat dicekam ketakutan, Maria Eva mengundang Julie ke sebuah pesta di rumahnya yang ternyata adalah pesta kuno. Tidak ada tamu pesta yang berusia kurang dari tujuh puluh tahun. Julie merasa itu sisi positif karena kalau seandainya semua orang itu vampir, mereka tampak begitu lemah sehingga ia mungkin bisa lolos dari mereka. (hal. 571) *LOL* Di sanalah rupanya ia harus menggenapi legenda Giulietta dan Romeo yang telah tertunda selama kurang lebih enam ratus tahun yaitu melewatkan malam pengantin bersama Alessandro. Huhuy!

Selain kisahnya mengasyikkan, yang membuatku betah membaca adalah cara Anne Fortier bercerita yang lucu.
Baca selengkapnya.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Nov 18, 2010 Camilla ~ ♥Qhuay At Last♥ ~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback, dansk-danish

Its been a while since I've read a book, where there's no biting during sex, or just no sex at all.. And its been a while since I've read a book, where there's not one single guy-on-guy make out scene.. (Yeah, dont ask ;) And its been even longer since I've read a book in Danish.. and I kinda wish I hadnt actually.. I didnt like the translation -at all- which is very strange considering that the author is from Denmark. I cant believe she approved this version, but whatever.. The translator was p...more Its been a while since I've read a book, where there's no biting during sex, or just no sex at all.. And its been a while since I've read a book, where there's not one single guy-on-guy make out scene.. (Yeah, dont ask ;) And its been even longer since I've read a book in Danish.. and I kinda wish I hadnt actually.. I didnt like the translation -at all- which is very strange considering that the author is from Denmark. I cant believe she approved this version, but whatever.. The translator was probably drunk when she/he did this.. ( We like being drunk in Denmark FYI ;)

Not counting the translation, I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was great, and it definitely had me turning the page in wonder, and I couldnt wait to find out what happened next.

The book is 523 pages long, and I was reading the last 100 pages up until page number 500 on a train, and I'm pretty sure everyone could see from my facial expressions just how exciting the book was getting. Me biting my nails, shaking my head, when there was a new twist (and there were a lot) and I caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times.. (Yes, very embarrassing BTW) Mostly on the expense of Janice though..

We're reading this from Julie's (her name is Julie, in the Danish version) POV, and I really dont like 1st person POV's, but I think it worked out fine in this book.

I dont know if it was just because I missed something, or its because of the 1st person POV, but even after finishing this book, I cant tell you what Julie looked like. I thought she was kinda 'blah' and she was never mentioned as being as beautiful as the first 'Juliet' but that probably doesnt matter though.. This book is about love, and the story of Romeo and Juliet (Or Julie as it is in Denmark)

I wanted Julie and Romeo to end up together, from the first time they met, when they didnt like each other at all, and I got my wish! So for that, and for making me look like an idiot on the train, this book definitely deserves 4 stars!

If it hadnt been for a translator on drugs, it could probably be a 5 star book... (less)

like 2 likes · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Lyn M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lyn M by: Novel Ladies Group Read

Shelves: 2011, borrowed, ccclib

One of my book groups voted to read this book for a group read. I have to admit, the synopsis of the book intrigued me. A modern day re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, which is one of my favorite stories of all time. Couple that with a Dan Brown Da Vinci Code type mystery (I have read everything Dan Brown has written and loved them all) and I was sure it would be a good book. In fact, the book was different than I expected. Yes, there was a mystery, but not on the level of a Dan Brown book. What th...more

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 12, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I received this as a GoodReads ARC, and I’m so happy I got a chance to read it; it is a wonderful combination of historical/literary fiction and modern-day romantic adventure.

Julie Jacobs has grown up wondering about her parents and their untimely deaths in Italy when she was was small. Upon the death of the great-aunt who raised her, she finds that while her twin sister inherited the house, she has inherited a key to a safe-deposit box in Siena. Her adventure begins with a chance meeting with...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 25, 2012 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya

Versi lain dari Romi n Yuli

Yaahhhhh... udah abiss.... :(

Begitulah reaksi saya setelah menamatkan buku ini. Kecewa karena sebetulnya saya masih ingin menikmati kisah yang menarik ini. Anne Fortier tidak sekedar menulis ulang romantika paling terkenal sepanjang abad ini. Kalau hanya begitu, buku ini akan membosankan sekali. Syukurlah Anne menyajikan kisah dan setting yang berbeda. Contohnya, di buku ini Romeo bukan berasal dari keluarga musuh bebuyutan klan Juliet (bahkan nama keluarga mereka jug...more

like 1 like · see review

Jun 22, 2011 Shawn Rooney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Don't let the flower on the cover fool you. This is a book that superficially will appeal to women (Romeo and Juliet, forebidden love, etc.), but I believe will be enoyed by anyone who liked The Divinci Code and has at least a passing interest in Shakespeare. I thought that Fortier did a masterful job at weaving a most intriguing story through over six hundred years of Italian history and folklore. A very entertaining, fast paced book; and I would recommend it to anyone.

like 10 likes · see review

Apr 11, 2013 Marie added it · review of another edition

This book was a very enjoyable read. I liked the modern day mystery mixed with the historical retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Fortier did a wonderful job making all the characters dynamic and leap off the page.
There were some spots earlier on in the book, when Fortier was introducing the characters, where there would be an introspective moment dropped into the middle of an action or dialogue scene. To me, it was a little jarring, but overall did not affect my reading pleasure.
There were also som...more

like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Andrea Ika rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stay away from stingy people. They are trapped in small souls.

“Don’t force people to be perfect. You’ll die trying.”

“Everything we say is a story. But nothing we say is just a story.”

Great love, you believe, carries the seeds of great sorrow. Well, perhaps you are right. Perhaps the wise spurn one to remain safe from the other, but I should rather choose to have my eyes burnt in their sockets than to have been born without

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Country:...more

like · see review

Mar 09, 2013 Ricki Treleaven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Julie Jacob's aunt dies, she is devastated and confounded: her aunt has left her entire estate to her twin sister, Janice. Julie inherits a mysterious family "heirloom" housed in a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy. Thus begins Anne Fortier's mesmerizing novel, Juliet.

Julie travels to Siena and discovers that her life has pretty much been a lie: she is not Julie Jacobs, but Giulietta Tolomei, a descendent of the fourteenth century Giulietta Tolomei.
Yep! That Giulietta, or Juliet, as Shake...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2013 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Kate Morton

A library patron recommended Juliet, and initially I wasn't so sure about it. Publisher's Weekly called it "The Da Vinci Code for the smart modern women," which made me gag. I hated The DaVinci Code, and I generally shy away from bestsellers and romances. But I was pleasantly surprised by Juliet. Sure, it's cheesy, but it turns Shakespeare's classic love story around and makes it feel new. The last book I read, The Weird Sisters, was bad because the Shakespearean quotes were random and seemed li...more A library patron recommended Juliet, and initially I wasn't so sure about it. Publisher's Weekly called it "The Da Vinci Code for the smart modern women," which made me gag. I hated The DaVinci Code, and I generally shy away from bestsellers and romances. But I was pleasantly surprised by Juliet. Sure, it's cheesy, but it turns Shakespeare's classic love story around and makes it feel new. The last book I read, The Weird Sisters, was bad because the Shakespearean quotes were random and seemed like a pretentious afterthought rather than an integral part of the story. Juliet was the opposite; the story couldn't exist without the Bard's play.

Here's a synopsis: Julie Jacobs and her twin sister Janice were orphaned at a young age and raised by their Aunt Rose. When Rose passes away, she leaves Julie the key to Julie's mother's safe deposit box in Italy. Julie travels to Siena, Italy and unravels her mother's oblique clues to discover that she may be descended from Giulietta Tolomei, the "real" Juliet whose story inspired Shakespeare.

In 1340, Giulietta and Romeo Marescotti fell in love, but a powerful and sadistic man named Salimbeni came between them. More than 600 years later, the Tolomei, Marescotti, and Salimbeni families are still at odds. Julie has unknown enemies, and as long as she stays in Italy, she is in danger. But if she can stay alive and locate Romeo and Giulietta's hidden tomb, she will find a priceless treasure. Meanwhile, Julie is falling for a man who belongs to an enemy family... Oh, those Tolomei girls!

It's improbable, melodramatic, and over-the-top. But it's also a fun bit of escapism, with a surprising amount of tension. I can't help but like it, because it belongs to my favorite mini-genre: Woman travels to Europe and goes to the library to solve a family mystery. There are so many of these stories (really!), and I love them all.

Of course, the book isn't perfect. Like The Da Vinci Code, this story has flat characters. Julie is a blank slate with no life. She has no friends, home, job, or ambition, and I cared more about the mysterious bad guys than about her. Julie's romance is the weakest part of the story. Who cares that she's falling in love? She's boring! Also, some of the dialogue is inexcusably awkward, and Janice's lines make me want to barf. Just TRY to read "riding the love bus into cherry town" without cringing. Who talks like that?! Still, I recommend it because the narrative tension makes it hard to put down. I was even reading it while I got dressed for work in the morning. And if I can't bring myself to stop reading, I know it's a well-told story.(less)

like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are only a shelf full of books that have made me stay up the entire night to finish the last pages. This was a surprising add to the shelf, but wonderful journey the entire way!

Julie Jacobs inherits a mystery from her mother, who died at the age of 25, and possibly a curse. After her great-aunt's death, Julie is called to Italy to dig up an old family secret, one leading back to 1340 and the ancient roots of Shakespeare's star crossed lovers whose tragedy has shadowed Julie's family for ce...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2013 Tamora Muir rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this book. First, you have to know I'm a sucker for romance, but I hate illogical or wimpy heroines. I don't like heroines that are so independent they cut off their noses to spite their faces, either.

This book's heroine, Juliet, was so-so, mainly because she's a whiner at first, and refuses to take responsibility for her own actions. She has a criminal record, because she did some anti-war demonstrating (I loved how the author shows how hypocritical these anti-war people can get when the...more Loved this book. First, you have to know I'm a sucker for romance, but I hate illogical or wimpy heroines. I don't like heroines that are so independent they cut off their noses to spite their faces, either.

This book's heroine, Juliet, was so-so, mainly because she's a whiner at first, and refuses to take responsibility for her own actions. She has a criminal record, because she did some anti-war demonstrating (I loved how the author shows how hypocritical these anti-war people can get when they commit extreme acts of vandalism and harm others [act of war, anybody?] all in the name of getting rid of war) that got completely out of control. But those acts were always a mistake, a misunderstanding, and always somebody else's fault. Well, she didn't have to go to the demonstrations. And even if she felt strongly enough about them to go on her own, she could have left once her fellow demonstrators started attacking the police and defacing national cultural treasures. But no, she went (even though she knew violent direction that the demonstration would go, and even though she felt she shouldn't go to begin with) and she made sure she was in the thick of things. She didn't ask for help, she didn't try to leave, she didn't try to stay at the hotel, she accepted the saw from someone else. Yet she NEVER took responsibility for what she DID do. No, she never threw a rock at the police. And she wasn't the one who dismembered the statue. But she was there, aiding, abetting, and supporting. Then she gets mad and squawks "It wasn't me! I didn't mean it!" at the police and then decides they're not to be trusted when they don't believe her. She just blames them and her sister for everything that's gone wrong.

She also runs up huge credit card debts, counting on her aunt (adoptive mother) to leave her a fortune big enough to pay it all off and to live on as well.

Also, it takes her 25 years to get a life. She has no goals, not even a bucket list--which is interesting, since she's convinced she's not going to live longer than 25 (the same age that her mother was when her mother died). She says all she could visualize of her future was a black hole. Did it never occur to her that there's a black hole because she won't put anything else there?! She insists that she couldn't make a long term commitment to a job, a person, or anything else because of this black hole. Well, since when does mortality preclude a career?

Having trashed on the heroine for a while, I have to explain why I liked this book so much in spite of her. Juliet, in spite of her irresponsibility and spinelessness, is very intelligent and loving. She's easily manipulated by her twin sister, but frankly, she grew up. She had to do a serious investigation, defend herself, and face her own actions for the first time in her life. As she does this, believe it or not, she also is able to heal the relationship between herself and her sister. We think at first that Janice (the twin sister) is the evil twin, completely selfish and manipulative and a whore to boot. Later, we find out that Juliet gave as good as she got, and that both twins really do care about one another.

Juliet also learns to trust, and to distinguish her real romantic hero from literary or romantic ones.

As in many romances, many of the problems are caused by lack of communication by the protagonists. They both withhold full disclosure until it's almost too late, but at least in this one, there is a good reason for this. It's not the typical misinterpreted statements (usually overheard) that lead to a huge jump to conclusions. Or rather, there is a misinterpreted overheard conversation, but it's only that combined with some other criminal activity that leads to a very logical (though wrong) conclusion. It just makes you wish there had been a full disclosure by both Romeo and his grandmother beforehand.

I really love that this is an intelligent romance. Those are incredibly rare. There's a lot of history, literature, and a good mystery too. But none of those take away from the human relationship either in the past or the present. They add to it.

I really like the way Juliet develops as a character. She turns from being a spineless, ambitionless, penniless, easily manipulated wimp into someone who has a goal and achieves it. As she stops blaming every problem in her life on her sister's manipulations, she begins to develop a real relationship with her. As she stops blaming law enforcement for her criminal record, she learns to appreciate them (mainly when they save her life).

In short, Juliet grows up and becomes a worthy mate for Romeo. In the beginning, they are no match--he's successful, can love and protect, and doesn't use literature and history to replace real life. He does need to learn to trust and dream, which he does by the end. He also learns to be less judgmental and to allow for second chances. (less)

like · see review

Feb 06, 2013 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: al-times-favorite

This is very sweet read. Sometimes it felt much too dramatic, but all in all this book left me with only positive and warm feelings.
I can not call myself a fan of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but it would be a lie to say that this story is not twisting my insides and breaking my heart every time when i stumble on it.
But i totally can say that i'm fan of Juliet.
What i really liked in the book:
- two lines of a story, medieval tragedy that caused all the turmoil in modern times (in my opinion...more

like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Aishwarya Hariharan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm very confused about this book.
I liked reading it(I nearly gave up halfway and then was glad I didn't because I enjoyed certain aspects of it greatly and would have been disappointed if I hadn't seen it through). I liked the amount of research that the author has put in, I liked the story steeped in history, the way the chapters alternated between the past and the present(initially, I didn't want much of the past - 1340 and Romeo made me laugh at his melodrama but then I really got into it)...more I'm very confused about this book.
I liked reading it(I nearly gave up halfway and then was glad I didn't because I enjoyed certain aspects of it greatly and would have been disappointed if I hadn't seen it through). I liked the amount of research that the author has put in, I liked the story steeped in history, the way the chapters alternated between the past and the present(initially, I didn't want much of the past - 1340 and Romeo made me laugh at his melodrama but then I really got into it) and I loved the potential of the whole book, the idea of it must have been dazzling. But several things dragged it down into the mud and at the end of the book, I know I liked reading it but I'm disappointed because it could have been so much more but it wasn't. And one of the major reasons for that was Julie Jacobs, our Giulietta in the present. She was a very disappointing character whose feelings contradicted themselves often(especially wrt her sister). I felt like she never actually used her brains to attempt to solve the mystery but just blundered through the storyline. She was a major disappointment because a smart, strong heroine could have totally lifted the storyline to dazzling heights and set that Alessandro straight(man alive, if someone kept things from me(view spoiler), I would totally not be jumping into their arms immediately. The whole concept of love in this novel was artificial to me. Not Romeo and Giulietta because frankly, they were better acquainted in the 1340s with their clandestine love letters full of poetry that sometimes made no sense - pluck her eyes out, lol - than Alessandro and Julie in the present who magically fell in lust and got married. It was all a little kooky and cooked up and I didn't like it.). The author was a bit sketchy with descriptions - while we know what Alessandro looks like, I finished the book with no idea what Julie or Janice look like.
In fact, the only reason I'm glad I read through this book is because I walk away with a new appreciation for poor Friar Lorenzo who really did deserve better. And I enjoyed the Palio parts. That was actually fun. Wish it had gone on longer. I enjoyed the whole past story. I just felt like the present got muddled up during the story prep and Anne Fortier never really straightened out some very important details and given our heroine some spine and character(and bolstered our hero to make him be a hero).(less)

like · see review

Nov 13, 2012 Eliza rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Julie Jacobs is a simple 25 year old living a life waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, her Aunt Rose dies and she is supposedly left nothing in her will but a few of her late mother's research papers and a plane ticket to Italy. LIttle does she know, her real name is Giulietta Tolomei, and she is related to one of the most powerful Sienese families. Of course, the more she uncovers about her mother's ancestral research, the more questions she has. And when she meets Alessandro, a rival Si...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 02, 2012 Nancy Brisson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished the book Juliet by Anne Fortier which was on my summer reading list. My reading list for summer was a bit overly ambitious so I still have several “summer” books to read, books that are a bit lighter and perhaps more frivolous than the novels I often read, that have a reputation of being darker or weightier. Anyway, Juliet did turn out to be what would probably be classified as a “chick” book, because I believe the story has more appeal for women than it does for men, but it was...more I just finished the book Juliet by Anne Fortier which was on my summer reading list. My reading list for summer was a bit overly ambitious so I still have several “summer” books to read, books that are a bit lighter and perhaps more frivolous than the novels I often read, that have a reputation of being darker or weightier. Anyway, Juliet did turn out to be what would probably be classified as a “chick” book, because I believe the story has more appeal for women than it does for men, but it was a bit more involved than I thought it would be. It wasn’t just a light romance; it had elements of both history and mystery about it.

The author alternates between present day Siena, Italy and events that occurred in 1340. She traces Shakespeare’s version of Romeo and Juliet back to real events that took place in medieval Siena. Our main character is one of a pair of twin girls who grew up in America with their Aunt Rose and a “servant” named Umberto. Their parents died, according to reports, in an auto accident. When Aunt Rose dies she leaves her entire estate to the younger sister Janice and she leaves the older twin, Juliet, a key to a bank box in Siena, Italy as per Diana, the mother’s, instructions. Juliet has been arrested in Italy due to a youthful political peccadillo and she therefore returns to Italy on a passport that is issued in her birth name, Giulietta Tolomei. She is abruptly deposited into an ancient city steeped in very old feuds, tragedies, and crimes. She learns about the history of violence between the Tolomei family and the Salimbeni family. She learns that Romeo belonged to a third family called the Marescotti’s and that his family was not actually involved in a feud with her family. She meets Alessandro who appears of be a Salimbeni and she meets Eva Maria who is also a Salimbeni. She learns that her mother and her father were on the trail of a statue of Romeo and Juliet made of gold with gemstone eyes. She also learns that her parents did not die together and they did not die in a car accident. They died because there were others who wanted this statue and would kill to get it. She learns more about her history than I can tell you without being a “spoiler”.

This story is pretty much all Romeo and Juliet all the time (every chapter begins with a quote) and I started to wish that it was a bit shorter. But I did stay with it because I found that I wanted to see the mysteries solved and all the loose ends tied together. The main problem I had with the book is that I never grew really attached to any of the characters. I cared a little bit about the characters, but I cared more about the mystery. I also enjoyed the historical perspective, some of which is based on fact. The author’s notes at the end of novel give some background about what is factual and what is not.
(less)

like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 Book Concierge rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2012 Katri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I have pretty mixed feelings about this book.In the beginning I felt very excited by it, and it had some good elements that kept me going throughout, but overall it was a disappointment. Still, it was a page-turner enough that I think it deserves the three stars, but overall it doesn't meet my expectations. (Note: there are a few spoilers, but not many that you wouldn't guess yourself, so I'm not hiding the review. Nevertheless, if you totally want to avoid all spoilers, don't go on.)

The premise...more I have pretty mixed feelings about this book.In the beginning I felt very excited by it, and it had some good elements that kept me going throughout, but overall it was a disappointment. Still, it was a page-turner enough that I think it deserves the three stars, but overall it doesn't meet my expectations. (Note: there are a few spoilers, but not many that you wouldn't guess yourself, so I'm not hiding the review. Nevertheless, if you totally want to avoid all spoilers, don't go on.)

The premise is this: a young woman from present-day America goes to Italy at the traces of her dead mother and finds out she is descended from Giulietta Tolomei, the woman whose story inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are two intertwined stories: a story of Giuliette Tolomei and Romeo Marescotti in Siena of 1340, supposed to be the "real" story of Romeo and Juliet; and the story of the present-day Giulietta/Juliet finding out the truth about those events and her own family, and meeting her own present-day Romeo.

I don't know where to begin. I'm rather obsessed with the Shakespeare play, and that was one of the reasons that kept me interested as I found it entertaining to see what kind of a version of the story Fortier was creating. At the same time I was very disappointed in it for that very reason. I found that the supposed "real" story of Giulietta and Romeo was very boring, annoying and poorly written, and Fortier did not really have the skill to compete with Shakespeare. Her Romeo is a boorish, womanizing asshole, yet she apparently thinks he is an improvement on Shakespeare's version, as the present-day Juliet gushes a lot over him, and the ideal for men in this book seems to be that they must be strapping hunks brimming with testosterone and preferably have as little brain or pleasantness as possible.

This "historical" Romeo is an asshole when we meet him, and when he gets to know Juliet he improves in that he doesn't lust after other women anymore, but otherwise he is exactly the same as before, and I can never understand why Giulietta falls in love with her. Giulietta, then, is the standard "strong woman" for a modern historical novel: hot-tempered, never very pleasant to anybody, yet all the men who meet her fall in love with her. She is nevertheless much better and more likeable than her Romeo, and I can't understand what she sees in him. The way their story is told strips it of most of the drama of the Shakespeare version. And while Anne Fortier has a way with writing an exciting plot that keeps you going, she rather fails when it comes to writing emotional parts. There are several moments in the story that are supposed to be emotional and moving, yet I was never moved by them to any extent, even though I'm very sensitive to being touched by books. It's unfortunate that a story which centres so much on emotions fails so much at delivering those emotions.

I found the present-day story more intriguing, with the way history was interweaving with the present. I have such a fondness for the kind of stories where mysteries of the past are being uncovered through a series of clues and a lot of cultural history, that even though this was not the best example of its kind, it was fairly in those respects. Unfortunately it was not as good in other respects. I did find the present-day Juliet a fairly interesting and well-rounded character, and I found it refreshing that a woman over 20 in a modern book can be a virgin (at least I get the impression she is) without it being the cause of some hugely traumatic something, or ruling her life. Also, I thought Alessandro, the present-day Romeo, was an improvement on the past-Romeo and a fairly interesting character - until he begins to be noticeably in love with Juliet, which is the point where he becomes a stock romance character. Most of the other charactes are very cardboard. For whatever reason, in both the historical and the present-day part my favourite characters are the monk and the painter in their both incarnations. I also don't like that the "historical" Romeo and Juliet do not feel the age they're supposed to be; they feel like they're at least 25, the age of the modern day characters. One of the things about Romeo and Juliet is that it happens to very young people in the throes of passion, unable to control their feelings, and when the characters lack that youthful fire, the events become less believable. Though of course this story does away with most of the plot elements of Romeo and Juliet, so maybe it doesn't matter.

The mystery plot is interesting and reasonably well written, though this is clearly chicklit part-historical mystery rather than a proper hard-core part-historical mystery. However, the more the story unfolds, it's full of far too much stuff. I could have done without half of the elements that were inserted into the story in its last 150 pages. It was very cluttered, full of annoying and unnecessary stuff, and rather lost whatever message it could have had in between all those mafioso antics, surprise revelations and action sequences full of destruction of places. The plot that started out so promisingly becomes a convoluted mess and feels much cheaper and more shallow than it promised to be.

Fortier has a reasonable skill of keeping the plot going, and I like it how she clearly has done a fair bit of research and so the world she writes about is full of details and alive. I wish the characters she wrote about were as much alive. And overall her writing is far too bland. It feels like it has been driven though the Great Standardizing Engine of American Chicklit and lacks personal expression. I'm sure she has her own personal style hiding somewhere and it would be much better than this if she'd let it out. I particularly dislike how even the historical parts read like 2000s. Of course you can't write historical fiction exactly like it would have been written in those times, but the language should carry a feel of the time somehow, and it didn't. Also, she kept trying to intersperse those parts with lines that were reminiscent of Shakespeare's lyrical metaphors, only much poorer and more clumsy, so they felt like poor imitations. They were so out of place in the otherwise bland writing of those scenes. And even texts which were supposed to be real historical documents didn't read like writing from those times, and that is a bad mistake.

There are a few fact-related things that struck me as odd in the thinking of the main character. One was that though she was supposed to have been obsessed with Romeo and Juliet all her life, she apparently only now discovered that Shakespeare hadn't invented the story but had based it on previously existing versions of the story. WTF? I've known that since my teens and I'm not even in an English-speaking country and my Romeo and Juliet obsession is of much briefer duration. Quite many printed versions in English contain at least a mention on it being based on an earlier story. Also, it bugs me how the main character keeps thinking that a precious silk flag from 1340, the oldest one of its kind, would not have any value whatsoever outside Siena because it doesn't have any emotional value elsewhere. I truly can't imagine that a carefully preserved, culturally significant item that old would not be considered valuable in general, even though the value would doubtless be the greatest within Siena where people understand the significance.

What I do like about this is that it takes a fresh look at the story immortalized by Shakespeare which has become such a cliché. This is not a version of Romeo and Juliet that pleases me or satisfies half of what matters to me the most about the story, but it nevertheless is a fresh, unique version that retains some of the central elements: a love obstructed by hatred and power games, and destruction that follows. I like the amount of detail about history and Siena, and the fact that she tried to situate the story in a real, vivid world. I also like it that at some point there, someone mentions one of my key thoughts about Romeo and Juliet: it's not about love and romance, it's about what happens to young people in such a world as they live in.

It's hard to say who I'd recommend this to. Romeo and Juliet buffs might like it or hate it. Peole who like chick lit combined with history and mystery may enjoy it. Maybe it's best to say that it's for people who like history and mysteries but are less picky on good writing, strong emotions and vivid characters than I am.

One final note: it's strange how much easier it is to write a long review about a book you didn't like so much than a book you loved; and how in a book you have mixed feelings about the negative things get so much more attention. I did not hate this book (one evidence is that I finished it, and did so fairly quickly; I have no qualms about leaving books unfinished if I don't like them enough), but it didn't meet my expectations and left me very dissatisfied about some things. And I guess when you're disappointed by a book, there's a bigger need to explain just how and why and let it out. When a book is amazing, it's much harder to even put into words why.(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's her first novel and she has the promise to be a really good story teller, so I hope to see more of her in the future. Juliet is a best described as a cross between Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and the movie National Treasure. It has romance, mystery, history, drama and comedy.

To summarize the plot: a young American woman travels to Italy to find a supposed treasure that her mom left her. In the process of discovering what her mom left her she unravels the true story of Romeo & Julie...more

like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-must-read, contemporary-women-s-fiction

Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Juliet is an extraordinary debut! Its intensity, intrigue, scope, history, and detail captivated my attention from the first few pages and didn't disappear once as I devoured the pages. Having been compared to a romantic Da Vinci Code, Juliet crosses so many genres it makes my head spin. Part mystery, thriller, romance, historical fiction, women's fiction, with humorous contemporary women's fiction or chick lit moments gleaning through, this novel will appeal...more Originally Reviewed at Novel Escapes

Juliet is an extraordinary debut! Its intensity, intrigue, scope, history, and detail captivated my attention from the first few pages and didn't disappear once as I devoured the pages. Having been compared to a romantic Da Vinci Code, Juliet crosses so many genres it makes my head spin. Part mystery, thriller, romance, historical fiction, women's fiction, with humorous contemporary women's fiction or chick lit moments gleaning through, this novel will appeal to fans of any of these genres and anyone just looking for a fantastic read.

Never having been a huge Romeo and Juliet fan, I wasn't aware that the origins of Shakespeare's famous tale began in Sienna and not Verona where he set the story. Even with not knowing much about the history and not having read Romeo and Juliet in close to twenty years, I still loved this novel and didn't find it difficult to follow. I even enjoyed the historical love story about Giulietta and Romeo much more than Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

My favourite part of Juliet was the two novels in one. In addition to Julie Jacob's modern day treasure hunt, we are treated to the 14th century tale of Giulietta and Romeo. At first when I realized the novel was formatted this way, I groaned, never having been a fan of jumping around, but as soon as I read the first few installations of the historical tale, I was hooked and with each narrative change, it took only seconds to become immersed again and I was left agonizing when it flipped back. This is a true testament to this novel for me because this format typically distracts me, but it didn't have this effect at all. I even began enjoying Giulietta and Romeo's tale slightly more than Julie Jacob's storyline, although I still couldn't wait to discover what was going to happen with her too.

This novel was impeccably developed. The story rolled along smoothly with details unraveled at just the right pace, keeping the momentum and maintaining the suspense and intrigue throughout. My only concern was that I didn't immediately fall in love with Julie's character. I found her too selfishly focused on her disinheritance and trying to be so opposite of her sister, who I wasn't a fan of either. Julie's character grew on me though as she matured throughout her quest and I was rooting for her to unravel the mystery and grow from her experiences.

I loved this novel, thought it would make a great movie (it's already been scooped up by Universal!) and look forward to reading it again as well as seeing the movie adaptation. I'll be widely recommending Juliet as it crosses so many genres that it will appeal to all. Can't wait to read more by Anne Fortier!
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Als ihre Tante Rose stirbt und ihrer Zwillingsschwester das gesamte Erbe hinterlässt ist Julia Jacobs zutiefst enttäuscht, doch der "Butler" der Familie bringt ihr bald einen geheimnissvollen Brief, der die junge Frau auf eine spannende Reise in das Land ihrer Geburt führt: Italien. Dort sucht sie nach dem Erbe ihrer verstorbenen Mutter Diane und findet eine Kiste mit einer längst verloren geglaubten Fassung der ersten Geschichte um Romeo und Julia. Doch dieses Mal handelt die Geschichte weder v...more Als ihre Tante Rose stirbt und ihrer Zwillingsschwester das gesamte Erbe hinterlässt ist Julia Jacobs zutiefst enttäuscht, doch der "Butler" der Familie bringt ihr bald einen geheimnissvollen Brief, der die junge Frau auf eine spannende Reise in das Land ihrer Geburt führt: Italien. Dort sucht sie nach dem Erbe ihrer verstorbenen Mutter Diane und findet eine Kiste mit einer längst verloren geglaubten Fassung der ersten Geschichte um Romeo und Julia. Doch dieses Mal handelt die Geschichte weder von den Capulets und Montagues noch von der Stadt Verona. Dieses Mal spielt sich das Drama in Siena ab und es dreht sich dabei um die verfeindeten Familien Tolomei und Salimbeni - und die Herzensdane heißt Giulietta. Auf den beiden Familien liegt bis heute ein Fluch und auch Julia ist davon betroffen: denn wie sie erfahren musste lautet ihr wahrer Name Giulietta Tolomei.

Als ich das erste Mal eine Rezension von diesem Buch las, war ich sofort Feuer und Flamme. Zwar habe ich die "Originalversion" bzw. die Fassung von Shakespeare nie gelesen, doch die Geschichte um das Liebespaar ist mir trotzallem nicht unbekannt. Diese Geschichte spielt in der Gegenwart und wird von Julia selbst erzählt, immer wieder fließen jedoch Kapitel aus der Vergangenheit mit ein, was ich persönlich als sehr positiv empfand. So erfährt man alles über die Giulietta um 1304 und taucht immer tiefer in ihre Geschichte ein. Gleichzeitig findet aber noch die Gegenwart statt, in der Julia/Giulietta alles daran setzt um herauszufinden was sich in ihrer Vergangenheit verbirgt. Die Sprache ist sehr fließend und leicht zu verstehen, die einzelnen Kapitel sind nicht zu kurz oder zu lang und das Buch reißt einen direkt mit. Die Charaktere sind tiefgründig und vielschichtig, irgendwann hat man direkt das Gefühl die einzelnen Protagonisten zu kennen und ihnen nahe zu sein. Das ganze Buch über beschreibt die Autorin immer wieder die wunderschöne Landschaft Italiens und einzelne Gebäude - man könnte ein Bild malen, so klar kann man sich alles vorstellen! Julia wirkt sehr sympathisch und man kann sich sofort in ihr Gefühlsleben hineinfinden und fühlt zu allen Anlässen mit ihr. Selbst ihre störrische Schwester Janice wirkt irgendwann sympathisch, wenn auch etwas draufgängerisch. Auch die erwartete Liebesgeschichte kommt natürlich nicht zu knapp, auch wenn man dafür ein paar hundert Seiten lesen muss, allerdings ist dies eher förderlich für die Geschichte, denn jedes frühere "Erscheinen" einer Romanze zwischen den zwei Protagonisten würde unglaubwürdig erscheinen. Dieser Roman ist meiner Ansicht nach durchaus realistisch und könnte genauso irgendwann passiert sein oder noch passieren. Besonders interessant fand ich auch die Tatsache, dass das ganze Buch auf historischen Fakten beruht, wie die Autorin im Nachwort noch erwähnt. Für ein Erstlingswerk finde ich diesen Roman grandios und man kann nur auf mehr hoffen! In diesem Buch hat man alles was ein Romanleser wohl gerne hätte: Spannung, Liebe, ein Geheimnis, eine Schatzsuche und tolle Charaktere.(less)

like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 Avigail rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biblio-novels, bookcrossing, contemporary, cozy, fiction, historical-fiction, historical-romance, italy, litrature, love-story, medieval, novel, romance, romantic_suspense, summer-reading, suspense

When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told that 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 immortalized in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse—“A plague on...more

like · see review

May 25, 2012 Sacha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Juliet", Anne Fortier's first novel to be published in the English language, is an ambitious, ballsy take on Shakespeare's most famous and tragic play "Romeo and Juliet". The story follows main character and narrator Julie Jacobs (Giulietta Tolomei by birth) to Siena, Italy, where she discovers she is descended from the woman who originally inspired Shakespeare's Juliet and begins uncovering her mother's research on her family history and the curse that has occupied the Tolomei and Salimbeni fa...more "Juliet", Anne Fortier's first novel to be published in the English language, is an ambitious, ballsy take on Shakespeare's most famous and tragic play "Romeo and Juliet". The story follows main character and narrator Julie Jacobs (Giulietta Tolomei by birth) to Siena, Italy, where she discovers she is descended from the woman who originally inspired Shakespeare's Juliet and begins uncovering her mother's research on her family history and the curse that has occupied the Tolomei and Salimbeni families for over six hundred years ("a plague on both your houses"). Shady characters, ancient artifacts, and fantastical retellings of history abound; the book has shades of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" in the systematic detective work the main character does, and has all the trimmings of a Hollywood movie (film rights have been optioned for a possible 2013 release).

The novel is multifaceted, covering such bases as love, death, organized crime, history/ancestry, conspiracy, legends, and so forth. The image of a rose in bloom on the front jacket evokes one of many famous lines ("a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"), putting you in a Shakespearian mood before you even crack the cover. Each chapter is headed with a quote from the play and the story consistently switches back and forth between 14th century and present day Siena, the main character deciphering clues to the location of a rare and great treasure through her mother's old journal/sketchbook and the original story of the star cross'd lovers. Julie is somewhat of a damsel in distress; still retaining a youthful naiveté, she wavers back and forth between trusting and being suspicious of people, namely the handsome but inscrutable Alessandro Santini. Her sister Janice, who contains all the grit and impudence Julie does not, is a real piece of work; highly unlikeable in the beginning, she redeems herself later with readers when she goes from a cheeky Jezebel to the valiant sibling she rarely was growing up. Another delightful character is Eva Maria, Alessandro's godmother; I could just see the loud, tacky, and overaccessorized wardrobe and lacquered nails and smell the heavily perfumed skin that went with her ebullient and generous personality.

Fortier takes liberty with facts in such a way that she makes you believe everything she says - "Juliet" is a wondrous and seamless amalgam of fiction and historical text. I thought the very same thing Alison Weir did of the book while reading it: "The theme is delightfully original - and the kind of thing you wish you had thought up yourself." She isn't the only prominent author singing the book's praises - Sara Gruen gives the work her seal of approval, as does Karen Essex and Jamie Ford. With authors of this ilk (some of which are well-versed in historical fiction) backing your work, you've an excellent chance of offsetting any doubts with potential readers.

Fortier was originally inspired to write a story about Siena when she traveled to Italy with her mother on a girl's trip of sorts; swept away by the landscape and the rich history, Fortier knew she wanted the city as her backdrop and began using her mother's photographs (which can be viewed on her official website) to evoke time and place, using actual locations (Hotel Chiusarelli, Palazzo Salimbeni, etc.) to great historical and dramatic effect.

I have very few complaints - I fell in love with this book, fully and unabashedly. If you were to ask me to think really hard about what was faulty, I'd say that I did get bored once or twice with the story during the historical parts, particularly during the retelling of the Palio - I started skimming a bit because the details of the race started to bog down the story and weren't really of interest to me; it failed to get my adrenaline pumping, unlike the sexual tension between Julie and Alessandro as well the romantic parts in both stories.

"Juliet" was a deeply satisfying read for me. I went on an incredible adventure (almost Indiana Jones-like, what with its imperiled spelunking in underground tunnels and the crude excavation of a hidden tomb by villainous Italian graverobbers at the end) and got to travel to a place that I so badly want to visit (Italy) while meeting some really interesting people and experiencing a budding romance vicariously through the main character. Love is grand, and so is "Juliet". If you don't believe me, read it yourself, and don't be surprised if it wins you over. If you're a fan of The Bard (and especially of "Romeo and Juliet"), this one comes highly recommended. (less)

like 1 like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
First Impression	26	129	Mar 12, 2013 02:20am
What did you think?	19	85	Feb 25, 2013 01:33pm
THE LISTS: 100% of my second novel	1	9	Jan 17, 2013 07:59am
THE LISTS: 90% of my second novel	1	2	Jan 17, 2013 07:49am

title link	preview: Juliet
avg rating	preview: Juliet Goodreads rating: 3.87 (12272 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8309056-juliet?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327530531l/8309056.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8309056-juliet?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Juliet by Anne Fortier[/url]

Juliet

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (42)

Videos About This Book

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Anne Fortier

Books by Anne Fortier

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Juliet

Quotes from Juliet