ISBN: 9781476757445
Published by: Simon and Shuster
Published: 2014
Hard Cover, 384 pages
We all know the story of Shakespeare’s star-crossed
lovers, Romeo and Juliet. This new
version (although we only come to their story about ¾ of the way through) is
told through the eyes of Juliet’s wet-nurse, Angelica, who is brought into the
Cappelletti (Capulet) family following the death of her own daughter. In the
play, after Romeo and Juliet, the person to whom Shakespeare assigns the most
lines is Angelica, so it is tantalizing to consider her role in the story; she who
has surprising secrets and has endured great losses that rival the young
lovers’ own. It’s basically her story.
Convincing historical details abound that help the reader
get a glimpse into life in Shakespeare’s ‘fair Verona’. Herbs, medicines, food,
candies, tapestries over doors, hidden rooms, customs, hairstyles – “saints, widows and happily wedded matrons
all plait (braid) their hair”, interior
decors, coats of arms, all contribute to getting a sense of 14th
century Verona.
My favorite character was Tybalt as a child, a loving
cousin to Juliet. His sense of wonder at the world around him and poignant
desire for a relationship with his father really touched me. I didn’t really engage
with Angelica except to sympathize with her bereavements.
The book explores loss and resilience. It’s also a love story on several levels. This
is a well-researched, well-written historical novel albeit peppered with crude
and raunchy language, a very sensual tale. There are a few sex scenes with baby
Juliet nearby – a heads-up to the reader!
Note: This book is rated S: sex scenes and P: profanity
To read more reviews, follow the tour on Italy Book Tours.
Award-winning historian, author, and former college professor LOIS LEVEEN holds degrees in history and literature from Harvard, UCLA, and USC. She traveled to Verona, Italy, to research JULIET'S NURSE, as well as apprenticing herself to an urban beekeeping group in her adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon, to write accurately about the life cycle of hives.
Lois has given talks in Finland, France, and throughout the US about the historical research behind JULIET'S NURSE, and about how she approached challenging themes of teen violence, suicide, and plague epidemics in adapting Shakespeare for contemporary readers. Her first novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, based on the true story of an African American woman who spied for the Union during the Civil War by posing as a slave in the Confederate White House, was a 2012 Target Book Club pick and is currently being developed into a Broadway musical.
Connect with Lois: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
And now for the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Reviewed by Sandra
Disclosure: Thanks to Laura Fabiani from Italy Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate your feedback.