Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Fortier's debut offers a beguiling mix of romance, intrigue, history, and Shakespeare....Lovers of adventurous fiction will lose themselves in Fortier's exciting, intricately woven tale." Booklist
Review
"While the publisher is comparing it to Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale and Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus, this entertaining historical thriller is more in line with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (but much better written!), with its hunt for clues to a secret." Library Journal
Review
"The strongest point of the book is the flavorful, evocative descriptions of Siena, with its ancient neighborhoods, rivalries and family feuds, and the annual running of the Palio horse race....On the whole, the story is fun, if silly, and engaging in spots." Diana Gabaldon, The Washington Post
Review
"Juliet is nicely done, a novel with all the elements of a thriller-like puzzle but presented with a good deal more depth than is usually found in that genre. Julie isn't a device to reveal a plot, she is a three-dimensional woman who is pulled, against her will, into intrigue. The result is a satisfying stew, worth the investment of time to consume." Denver Post
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About the Author
Anne Fortier grew up in Denmark and emigrated to the United States in 2002 to work in film. She co-produced the Emmy-winning documentary Fire and Ice: The Winter War of Finland and Russia and holds a Ph.D. in the history of ideas from Aarhus University, Denmark. The story of Juliet was inspired by Anne Fortier's mother, who always considered Verona her true home...until she discovered Siena.