Friday, October 21, 2011

Daisy's Review of Juliet by Anne Fortier



Title/Author: Juliet by Anne Fortier
Publisher/Date published: Harper, August 19th 2010
How I got this book: got it with a giftcard which I'd gotten for my birthday last year :) People give me books for my birthday! Yay!

Goodreads summary: "Of all the great love stories ever told, hers is perhaps the most famous. To me, she is the key to my family's fate. To you, she is Juliet.
When Julie Jacobs leaves for Italy per the instructions of her late aunt's will, she never imagines that she'll be thrust into a centuries-old feud, not to mention one of the most legendary romances of all time. However, as she uncovers the story of her ancestor, Giulietta, whose love for a man named Romeo proved ill-fated, Julie finds herself increasingly under threat, and can't help but feel that the past and present are very much connected."

Let me just start by saying how completely amazing this book was!! I so LOVED reading this book! I even wanted to slow down and just savor it instead of devouring it, but in the end the need to know what happened won out.

The writing was absolutely beautiful and I found myself getting lost in both present-day Sienna and the Sienna of the past. Seriously, old European cities are the best kind of setting for a book. Especially a city as romantic as Sienna. Or it sounded completely romantic in the book. I now feel a burning need to visit Italy (Sienna, Rome, Verona... ALL OF IT!).

I have to admit I've never read Romeo and Juliet or seen the play, but I know the gist of the story, which was enough. I had however heard rumours before that maybe Shakespeare didn't write all of his work himself and this novel presents an interesting idea: what if the tragic story was based on actual events? And what if the real Romeo and Guillietta lived in Sienna? And what if their descendants to this day aren't freed of the curse?

Gosh, it was just amazing! I loved Julie (or Guillietta), the main character, I felt I could really connect with her and to me that's SO important! I also really liked Alessandro, the mysterious guy with LOTS of secrets. So I guessed one big one pretty early on, there were still some others that I didn't expect.

I loved the romance and the whole plot with incredible twists! This book was such a treat! And it was a story within a story, don't you just love those? And I now have a new holiday destination for next year!

Seriously, if you're into historical fiction with some romance on the side, this is the perfect read for you! I'm gonna go check if Fortier has some other books coming out (this was her debut) for me to gush over :)

My rating: 5+ stars

14 comments:

  1. I've never heard of this one before. Sounds like a good one. Thanks for the awesome review.

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  2. I really loved this book as well, a great take on the Romeo and Juliet tale!

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  3. Sounds fun! Guess I need to add it to my neverending wishlist.

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  4. This has been in my TBR pile...looks like I will try to bump it up towards the top... great review!

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  5. Oh, I've been dying to read this!

    Have you read Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay? It's so good!

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  6. @Sara: I haven't yet, but I REALLY want to, it's waiting on my shelf :)

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  7. I love this book sooooo much! For me it was something really special because I know Siena pretty well and I just saw the city before me while reading. Was so amazed by this novel that I gave it to two or three friends as a birthday present.
    Daisy, I can highly recommend Italy in all its beauty. When you do come visit one day don't miss Florence. It is such a beautiful city and full of history (Medici, Michelangelo, etc.). I can highly recommend Tuscany and its cities. Worth a visit! Hope you amke it one day!
    Greetings from Vienna, Austria

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  8. Sounds like a fun twist on Romeo & Juliet! I've heard about this from others and they all seemed to enjoy it a lot. It's definitely being added to my TBR pile!

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  9. @Karin: I have been to Italy a couple of years ago, but we were near Venice then, also beautiful, but I'd love to explore the rest of the country as well :) One of my cousins recently moved to Florence and made a general invitation to the family to come over, I may just take him up on his offer ;)

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  10. You should....you really should....spent many childhood summers in Tuscany and fell in love with it...magical place...do you know Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato? Is about the Palio and Siena in the times of the Medici. Also a good book.

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  11. Funny - I was just eyeing up this book at the airport bookstore yesterday. Glad that you enjoyed it!

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  12. I definitely liked this one, but I wouldn't say I loved it. I think my problem was that I was so involved in both stories - past and present - that whichever I was reading I wanted to know what was going to happen next in the other! Perhaps that's just a testament to how well Fortier captured my interest in both narratives.

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  13. Sounds like a great read. I'm a sucker for anything set in Italy. :)

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  14. I have read this book i fell in love with the adventure and the love. This book is defiantly a keeper.

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