Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons

The Blurb

Romeo Montague is handsome and charming and the first time he sees young Rosaline Capulet, who has secretly snuck into his family’s masquerade summer ball, he falls instantly in love.

At first Rosaline is unsure of Romeo’s attentions but with her father determined that she join the nunnery, Romeo offers her the chance of a different life. Gradually he convinces her that only true love could make him feel this way, that he is enraptured by her beauty. Indeed, he cannot live without her!

And so begins the story of Romeo and Rosaline. These star-crossed lovers must keep everything hidden from Rosaline’s family, at least until they are wed. But when a destitute young girl appears, claiming to be carrying Romeo’s child, Rosaline starts to doubt all that she has been told. And as whispers of more girls reach her ears, what once felt like a courtship begins to feel more like a pursuit.

As Rosaline recognises Romeo for the villain he truly is, his gaze turns suddenly towards Rosaline’s adored and beautiful cousin, thirteen-year old Juliet.

Can Rosaline save Juliet, who falls under Romeo’s spell just as quickly as she did? Or can this story only ever end one way?

The subversive, powerful untelling of Shakespeare’s best known tale. A fierce, forgotten voice: this is Rosaline’s story.

My Review

Many thanks, again, to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for enabling me to be one of the first to read this book. I was desperate to get my hands on a copy – as an English Literature teacher, Romeo and Juliet is a play I know incredibly well!

Solomons has given us a fantastic retelling of this classic tale. One issue I have always had with the play is that I could never like Romeo. To me, he is one of Shakespeare’s more inadequate heroes – in short, a bit of a drip! He’s fickle, hot-headed, hormonal: I just don’t like him. So, I feel in Natasha Solomons I have found some sort of kindred spirit! Romeo is a despicable and predatory character in this novel. Then on the flipside, we have Tybalt – to me, always a far more interesting character, and Solomons maintains that aspect of him. He is kind, patient, truly likeable in her representation. You can’t fail to love him!

However, the real star of the novel is, of course, Rosaline Capulet. She is, essentially, groomed by Romeo, who appears distinctly older than both Rosaline and Tybalt. Through his actions, we are also able to see how impossible a life of true happiness could ever be for a young woman living in such patriarchal times – accept an arranged marriage, go to a convent, or face death if you fight against your father’s wishes. Even Paris is portrayed as a lecherous and dirty old man! This is a beautiful exploration of the context in which Shakespeare was writing, complete with a feminist stamp throughout the entire book. I loved that aspect! There are some fabulously strong female characters to look out for along the way – even Rosaline’s own mother, who’s plans for Rosaline seem incredibly unfair initially, had her daughter’s true happiness in mind when she planned her future.

Nevertheless, whilst I loved the story and the themes within, I did struggle a lot with the dialogue! There were, at times, passages of dialogue which were completely lifted from the original text and, occasionally, used in the wrong circumstance. Additionally, where the original text was used, it often sat incongruously against more modern dialogue between characters. As someone who has taught this play a number of times, this just didn’t sit well with me, particularly when the rest of the book was so deliciously beautiful!

Therefore, for me it has to be 3 stars. I thought long and hard about this: for me (and I must stress that this is simply my own opinion based on my own knowledge and experience) the dialogue almost had me giving this two stars. However, I couldn’t stop myself from reading this in one sitting and have kept talking about it all week, prior to writing this review, which then had me debating four stars! I will happily recommend this book, and will pass it onto friends. I will certainly be going to seek out Solomons’ other books!

About the Author

Natasha Solomons is the author of seven internationally bestselling novels, including Mr Rosenblum’s List, The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and I, Mona Lisa. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages, and Fair Rosaline is her latest work. She lives in Dorset with her family.