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There are currently 45 member reviews
for Juliet's Nurse
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Shirley L. (Norco, LA)
Better Nurse than Narrator
There seems to be a growing trend in novels to base a story on a minor character from a classic work. In Leveen's work Juliet's nurse becomes the narrator in what is essentially a prequel to Romeo and Juliet. This concept works well here, providing an interesting twist on a well known tale. My one criticism is the voice of the nurse. She seems often detached and unemotional about her own story. Her story feels remote and flat. She talks of her love/obsession with Juliet but for this reader her involvement in her own story didn't jump off the page. This made for a good story which could have been told in a more exciting, immediate voice.
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Marylou C. (Winfield, IL)
Old Story, New Twist
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet, or think we do. Juliet's Nurse tells the story of Juliet from the moment of her birth till her death based on the activities of her wet nurse, Angelica. Mid way through chapter one, you will be captivated by the nurse and enter into the story as though you were right by her side. Italian history seeps through the pages and you won;t be able to read fast enough as it wants to take every moment from you. From time to time, the story gets a little bawdy which only adds to the interest of the continuing story.What parents will and won't do for their spouses, children, the poor and relatives. Trying to impress others with wealth is a theme throughout the book. You know how it ends, but getting there is worth sleepless nights reading Lois Leveen's story. Several twists will keep you "bee"holding to the book1
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Carol J. (Isle, MN)
The backstory
An intriguing idea for a book. We all know Shakespeare' s "Romeo and Juliet"; now we know a bit more of the backstory.
Although what I enjoyed most about the book was the peek into the life of everyday Veronans. And how the plague significantly changed their lives and the view of life going forward. To loose all your children after you worked to hard to keep them safe!
I have to say, Pietro was my favorite character. What a great spirit. The focus on bees was also interesting; especially given our current crisis with our pollinators.
Loved the sprinklings of humor. But felt it got bogged down in trying to be too authentic to the times in language.
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Karna B. (Long Beach, CA)
Juliet's Nurse
I was initially intrigued with the first person narrative as Angelica tells the story of nursing/raising Juliet. I also loved the way the story intertwined with bees and beekeeping. However, while Angelica and Tybalt were well-developed characters, I thought the others less so. By the second half of the book, I was no longer captivated and found it difficult to finish although I loved the last chapter. Historical fiction readers and Shakespeare lovers will probably enjoy this book more then I did.
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Vicky R. (Cumming, GA)
Juliet
I love to read about this era. I really wanted to like this book...and I did like it....but that is all. I didn't like it a lot. I thought the story line kick started well but then began to drag and it limped along until the end. I think there is only so much you can say about someone's wet nurse before the story becomes stale. The characters were slightly interesting but I never developed much of a bond with any of them. It won't keep me from reading a future book by this author.
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Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)
interesting and fairly well-written
This was not a mind-blowingly amazing read, but neither was it bad. I found it interesting, enjoyable, and fairly well-written. The main character was mostly sympathetic, other than possessing what seemed to be a huge blind spot concerning how her charge felt about her. Perhaps that was intended, but it made for some uncomfortable reading moments. If you like Romeo and Juliet, or are interested in historical fiction or 1400's Veronese culture, this is certainly worth your time.
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Katherine P. ( A small town, Vermont)
A Tale of Obsession
At the outset, let me say that the premise of this book is excellent and that overall it is interesting. There are, in my opinion, some shortcomings. The bawdiness of the Nurse ( Angelica ) is probably more historically accurate than I realize but still at times it seemed rather jarring. In many instances I found the repetitiveness of the grief for the loss of her sons, of her many lustful romps with her husband , of her interactions with the Franciscan priest very irritating. Enough so in Part I that I almost stopped reading the book. Part II, once Juliet was grown and had more impact on the story than suckling Honey Nurse's breast, was far more interesting. Though, here too, the rhythm of the story would once more get bogged down in the repetitiveness of the earlier themes. In Part I a slight uneasiness with the obsession of the Nurse with Juliet arose but in Part II it caused actual distaste when the relationship became so intense that it felt almost incestuous. This closeness was less stressed once Tybalt's anger and Juliet's aroused interest in young men began to influence the story.
The strength of the story lay in the glimpses of the young Mercutio and Tybalt, in the development of the character of Paris, and in the wonderful character of Angela's husband, Pietro. The ongoing thread of the beekeeper theme carried the story from the early days of their marriage and his gifts of honey comfits, through the tragedy of Juliet's death, to the final days of Angela, alone.
Anyone who loves Shakespeare's play will enjoy Angela's story and though it slumped at times, over all I'm glad to have read it and would surely recommend it to others, whether or not they've read the original. I think it would incline those readers to go to the play as it encourages me to return to it.
