Review
If you're looking for a delightful book to cap off your summer, BookBrowse readers recommend Juliet. Here's what they have to say:
Family rivalries, Italian history, love, betrayal and suspense all play a role
in this elegantly penned novel based upon Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet.
Julie, aka Giulietta, travels to Siena, Italy and finds herself embroiled in an
age-old feud between two of Sienna's most prominent families. Her search for truth
and hidden treasure take her back to the year 1340 AD where the world of medieval
legends come alive (
Sharon V). Each time the action shifted from present
day to 1340 or back, I was disappointed at leaving the story I was engrossed in,
but within a page was just as lost in the other story. Ms Fortier takes the well-known
elements of
Romeo and Juliet and weaves them into an entirely...
Beyond the Book
Search the web for "famous love stories" and you'll find that most sites rank Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet in 1st place. Considering how few of the general populous will have actually read or watched a performance of Shakespeare's arguably most famous play in recent years it seems likely that what keeps this pair of star-crossed lovers in everyone's minds is not Shakespeare's work itself but the countless adaptations, parodies and representations of it since it was first performed in the late 16th century. In fact, it's difficult to imagine a single literary work that has inspired more artistic endeavors. Tchaikovsky's overture, Prokofiev's ballet and
West Side Story are just the tip of the iceberg - various sources estimate there are upwards of 77 films and 24 operas...
