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Loading... Juliet (edition 2010)by Anne Fortier
Work InformationJuliet by Anne Fortier
  
Historical Fiction (831) KayStJ's to-read list (930) No current Talk conversations about this book.  indygo88 | Apr 20, 2024 |   BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |  ) hmonkeyreads | Jan 25, 2024 |  ) lexilewords | Dec 28, 2023 | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â I found the premise interesting, This is an extrapolation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in terms of moving it backwards slightly in time and spatially to Siena (rather than Verona). While tossing in a modern mystery and some romance. The characters are readily recognizable and yet described in correlating terms for those not familiar with the Bard's work. I was also pleased at the sketching (within context of the storyline) of the play's origins and prior versions before it was re-vamped by Shakespeare. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Now for the drawbacks. The writing around the 1300's setting is tight, well paced and engaging. However when Ms. Fortier moved her story-line into the present it became clumsy and several of the characters felt very one dimensional. An example of this would be the characterizations of the modern twins. There is no middle ground and neither is particularly like-able as a result. (obviously one isn't designed to be but that isn't the point). Likewise her grasp of the modern portions of the story in terms of setting, pace, and plot do leave something to be desired. Add in that in the modern story line I felt the plot unraveled somewhat about 2/3rds of the way through and the pace slowed. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â This is in direct contrast to her portrayal of Medieval Italy. Her grasp and characterization of not just characters, but setting, and plot pace belie her clumsiness in the modern story line. I was left wondering if the original story had been to tell the 1300's story (a well drawn mystery in itself) and then lightly draw it into the present, only to be told there must be two story lines and have to backtrack fitting the two together. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Despite these drawbacks this is a fun read and I think will go over well with many readers. I'm giving this a 3.65 overall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I would like to thank Goodreads for allowing me to read this as it was an ARC. I also wish Ms. Fortier all the best in her future writing. I look forward to her development as a writer. ( ) Kiri | Dec 24, 2023 |
 Lovers of adventurous fiction will lose themselves in Fortier's exciting, intricately woven tale. Was inspired by
Fiction.
Literature.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:A sweeping novel of intrigue and identity, of love and legacy, as a young woman discovers that her own fate is irrevocably tied—for better or worse—to literature’s greatest star-crossed lovers. Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy. This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart. The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her—superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it? Praise for Juliet “One of those rare novels that have it all . . . I was swept away”—Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants “Juliet leads us on a thrilling treasure hunt through present-day Italy that makes the classic tragedy itself spellbinding all over again.”—Elle “Boldly imagined, brilliantly plotted, beautifully described, Juliet will carry you spellbound until the gripping end.”—Susan Vreeland, author of Clara and Mr. Tiffany “The Shakespearean scholarship on display is both impressive and well-handled.”—The Washington Post. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumAnne Fortier's book Juliet was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.67)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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This was Anne Fortier's debut novel. I'd read her second novel, The Lost Sisterhood, quite a few years ago. Both books have similar styles: a past and present parallel storyline, and probably categorized as historical fiction. I enjoyed both books. While this one had its unbelievable bits, I liked the way Fortier interwove the traditional Romeo & Juliet story with the present-day one. It was maybe not totally believable, but it was fun. This book seems to have mixed reviews, but I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it. (