Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Rosaline, Juliet's cousin, was always the prettier and more outgoing Capulet cousin. She was also planning to study medicine, and as a result had taken a vow of chastity. A vow that goes completely down the drain when three young men of the house of Montague-- Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio. Romeo, with his empty professions of love, impresses her not much at all. Mercutio initially makes her flutter, until she learns his true playboy nature. But it is sweet and gentle Benvolio who wins her heart, and her kiss. The two of them plot to end the ages-long feud between their two families, a feud so old no one remembers how it started. They hatch a plan they hope will end the conflict, and in turn pave the way for their romance. But there is another cross-house romance blooming, exploding, really, in one night. Too many secret schemes could overlap -- or they could hinder one another. This re-telling of the most famous romantic tragedy of all time is brilliantly written, much more accessible to the reader than the original, yet told in a formal enough style to believe that Shakespeare would approve. After reading this, you'll never be able to look at Romeo and Juliet the same way again.