What do readers think of Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen? Write your own review.

This is a book to savor. Leveen gives nuance and depth of understanding to Shakespeare's setting of Romeo and Juliet in a way that the play itself could never give you. Angelica's perspective on the relationships she had with Juliet and the Cappelleti family, as well as the loves and losses of her own life is so well-drawn. Leveen suggests a back-story that gives deeper meaning to the story we know so well. Perfectly pitched, I can't think of anything that was missed or could have improved this story.

I was thirteen years old in 1968, the year the movie Romeo and Juliet with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey was showing in my small town theatre. My friends and I saw the movie five times in the two weeks that it ran and my love for historical fiction was born. I have always wanted to explore the "back stories" of the characters real and otherwise who are portrayed in the genre of Historical Fiction, Ms. Leveen does not disappoint. This book tells the back story of the lover's tragedy from the view point of Juliet's wet nurse. The first half of the book tells the story of
Juliet's childhood. Her nurse is with her through every aspect of her young life and as was common in those days, they rarely interact with the other members of the household.
The second half of the book was harder to read, we already know the ending! The back stories told through the eyes of Juliet's nurse, bring some new insights in the timeless stories surrounding the tragedy. The author has done extensive research of the period and I find myself looking forward to re-watching Romeo & Juliet as I now have a new perspective of the families and their surroundings.

As a lover of Shakespeare, and as a medical person, I found this book very interesting. The author includes a lot of details about "the plague" and some of the medical treatments of the day. I particularly liked the way that various motifs were woven throughout the story - for example the beekeeping. Characters were well developed and believable. No one is as they initially seem. The various "secrets" and plot twists were welcome. As a member of a bookgroup - I would suggest this book - the discussion would be fun.

An very fresh look at some of Shakespeare's most well loved characters. Leveen's use of "period" language was intriguing, although a tad uneven and jarring at first and added to the lush feel of the book. Personally, I did not enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I found Angelica unlikable and frankly irritating at times which made it difficult to keep reading. What did keep me going was Leveen's writing and the backstory she had created which felt authentic. Definitely of interest for lovers of historical fiction a la Geraldine Brooks.

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.

JULIET'S NURSE is a uniquely plausible tale put together in a creative manner. The contrast of the love stories pitting Angelica and Pietro's wedded bliss against Lady and Lord Capelletto's wedded non-bliss by the author, Lois Leveen, is cleverly contrived. Amidst these contrasts we have the open and obvious love relationship between Angelica, the wet nurse, and her charge, Juliet, the daughter of Lord and Lady Capelleto. Juliet grows from new-born to adolescent, growing into her sexual womanhood, as the tale is told.
The character development of Juliet through the eyes and actions of the wet nurse dominate a good portion of the tale. Juliet becomes a beautiful, lovable and sometimes flighty young lady. The reader grows to love her. When we meet Romeo, the reader may be taken aback by his character development. Culmination comes predictable per Shakespearean thoughts, but with a creative twist from Lois Leveen.

Pietro's bees and his meticulous bee keeping habits embellish the tale of constant love. This is the underlying essence of the book and its characters. Bee keeping is fascinating and lends its fascination to this book.

The death of a newborn infant is always devastating. When an opportunity arises for the woman to become a wet-nurse for another newborn infant, she accepts the opportunity to ease her discomfort. This is how Juliet got her wet-nurse.
The wet-nurse fell in love with the beautiful Juliet and vowed to give her all the love and happiness she and her husband Pietro bestowed on each other and the six boys she lost to the plague. The story is told from the wet-nurse's point of view. Juliet is head-strong and her lover Romeo is determined to wed her. It is the night before the wedding when Juliet learns that her cousin Tybalt and Romeo are both killed in a fight and she is devastated. She cannot imagine being married to someone other than Romeo, but will obey her father, Lord Cappeletti. By now you may have guessed this Juliet and Romeo are the same as the Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare's play ROMEO AND JULIET.
JULIET'S NURSE is romantic, funny and full of action during this time in history. Award winning author Lois Leveen has a few surprises for her readers and her style is most enjoyable and readable.

I enjoyed this book so much. As a student of Shakespeare, I found writing Romeo and Juliet from this 'angle' was inspired. There is just enough of a hint of Shakespearean dialogue to make the story genuine. The sights and sounds - and smells! - of the period were captured perfectly.
Realizing how much the wet-nurse loved Juliet, I was distracted by the intensity of that love. There is more than a touch of desperation in the nurse's need to be in Juliet's life. The loss of all of her children and husband affected her extraordinary need to cling to Juliet to the point of being complicit in Juliet's death.
The drama rolls along quickly and at times the segues are confusing. However, Juliet is definitely the sacrificial lamb - her life ending too soon - along with Romeo, Tybalt and Mercutio.
Reading the original play offers juxtaposition of characters not found in this book. All in all, a good read, creative and satisfying.