Juliet: Summary and book reviews of Juliet by Anne Fortier, plus links to an excerpt from Juliet and a biography of Anne Fortier.

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? From Anne Fortier comes a sweeping, beautifully written 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.

BookBrowse

If you're looking for a delightful book to cap off your summer, BookBrowse readers recommend Juliet:

Whether it was purely Fortier's story telling power or my love of all things Shakespeare, Italy and ghostly - three chapters in and I was hooked! As the story unfolded and switched between present day and ancient Siena I couldn't turn the pages quick enough to find out what twist the story would take next - none of which were even remotely predictable (Glenn H). The author had just the right amount of history, romance, mystery and secrets to keep me interested and to keep my mind working to unravel the secrets (Shirley F).  (Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).

Full Review (1204 words).

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews The promising premise bogs down too often in repetition and excess verbiage.   Library Journal ...more in line with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (but much better written!), with its hunt for clues to a secret.   Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Fortier navigates around false clues and twists, resulting in a dense, heavily plotted love story that reads like a Da Vinci Code for the smart modern woman.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Dorothy T.
Great fun!
This novel has suspense, intrigue, romance, and more twists and turns than the underground of Siena! Anne Fortier has a gift for the genre and a skill with words.

Rated of 5 by Baba
Pass on this book! Or at least 1/2 of it!!
I truly wanted to like this book, really I did! Especially with comparisons to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. And the premise was interesting, involving a woman who discovers she is related to the Juliet made famous in Shakespeare's...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Shirley F. (Franksville, WI)
Juliet has it all!
It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The characters are so well developed, the plot is engaging and believable and the essence of Siena and the Contraldos are inherently a part of the story. I loved going between contemporary Julie...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Rita K. (Bannockburn, IL)
Juliet by Anne Fortier
I knew I would like this book when I read it was on the scale of The Thirteenth Tale. 'Juliet' was very intriguing, the way Fortier kept switching back and forth between centuries really kept my interest. Didn't want to put it down. Definitely...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Kathy S. (Coral Gables, FL)
Gets better and better
I have to admit, when I first starting reading, I thought I had it figured out and was going to be bored for the rest of the book. I was WRONG ... I liked being surprised with new facts throughout the book, and especially since not pulled out of...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Diane H. (San Diego, CA)
Juliet
Anne Fortier's new twist on the old Romeo and Juliet story is a winner. In the style of Deborah Crombie, Fortier weaves two stories, seemingly hundreds of years apart, and brings them together at the end in an unexpected way. With likable...   Read More

...19 More Reader Reviews

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Books with similar themes

• Mysteries
  
• Romantic Suspense
  
• Europe 
  
• Italy 
  
• 17th Century or Earlier 
  
• Contemporary 
  
• 1st Books/1st Novels 
  
• Strong Female Leads