“There is lust and then there is love. They are related, but still very different things. To indulge in one requires little but honeyed speech and a change of clothes; to obtain the other, by contrast, a man must give up his rib. In return, his woman will undo the sin of Eve, and bring him back into Paradise.”
— Anne Fortier (Juliet)
Juliet is truly a voyage, through time and history, love and redemption, mystery and ancient curses. Through the vivid descriptions of Siena, Tuscany, Italy, you’ll be transported, just as the heroine of this story is, from plain old Julie Jacobs (who describes herself as a weed, a cute weed, but a weed never less) to something more.
Juliet is one of those novels that I first raised an eyebrow to read. Steeped in one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, I wondered how well the novel would handle such powerful stuff. A million remakes of Romeo and Juliet have been made that fair Vernona might as well be a virtual amusement park. But I was pleasantly surprised. This gem of a novel kept me invested and staying up lost past my bedtime.
The story begins when beloved Aunt Rose dies, leaving the entirety of her estate to Julie’s nasty twin sister. Julie winds up with a key, a passport and a mystery to solve. Her real name is actually Giulietta Tolemei, a descendant of the famous Juliet.
Through expert pacing and many unexpected twists, we discover that it isn’t only Julie who isn’t who she seems. The 14th century comes alive, and intertwines with the modern days story. Part historical novel, part mystery, part romance and even part chick flick, you might wonder to which genre this book actually belongs. But despite all of the parts, everything is woven together so seamlessly to create a book that is an easy mainstream read.
If I had to find any fault with the book, it would be on two counts. The first is the transition of some of the characters from bad to good or vice versa. In moving the story along, some of these changes seem a bit forced, especially when crude dialogue is interjected. The second is that Julie herself can seem a little wooden at times, overshadowed by the depth of some of the other characters. Neither issue was large enough to get me to put the book down.