Juliet: A Novel (Random House Reader’s Circle): Fortier, Anne: 9780345516114: Amazon.com: Books

I LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE THIS BOOK.
Honestly, I didn’t think I would like this book, even though the synopsis sounded so intriguing, because its not what I usually read. However, I think that’s the best part. Picking up a genre that you usually avoid can ignite a new love for it. 
Just by reading the synopsis, and learning that it is inspired by Romeo and Juliet is enough to pull me in.
I’ve always been that person who big time gushed at Romeo & Juliet, especially the movie adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio; yes I’m that kind of person. So I immediately purchased this book, thinking it would be a fun modern re-write. Turns out though that this was so much more – it went beyond Shakespeare tale of the tragic love story and mingled past lives, romance, history, mystery, adventure, betrayals and all the fun stuff to make it a book that I want to re-read immediately. I also loved how every chapter is pre-faced with a Shakespeare quote from his Romeo and Juliet story. 
It’s set in Siena for the most part and the descriptions of the town makes it so swoon worthy which is easy to imagine even for someone who has never been there. 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. Anne did an amazing job with the whole lot of research that probably had to go into this story, and actually writing a story that was inspired by this well know tragic love story, WOW. The premise involved Julie travelling to Italy on a quest to get something her mother had left 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 of her aunt’s will. 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 tradition. Her inheritance turns out to be some book and a crucifix, and Giulietta is disappointed but hopes it may explain where the treasure is. However, 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, and brought to life the tragic love story we all know well and love. 
Where in Shakespeare’s tale you have the Montegues and Capulet’s, in Anne Fortier’s Juliet there are the Tolomei’s and the Salimbenis. You also encounter another family name that has a lot to do with this story, that name is Marescotti. I don’t want to talk too much about the different families because all three have apart to play within this story of unraveling the mystery. I had a weird yet beautiful reading experience with this. At first I was getting overly confused as to how Romeo and Juliet are still alive 600 years after the original Romeo and Juliet who inspired all theses stories, however I did soon figure it all out when Giulietta started to find out her past more, and why she inherited the name she did. Did I mention that Giulietta has a twin sister? You will meet her at the beginning. I did not click with Janice (Gianozza) one bit, I found her to be selfish, rude and obnoxious. However further on into the book she grew on me, and I found her to be a more selfless and a bit of a badass too. Another think I find badass, the way Romeo and Juliet’s story was portrayed within this book, I personally found it to be more tragic than that of Shakespeare’. I liked that this story was not too focused on the romance, but the family politics and overall plot line. It made it more thrilling. There was of course a romance though and I love it.
’In my opinion, your story – and Romeo and Juliet as well – is not about love. It is about politics, and the message is simple. When the old men fight, the young will die.
Juliet, Anne Fortier
The whole journey of unraveling these secrets and learning about her past was extraordinary for me, I wanted to savour every chapter of this book and I think that’s why I didn’t fly through it, I just took it slowly. I adore the writing style, it flowed perfectly for me and I literally had a little cry when I came to the end. Will I be re-reading this book? Time and time again. This is by far one of my favorite books of all time. You should pick it up too. I know I say this in most of my reviews, but I am generally serious when I say that you will not regret it. 
’A grave? O no, a lantern, slaughter’d youth. For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence, full of light.’
William Shakespeare