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Juliet Capelletti dreams of love while secretly crafting poetry. Her father intends to have her marry Jacopo Strozzi to solidify their business alliance, but Juliet is swept off her feet instead by Romeo Monticecco. Unfortunately, Romeo’s father is the avowed enemy of Juliet’s father. Will Juliet’s heart lead her to the same fate as Shakespeare’s Juliet? Robin Maxwell tackles the Romeo and Juliet story in O, JULIET with a portrayal of courtly love. Using poetry from Dante Alighieri, the story thematically parallels the romance of Dante and Beatrice to present a fantasized portrait of love. Readers may find this concept a bit difficult to appreciate as it almost seems too idealistic to be believable. The love affair between Romeo and Juliet ignites from a love of Dante’s poetry and the passion seems more of an idea than an actual love affair. Readers expecting a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will be surprised by the setting of Florence. Robin Maxwell’s inclusion of Lucrezia Tornabuoni is the highlight of the story. Her wedding adds a touch of realism and makes the setting come alive. Unfortunately, it also emphasizes the lack of depth to the characters of Romeo and Juliet. I would have liked to either seen more of Lucrezia or greater depth to Romeo and Juliet. Robin Maxwell changes the boundaries of the genre of her source material which weakens the ending somewhat. Fans of Robin Maxwell’s prior historical novels may find her writing style different in O’ JULIET. Rather than the rich historical details and powerful emotions, O’ JULIET places more importance on the poetic. Readers versed in the traditions and history of courtly love may find O’ JULIET to their liking. Reviewed by Debbie |
O, Juliet Rating:
Posted February 2010 |
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