Natasha Solomons

In Shakespeare's play, 'fair Rosaline', Juliet's cousin and Romeo's infatuation, does not appear in person or speak for herself. She is a plot device, created to bring the 'star cross'd lovers' together (Romeo sneaks into the Capulet house to meet Rosaline but falls for Juliet instead.) Natasha Solomons therefore had a pretty blank slate to create a backstory for Rosaline, but chose to base her personality on two other Shakespeare characters with the same name and turn her into a victim of a grooming ring involving Romeo and Friar Laurence.

Now, I'm all for holding men accountable for their crimes, even 400 year old fictional fuckboys, but I found this take on Shakespeare's play a bit of a stretch. Yes, Romeo dropped Rosaline for her thirteen year old cousin, which even the playwright had issues with, but turning him into some kind of pretty boy bait who ruins a string of girls in order for Friar Laurence to pimp them out to the rich men of Verona is - a lot. Rosaline turning amateur detective with the aid of the nuns, tracing biblical calling cards and sniffing out poison, also threw my suspension of disbelief into overdrive, although I admired her initiative and agency. Before the proverbial hits the fan, however, we have to plough through pages of teenage moping from the fair Rosaline, which, much like Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, reduced any sympathy I might have had for her.

A good idea carried too far.… (more)

An interesting retelling of Shakespeare’s famous star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet. I’m not much of a Shakespeare fan and only know the basic outline of the story of Romeo & Juliet. So, from where I’m standing, this one is a compelling and different take on it. It’s well written and reimagined. Romeo is shown in quite a disturbing light, definitely not a romantic hero or a pleasant person. He’s depicted as a predatory older man intent on getting his own way. I did get somewhat irritated with both Rosaline and Juliet at times. It takes a long time for the penny to drop for them to realise just what a rotter Romeo really is. Love is blind as Shakespeare suggests. However, I like the alternative ending, not quite as tragic as the original. All in all an enjoyable and engaging read.… (more)

From my blog:

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Edelweiss Plus for the ARC for review consideration.

Rosaline is willful and energetic and loves the outdoors, which is not what Verona requires of a young noblewoman. After falling for Romeo, Rosaline figures out that he is an unspeakably wicked predator who prefers young girls. However, the rot of corruption goes even deeper in the ruling powers of Verona, and Rosaline is determined to uncover the truth, and protect her cousin Juliet. The fact that Rosaline is about to be shipped off to the nearest nunnery by her hard-hearted father makes her vulnerable, which Romeo exploits.

Despite being pretty enraged about the story most of the time, I couldn’t put FAIR ROSALINE down, even far past my bedtime.

A hint of mystery and the need for Rosaline to play detective makes this retelling even more entertaining. While adding many elements to the Shakespearean tragedy, Solomons does not diverge from Shakespeare’s plot until the very end, and I loved how she did it. Very clever!… (more)