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    Juliet: A Novel
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    Juliet: A Novel
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    Juliet: A Novel
    Ebook693 pages10 hours

    Juliet: A Novel

    By Anne Fortier

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    With bonus features, including an interview with the author!

    When Julie Jacobs inherits a key to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy, she is told it will lead her to an old family treasure. Soon she is launched on a winding and perilous journey into the history of her ancestor Giulietta, whose legendary love for a young man named Romeo rocked the foundations of medieval Siena. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in Shakespeare’s unforgettable blood feud, she begins to realize that the notorious curse -- “A plague on both your houses!” -- is still at work, and that she is the next target. It seems that the only one who can save Julie from her fate is Romeo -- but where is he?

    Full of delicious thrills, sleeping potions, medieval wedding rituals, curses, the glorious Italian countryside, sibling rivalries and secret processions, Juliet is at heart an epic romance that proves love is strong enough to conquer even death.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 6, 2010
    ISBN9781443400299
    Unavailable
    Juliet: A Novel
    Author

    Anne Fortier

    Anne Fortier grew up in Europe, in Denmark mainly, and studied for her PhD there, including spending a year at Oxford, where she met her husband. After university she moved to the US, where she worked in film and television before writing Juliet, inspired by the very first Romeo and Juliet story, which was set in Siena.

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    Reviews for Juliet

    3.5/5

    561 ratings101 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This was a fabulous read full of intrigue, romance and mystery. I have always loved Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" so this book captured my attention from the start. It is a great blend of fact and fiction and interweaves present time with 1340s Siena as it follows the 'true' story of the star-crossed lovers. Whether I was in Medieval Siena or modern day Italy, I was always sorry to leave the story until I became engrossed in the other one.

      The book is fast paced, which is a plus considering its length, with lots of twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged to the end, and it is all tied together by quotes from Shakespeare's play at the start of every chapter. Truly, a contemporary epic about one of the greatest love stories ever told. I loved it!
    • 4/5
      I'm just going to input my notes rather than some kind of cohesive review:

      * The story, which takes place mainly in Sienna, Italy, is so atmospheric and descriptive, I feel as if I know the city by heart
      * I enjoyed the hidden summaries that were preceded by, "So let me get this straight..." as the book sometimes got a bit off course and those hidden summaries righted you on the path again. With that being said, it should be obvious at times the book got a bit messy.
      * The romance was kind of predictable which since this is a metaliterature of Romeo and Juliet, we shouldn't be surprised but honestly? I wanted the author to give us something a bit more challenging.
      * Thoroughly research of the Middle Ages.
      * Juliet, who doesn't know Italian, was able to read an Italian manuscript -- her knowledge of Italian comes and goes as the story progresses and gets a bit annoying
      * Thought the story was more of a three rather than a four but after the book had finished, I found myself missing the characters and wondering what they were up to -- so obviously, the book left an impression on me and that my friend, is the mark of a well executed work. (Unless it's a terrible story but just work with me here.)
    • 3/5
      In 1340 young woman Giulietta is smuggled into medieval Siena, Italy, after the slaughter of her family. There she meets a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love would inspire generations of poets and artists, one of them being Shakespeare whose tragedy written in the 1590s is the most famous version. Six centuries later, 25 year old Julie Jacobs learns that Giulietta might be her direct ancestor, and a family curse responsible for the deaths of her parents and countless other tragic events back through history. Travelling to modern day Siena she seeks to uncover the past and break the curse, but superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas threaten her and those around her. Who can she trust and just where is her Romeo?Didn't fall in love with this book as much as I thought I might. The characters weren't as well developed as they could have been and the plot jumped around the place too much. Great potential, but not quite there.
    • 3/5
      When Julie Jacobs' aunt died, she received a letter that reveals her name is actually Giulietta Tolomei, a descendant of the real-life families that inspired Romeo and Juliet. Julie's twin sister inherits everything; Julie is told to go to Italy to find a safety deposit box. Julie has always had a great love for the work of Shakespeare and for the play 'Romeo and Juliet' in particular. While in Italy, Julie discovers her family history and finds love.This book was very confusing to me. It is as if three different authors collaborated on it - and not particularly well. The story of the modern day Julie, her sister Janice, and the modern day love interest 'Romeo' felt way too contrived to me. The author used modern day slang that felt very forced. I simply did not buy into the love at first sight angle at all and the characters were very two-dimensional. The 'historical' component of the book was, in contrast, beautifully written and very interesting and far more believable than Shakespeare's play (I must disclose here that 'Romeo and Juliet' has never been a favourite of mine.) Then, suddenly, the book turned into a suspense thriller - where did that come from?Overall, this book is probably fine as a quick read without much substance - but it won't stay on my bookshelf.
    • 3/5
      i didn't finish this. just got sick of hearing about romeo. at first, the book was really good and i loved the italian setting but i just think it was too long and after a while i just didn't care anymore!
    • 4/5
      I'm just going to input my notes rather than some kind of cohesive review:

      * The story, which takes place mainly in Sienna, Italy, is so atmospheric and descriptive, I feel as if I know the city by heart
      * I enjoyed the hidden summaries that were preceded by, "So let me get this straight..." as the book sometimes got a bit off course and those hidden summaries righted you on the path again. With that being said, it should be obvious at times the book got a bit messy.
      * The romance was kind of predictable which since this is a metaliterature of Romeo and Juliet, we shouldn't be surprised but honestly? I wanted the author to give us something a bit more challenging.
      * Thoroughly research of the Middle Ages.
      * Juliet, who doesn't know Italian, was able to read an Italian manuscript -- her knowledge of Italian comes and goes as the story progresses and gets a bit annoying
      * Thought the story was more of a three rather than a four but after the book had finished, I found myself missing the characters and wondering what they were up to -- so obviously, the book left an impression on me and that my friend, is the mark of a well executed work. (Unless it's a terrible story but just work with me here.)
    • 5/5
      Juliet inherits a key to a safe-deposit box in Italy. She has been told that it will lead her to an old family treasure. She follows the path of her ancestor Giulietta which leads her into a blood feud between the descendants of the families of Shakespeare's tradegy.
    • 4/5
      Fortier has written a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet along and includes several alternate versions as well. In the modern version, Julie Jacobs goes to Siena equipped only with an old key to try to seek her fortune after the death of her Aunt Rose. Her aunt had raised her and her twin Janet after their mother and father died in Siena when they were very small children. The first-two thirds of the book seemed excessively long to me despite the author's claim to have cut a lot. The story alternates between modern events and events from the 1340's. I was surprised how suspenseful the story became at its end once it concentrated solely on modern times. It's a good read that includes lots of insights into the Romeo and Juliet story. It probably could have benefited from better editing, but it did keep my attention. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      This book defintely has it all. Love, mystery, suspense,action & history. I love Shakesphere's Romeo & Juliet and this I love just as much!! The connection between Gulietta & Alessandro..beautiful but sad that Umberto disappears. And then there's the sisters crazy relationship! There were many times when I suspected Gianozza. Great book!!!!!
    • 4/5
      This novel really captured my imagination. Anne Fortier retells the famous story of Romeo and Juliet, with a few significant twists. Upon her aunt's death, Julie Jacobs ventures back to her birth-country Italy in pursuit of her inheritance. She discovers a legion of family secrets, most involving the rivalry between three Sienese families going back over six centuries to an original tale which served as the basis for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In the present, Julie seeks to find her inheritance - but also to avoid the "plague on both your houses," which she comes to believe may have been responsible for her parents' deaths. Fun reading and a few twists on a classic tale!
    • 4/5
      When Julietta's great aunt dies, she leaves her nothing but a note and a mystery. Julie finds herself traveling to Italy. What starts off as a journey of self discovery turns into a quest to solve a centuries old mystery.
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing, I've got a new favorite!

      If you like re-tellings of Romeo & Juliet this is definitely a book to check out!
    • 3/5
      The plot was interesting and it kept me going through the book, but the main character left something to be desired. Overall it was a great story surrounding the famous characters of Shakespeare's play.
    • 3/5
      This books has been described as historical fiction, romance, and thriller all rolled into one which is probably the reason "Juliet" felt a bit disjointed. First off, this modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet is a fun read. It's fast paced and I enjoyed reading about the Medieval, warring families in Siena Italy. It has all the qualities to be truly fantastic. However, it falls flat.

      The main character, Julie Jacobs(aka Giulietta Tolomei), discovers that her deceased mother left a treasure for her to find in Siena Italy. Julie travels to Italy where clues have been left for her and thus begins her adventure. Julie's relationships through this adventure fall a little flat including the romance with her "Romeo." It didn't seem realistic and I felt she fell in love for all the wrong reasons. Additionally, her relationship with her sister,with all the fighting and name calling, make Julie look appear to be 12 versus 25. The relationship building and plot twists just felt a bit forced.

      Overall, like I mentioned earlier, this is a fun summer read. It's not thought provoking, moving, or amazing. If you are looking for a quick read with a little bit of romance, history, and action rolled into one this could be a good read for you. However, if you are looking for something deeper "Juliet" most likely isn't the book for you.

    • 5/5
      Very good book. Liked the love story. Liked the mystery. Liked the history. Definitely recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Loved the premise, really loved the setting but was not sold on the characters especially the relationship between the sisters.
    • 5/5
      I'm in love with this book. That's not an understatement, I would probably have picked it straight up and read it again but, I'm so behind schedule that it wasn't an option (although I might have to stick a post-it on the front to remind myself in future ;))

      I've always been the stereotypical woman who has swooned appropriately at Romeo & Juliet so I picked this book up thinking it would be a fun modern re-write that I could forget about soon after. Turns out though that this was so much more - it went beyond the Shakespeare tale (and was the better for it) and mingled pastlives, romance, destiny, soulmates, history, crime, mystery, adventure, betrayals and all the fun stuff to make a book that I want to re-read immediately. I'm a sucker for all that so it's like the book was written exactly to my own specifications, which I clearly cannot complain about at all. Also - added bonus, every chapter is prefaced with a R&J quote - how can you not appreciate that?

      It's set for the most part in Siena and the descriptions of the town makes the locales easy to imagine even for someone who has never been there and I almost want to go and book a holiday to Siena solely to experience some of it. The two tales - modern and past blend together beautifully and it says a lot about the author that I was equally invested in both stories, even though I knew that one was going to end tragically. The premise involved Julie travelling to Italy on a quest to get something her mother had bequeathed her after her aunt died, in the belief that it will be worth a lot of money and clear her debts after she was written out her aunt's will unexpectedly. In Italy, she travels under her real name, Giulieta Tolomei and discovers that her family is at the centre of an ancient feud with another family and that her name holds some medieval weight nowadays. Her inheritance turns out to be some books and a crucifix, and disappointed begins to read in the hope it explains where the treasure is and the book turns out to be a diary that talks about Giulieta and Romeo, her ancestor and her lover who were the inspiration for the early Italian tellings of Romeo & Juliet before Shakespeare got ahold of it.

      It was a wonderful book, and although I'm sure there were aspects of it that people could find fault with - the characterisation of Janice was maybe a little ott and a little out there, but I didn't really mind it that much tbh. I just didn't mind it that much, and I honestly didn't have any complaints. It checked every box that I could possibly want it to check and the balance just felt right.

      The film rights to this have been sold already. As a person who loved the book as completely as I did, I'm delighted to have another way to enjoy it but I just really hope they do it justice. No crappy casting choices just to have some big name in the role who is completely unsuitable, and although I love her, no Amanda Seyfried either. If they are going to botch up the casting, I'd rather they just left it personally.

      Now I'm just sad that this was a new release - it means I'm going to have years for the author's follow-up book.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful read. Went fast always entertaining. Clever spin on the time honored Romero and Juliet .
    • 5/5
      Lots of characters, both contemporary and historical. A good, twisting, can't-figure-it-out-right-away plot and an entertaining look into what really might have happened.
    • 2/5
      I read this book because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Goodreads. Unfortunately, I just didn't get into it. It's the sort of book I usually like - a historical mystery, with the past and present intertwining. But I felt that so many opportunities for exploring the intersection of history, literature and modern life were missed, in this book.
      I also had to keep stopping in the middle of the story to say, about the characters' actions: "but no! A person just wouldn't DO that!" (In her acknowledgements, the author admits that she is aware that, for example, the Director of a hotel in Italy would not "interfere with the movements of their guests or remove personal belongings from their rooms." So - don't have your character do those things! It's unbelievable, when the plot gives no excuse why someone would behave in such an uncharacteristic way!) I just found it unconvincing, and it happened over and over again.
      And then, when the main character sneaks into a university library and STEALS items from their archive, I lost all sympathy for her. Especially since the book doesn't really even criticize her actions.
      After that, I just found it to be overly long and slow-moving, with metaphysical parts that were just eh, and action scenes that reminded me of something out of a cheesy movie like "National Treasure."
    • 4/5
      Fortier has written a modern re-telling of Romeo and Juliet along and includes several alternate versions as well. In the modern version, Julie Jacobs goes to Siena equipped only with an old key to try to seek her fortune after the death of her Aunt Rose. Her aunt had raised her and her twin Janet after their mother and father died in Siena when they were very small children. The first-two thirds of the book seemed excessively long to me despite the author's claim to have cut a lot. The story alternates between modern events and events from the 1340's. I was surprised how suspenseful the story became at its end once it concentrated solely on modern times. It's a good read that includes lots of insights into the Romeo and Juliet story. It probably could have benefited from better editing, but it did keep my attention. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Wer kennt nicht die Geschichte von Romeo und Julia? Eine Liebesgeschichte, wie es keine zweite gibt...

      Doch was, wenn diese Geschichte nicht einfach nur eine Geschichte ist und auch noch nicht ihren Abschluss gefunden hat?
      Die etwas "Andere" Version der berühmtesten Liebesgeschichte aller Zeiten wird in diesem Buch erzählt und die Begeisterung meinerseits ist nicht gering. Eher im Gegenteil...

      3 in 1: Liebe, Krimi und klassische Literatur in einem Buch, was will man mehr.

      Auf verschiedenen Zeitebenen wird die Geschichte erzählt. Giulietta und Romeo, sowie auch Julia und Alessandro sind wunderbar ausgearbeitete Charaktere und ich habe sie sofort ins Herz geschlossen.
      Um es zum Abschluss zu bringen: Dieses Buch hat definitiv den Lieblingsplatz in meinem Bücherregal verdient...
    • 2/5
      Anne Fortier's Juliet tries to weave the legendary story of Romeo and Juliet with a modern-day thriller, and is less than successful in the attempt. Julie Jacobs and her twin Janice have been raised by their Aunt Rose after a mysterious car accident killed their parents in Italy. When Aunt Rose dies, Janice inherits the estate, while all that falls to Julie is the key to an old safety deposit box in Siena, Italy. Julie goes off to Siena to see what mysterious treasure her mother left her — and to discover some old family secrets along the way. Is it possible that Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet was based on real events? And could Julie be a descendant of the famous Juliet? (Why am I asking this question? Of *course* she is! Spoilers follow.)Some of the plot points are pretty ludicrous. When the guy on the motorcycle turns out to be Janice, I just laughed. And then when the whole inheritance turned out to be a sham perpetrated by the perfect butler, I just groaned. The parts of the story that aren't awkwardly put together are predictable, clichéd, and overly coincidental. The scenes in the crypt appear to have been lifted out of the Indiana Jones/National Treasure movies. Apparently the golden statue is the treasure everyone's hunting, but we lose that thread in the bloated narrative. When it turns up again at the end and suddenly becomes important, I wondered why I should care.The characters are generally unengaging, and it's clear that the author is somewhat in love with her leading man, Alessandro, who can do no wrong (and has a perfect body to boot). Julie thinks she is unattractive but of course the men seem to think she's gorgeous (funny how that goes). Other characters are sadly underdeveloped, and their relationships aren't believable. The villain Salimbeni is a cardboard cutout, as is Cousin Peppo. Umberto makes no sense whatsoever and I found him entirely unconvincing as the girls' secret father. *sigh*There are some good points about the book. Though I would almost certainly dislike the obnoxious and promiscuous Janice if I knew her in real life, at least she is more interesting to read about than her colorless twin Julie. In several places there is a subtly humorous touch in the narrative voice. And the writing style itself, the prose — not the characters or plot — is not bad. But these little things aren't enough to rescue 444 pages of lackluster characterization and story.By the middle of the book, I had become resigned to the fact that it wasn't going to get any better and I still had 200 pages to go. I finished the novel, liking it less and less as the story dragged on. Overall, I found this novel to be overlong, mediocre, and entirely forgettable. Bleh.
    • 3/5
      Audio book performed by Cassandra Campbell.

      Julie Jacobs and her twin sister, Janice, were orphaned as toddlers. They’ve been raised by their great Aunt Rose, with the help of her houseman, Umberto. When Rose dies suddenly, her will is a complete surprise that drives a deep wedge between the sisters. Janice gets the house and all the money. Julie gets the key to a safe deposit box and the name of the banker in Siena Italy that her mother trusted. She also gets a new identity … or shall we say her true identity.

      Moving back and forth between the 1340 “true” story of star-crossed lovers in Sienna – Giulietta Tolomei and Romeo Marescotti – and the modern day Julie Jacobs’s efforts to find her mother’s legacy, this is a novel that tries to be a romantic epic and a suspense thriller. The result is that it doesn’t quite succeed on either count.

      I was pretty caught up in the 1340 story. Although some of the “coincidences” strained credulity, I was willing to go along because it’s a story handed down through generations. But the modern story just irritated me. There were far too many complications, with multiple double-crosses, and triple-crosses. People show up very conveniently and without good explanation. The modern love story was weak. But my biggest complaint is that Julie behaves so stupidly – over and over again.

      On the plus side, Fortier did a very good job of putting the action in the city of Siena and the surrounding Tuscan countryside. The location is practically a character; it is so vividly drawn and so central to the story. She also does a decent job of keeping the plot moving and building suspense. Cassandra Campbell’s narration on the audio book was very good; her ability to voice the many characters made it easy to keep them straight, especially when dialogue was fast and furious between two or more characters.
    • 5/5
      I thought Juliet would be interesting just on the basis of its association with Shakespeares play. It turns out I couldn’t put the book down. I enjoyed the characters and plot. There were interesting surprises as the characters progress throughout the book.

      The plot was based on a manuscript that pre-dated Shakespeare by over a century. Juliet was actually Giulietta Tolomei and Romeo, Romeo Marescotti. The Tolomei were at war, not with the Marescotti, but the powerful Salimbeni. The setting was not Verona but Siena.

      The book consisted between alternating narratives of the mid-fourteenth century and today. Julie Jacobs discovers upon her aunt Rose's death that her real name is Giulietta Tolomei. The descendant of the real Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Each Guiletta finds her Romeo. However, their fates don’t turn out to be the same.

      I look forward to seeing the next title from Anne Fortier.
    • 4/5
      This book is modern day re-telling of the story of Romeo and Juliet, complete with warring families, a look at Italian history, a family curse and, of course, love. The story follows Julie Jacobs (aka Giulietta Tolomei), following the death of her beloved Aunt Rose, when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister Janice. 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 sets the stage for Julie's trip to Siena to follow clues in search of her family's great secret and possibly a great treasure. The text alternates between Julie's modern day discoveries in Italy and the historical background of the story of Romeo and Juliet (who Julie may be directly descended from). I think this book could be described as historical fiction as well as a thriller, though I felt it was a little thin as a romance. The historical retelling of the Romeo and Juliet was the more interesting part of the novel—some of the modern characters were just a little too silly or obnoxious—leaving the novel somewhat uneven. A 3 ½ out of 5 stars.
    • 1/5
      Once I got past the first fifty pages and some of the dialogue, I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of my favorite legend. Or is it a legend? Ms. Fortier has used history to infuse the story with freshness. I even pulled out a copy of Ambrogio Lorenzetti's "Good Government" to take a look at the figures in the painting. I enjoy the medieval story in Juliet, more than the modern tale - Julie Jacob's story. I'm looking forward to the rest of the tale and see where it leads my imagination. Aggggh! I cannot believe the dialogue - no 25 year old I know speaks like Julie Jacobs and her sister, and I have sisters aplenty, I cannot believe the editing, or lack thereof. If Ms. Fortier had stayed with the medieval story in Siena she would receive more than one star from ome.
    • 4/5
      I actually really enjoyed this book. Not sure about it at the start, as it seemed to drag a bit for my liking, but about halfway through, I couldn't stop listening to it and actually finished it via ebook because I wasn't driving about town.

      The storyline switches between present day Siena and Siena in 1340 when the initial Romeo and Juliet met and fell in love. Fast forward down the family tree and you find present day Giulietta who has lost her relatives and travels back to Siena to track down family history/secrets. She does, in fact, meet a mysterious man who is not from her family...you can figure it out from there!

      While certain aspects of the storyline are highly predictable, there's enough twists that I was engaged in it throughout. It most definitely made me want to travel and explore different parts of a city, that's for sure!

      Worthwhile read - longer than I had originally expected, but good!
    • 4/5
      Very pleasantly surprised
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best books I've ever read. The writing is poetic/lyrical, the history and research are well done and best of all, it's very romantic without being raunchy or graphic. The location details are so strong I felt like I was there and am planning a trip to Sienna because of it. And on top of all that, you get the original Romeo and Juliet story plus a modern version couched in a breathless thriller. This one should be a classic for our generation. Superb.