Juliet

Title : Juliet
Author : Anne Fortier
Rating : 5 Stars

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.

Source : Goodreads

I won't mind reading this over and over and over again. I may not be a Shakespearean, but it suddenly turns me to be one of those kind. It is so sensual and romantic book that just kept me smiling all the time. Juliet is one of my favorite books of all time, it gives me a shiver of tragic love story and then suddenly welcomes me to a new world for Romeo and Juliet. I am fascinated of their story but unfortunately at that time, i haven't read Romeo and Juliet, but still i proceed on reading this and it never fails me to be astounded from the way she [Anne Fortier] delivers the characters profoundly but still maintained the original parts of Romeo and Juliet.

From the introduction of the ancestors until the present time of Romeo and Julie, it gives me a new melodic rhymes of love. Starting on the moment Romeo met Giulietta and suddenly switches to Julie, it gives me a perfect view of the events. I can easily divert my mind or should I say imagination, to the past and present world. It was wonderful reading this one of a kind novel. I'll never forget this epic retelling of Romeo and Juliet, there may be new retellings of it but this book will never fail me to be astonished on this deep and romantic novel.

She has a deep confusion in her life the moment her great-aunt died. How things should start and move forward when there are unsolved mysteries regarding their ancestors. It surprises me a lot when her grandmother seems to prepare everything that she needed, even her full name. She seems so skeptical on the whole ancestral love thing, that the cautionary tale exists on her. Well who won't seem to believe that at this time and place. But as the story goes by, she came to realize her ancestors and discovered about her "Romeo".

Ahhh!!! I've just fallen in love with another fictional character! Goodness, he's like the epitome of passionate and quirky man that every woman keeps longing. This one hot guy never fails me to scream like a fan girl everytime he speaks those romantic line of poems and when he expresses her love to Julie. I admired him most of his patience in explaining to Julie all the details of their ancestors, because what seems to be the hardest part to any man is their patience, right? But to Romeo, he is willing to make it all smooth and clear just to be with her. He is so witty and romantic and makes me wanted to grab him out of the book!

My most favorite part is the competition of the old times. The winner will have the dagger, it may just seem to be an ordinary dagger for some people but to them, it represents honor and bravery. Also the things that makes them bind together, not only the history of their ancestors but also their unconditional love to each other just made me feel satisfied.