I really enjoyed this book. Well written and would definitely recommend for others to read. As a lover of Romeo and Juliet when is we this advertised it was a must read for me.

Fair Rosaline’ by @natashasolomonsauthor a brilliant retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous play Romeo & Juliet. Before Romeo met Juliet, he had been in love with her cousin Rosaline Capulet.

The first time Romeo Montague sees Rosaline he falls in love with her and she too falls under his honey-spell of smooth lines and romantic gifts. Rosaline, sees Romeo as her escape from a life prescribed to her by her family in a convent.

Soon though, doubts of his real intentions start to creep in and she breaks off the match, only for Romeo's gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet with only her knowing more about his true character. I loved this different twist of Romeo as a seducer of young girls rather than the ultimate star-crossed lover..This book has so many twists, turns and devious schemes in Verona - a delicious reimagining of the greatest love story ever told!!

Fair Rosaline reimagines the popular and well known story of Romeo and Juliet using Shakespeare's play to retell with lines that are so recognisable now. I grew up learning about the play at school and the first time I was allowed to go to the cinema with friends, without an adult, was to see Baz Luhrman's amazing film. One of my favourite parts is near the end with Mercutio: "a scratch, a scratch" and that was quoted here fully.

But this does not have the love story as a focus, but Rosaline, who is mentioned only through the eyes of men in the play, is given her voice and character here. She is an amalgamation of several of Shakespeare's Rosalines and the popular story is told through her perspective. Romeo here is much older than the young Juliet and much is made of the age difference. Popular lines have a much more sinister meaning when read through this lens.

I really enjoyed this. I think Shakespeare makes a point of stating Juliet's age and that Romeo has felt this extreme love before but this is a different spin on Romeo and I found it interesting and different. Purists will not find the differences so obvious as at first believed and this would be great to study alongside the popular play.

The author's note at the end is illuminating and goes a long way to explaining why Solomons wrote Romeo this way. I grew up studying the play, like many UK students this was my first encounter with Shakespeare, and I don't feel it is entirely based on text. Silly, immature Romeo yes, but paedophilic? Womaniser definitely, groomer of young women? I'm not so sure. But this is clever at least and I will give all the stars for that ❤️

My thanks to Bonnier Books U.K. Manilla Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Fair Rosaline’ by Natasha Solomons.

This work of literary historical fiction made quite an impression on me. First, some plot details for context.

Verona is just emerging from the devastation of the plague. Fifteen-year-old Rosaline Capulet is upset to learn that her father intends that rather than be married, she is to enter a convent. After all, her older brother has already supplied the requisite heir and dowries are expensive. To add to her woes, it appears that her recently deceased mother had supported this plan. She stamps her feet in frustration at being locked away from the world.

Rosaline manages to get her father to agree to a twelve day grace period before she is sent away and she is determined to pack as much living into those days as possible. Her cousin and best friend, Tybalt, is all for them running off to the Greenwood to join Robin Goodfellow and Titania’s faerie revels. Yet Rosaline feels that sneaking into the Montague ball might be more her style….

At the ball her path crosses with that of Romeo Montague and it’s a case of insta-love. He proceeds to woo her with familiar lines and pretty soon she is dreaming of a secret marriage and running off with Romeo to Mantua. However, she soon has reason to doubt his honeyed words. Then Rosaline realises that Romeo’s gaze has swiftly shifted to her thirteen-year-old cousin, Juliet, who is even more naive than she had been.

As things heat up in the streets of Verona between the houses of Montague and Capulet, can Rosaline save her cousin from what appears to be the fate of all star crossed lovers?

Rather than describe her latest novel as a retelling of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Solomons has defined it as an ‘untelling’; asking “was the greatest love story of all time a lie?” As such, she subverts key elements of the story turning it on its head.

Having read her novel, ‘I, Mona Lisa’, I knew that Solomons was capable of taking risks in her approach to literary fiction. Here the story is told from the perspective of Rosaline. In Shakespeare’s play before Romeo met Juliet he had loved Rosaline. She never speaks in the play although she is the reason that Romeo sneaks into the Capulet ball thus setting in motion the meeting between he and Juliet and all that later occurs. As such, Rosaline serves as an important catalyst.

There is a lot to admire in this novel, including the expansion of the character of Tybalt, who was my favourite, while Rosaline generated mixed feelings given her whining and petulant behaviour. Many of the novel’s scenes were vividly described allowing me to feel immersed in its characters and events. The sword fights that took place were especially well executed and thrilling.

However, despite these positive points I had a turbulent relationship with this novel with my feelings about it shifting considerably during the course of my reading. I was initially unsettled by some of the changes that Solomons had made to the story as well as the muddling of time and place, between the original 14th Century Italian setting and late 16th Century England.

Rosaline’s constant angst about the restrictions of convent life jarred as this was not true of the original 14th Century setting although such had been imposed in the 16th Century by the Catholic Counter Reformation. Yes, it’s a small niggle likely only noticeable to history nerds aware that convent life had allowed women more agency in this male dominated society.

Solomons’ concluding Author’s Note did clear up some of my reservations as she clarified that her novel is set in ‘Verona-Upon-Avon’, so although the story is intended to take place in late medieval Italy there were recognisable elements of Elizabethan England as indeed there was in Shakespeare’s day.

By the time I reached the concluding chapters, I had come to better appreciate the reasons for her various changes, though I did continue to feel that some reflected modern sensibilities rather than those of the novel’s period settings.

I also appreciated the interview with Natasha Solomons that was included at the end of the audiobook edition. In it she expressed her worry about negative reactions to her untelling. A close friend, who is a director, suggested that she should imagine herself not as a writer but as a director and that the novel is her production, her version of the story of Romeo and Juliet. That ‘Fair Rosaline’ wasn’t negating the other versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’; they still exist.

However, one thing that did remain constant throughout my reading was my admiration for Natasha Solomons’ exquisite writing. I also appreciated the numerous allusions to other works of Shakespeare. I would love an annotated edition of this novel as I am certain that I only caught a fraction of them. It also made me long to revisit his various plays.

Overall, I found found ‘Fair Rosaline’ an extraordinary novel even though I found some aspects challenging. It certainly is the kind of novel that is bound to generate plenty of discussion. I plan to reread it in due course and hope to see it nominated for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

I sadly ended up unable to finish this. I gave it until 58%.
I struggled with the pace at the beginning but then I just never really got into the story. I found it hard to really care for the characters or the direction the story was heading.

An absolutely stunning book, beautifully and cleverly written, giving a voice and bodied character to Rosaline, telling her story and encounter with Romeo Montague. We do not find Romeo to be a young star-crossed lover, but rather a fiend who preys on vulnerable young girls and abuses their innocence and trust. Rosaline is unlike any of the young girls that have been discarded to whither and die, but is clever and feisty and willing to take risks to save her cousin Juliet. The story glides closely to the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet, with echoes of the language and embedded quotations. The storyline is very powerful. I devoured this in a day. A compelling page turner with women at its centre. #fairrosaline #natashasolomons #womensfiction #netgalley

I usually go for more romcom than straight up ‘Rom’ but this sounded promising so thought I’d give it a go! I loved the idea of a retelling of Romeo and Juliet from the POV of a previously largely overlooked character.

I did enjoy this, it was a clever retelling and largely well written. However I have marked it down simply because at first it felt a bit contrived in how it was linking to the original story - it picked up further into the novel when we departed from the original and delved more into Rosaline’s individual story.

In Solomons’ latest, she takes the classic Romeo and Juliet love story, which we already know ends in tragedy, and gives us a new take. In Shakespeare’s original, Rosaline gets a brief mention as a previous love interest of Romeo’s, but nothing further is really mentioned of her and their relationship. But what if there was more to it? Here, Rosaline gets to tell her own story.

I’m not going to lie, I really struggled to get into this one and connect with Rosaline, as from the start her life is doomed and her future is mapped out by the wish of her dying mother and her father that is so caught up in his grief for the loss of his wife, and she must move to a convent. The societal demands of women were different, and Solomons uses some of the language from Shakespeare’s writing, which made my disconnection feel stronger.

But as she meets Romeo, they fall instantly in love and that’s when it started to pull me in. Romeo is a cad - he’s painted in the harshest of lights and leaves devastation in the lives of those he ‘loves’ as he moves from one victim to another. And the damage he leaves is not pretty. You get to see the full impact on his victims. Some of his behaviour is abhorrent and just vile!!

But for me, his behaviour felt at odds with how I remember him from the classic play (I think I need a reread!) and I’m not going to lie, as these characters we’re doing their thing in the book, I totally had all the actors from Baz Luhrmann’s classic film with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio playing out the scenes. Solomons is wise to bring us round to the fact that in the end, Juliet is just 13 yrs old, and Romeo is more likely to be in his 30s - would this relationship be accepted in today’s society?

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Bonnier Books/Manila Press and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

This is a reimagining of the Romeo and Juliet love story written from the viewpoint of “fair Rosaline”, Romeo’s previous lover and Juliet’s cousin. Romeo is not a hero in this version, but a predatory lothario with a track record of seducing and discarding young teenage girls, aided and abetted by his friend Friar Laurence. Rosaline is a strong and determined character who is protective rather than vengeful and although the outcome differs from the Shakespearean version, it is by no means inconsistent with it. A great book club choice as it gives rise to many discussion topics and opinions.

There's at least one think that made stop reading as the age is concept very different at time when the average age is 40 yrs
I think it's interesting to read retelling of stories but a fast google research would help.
The Montecchi/Capuleti story is political one even if it became symbol of star crossed lovers
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I knew precious little about Romeo&Juliet and had never come across Rosaline. This, then, was educating aswell as entertaining. I found the first third a wee bit long winded, but then it started to really move at a pace. As for Romeo? uergh!

What if Rosaline was not just a device to make us sceptical about Romeo’s love for Juliet and instead was a sixteenth century Italian woman? I enjoyed the beginning of this novel about a young woman destined for a nunnery in plague ridden Verona and determined to make the most of the brief period of freedom her father affords her. She sneaks into a party where she meets and falls in love with Romeo Montague.
The first half is effectively a prequel to Romeo and Juliet and the second half retells the play but with a major character now cast as a villain. The novel took quite a dark turn and became quite implausible which is why I’ve given it 3.5 stars. I’m also not sure why the author chose to change one of the key things we do know about Rosaline, that she is fair. But I did enjoy the portrayal of Tybalt and the way it showed religious life in the renaissance could offer women more power.

Fair Rosaline takes the well-loved Shakespeare play "Romeo and Juliet" and retells a story from the point of view of minor character Rosaline.

I went into the book expecting a retelling of the actual play, but actually what I got was a totally new story and plot. It was incredibly slow moving at the start, although I did enjoy the faster moving last third. I'm afraid I couldn't accept the revised Romeo and the new ideas included, it all seemed very far fetched and just didn't all fit in my mind. However, I did really like the way the author used many lines from the play in her narrative, and I found myself very drawn to Tybalt in this version. On the whole, not a book for me, but I can appreciate the work taken to create it.

Romeo and Juliet was never one of my favourite Shakespeare works, but this is one of favourite book based around a Shakespeare play.

Romeo is not a young boy, fallen hopelessly in love, he is a grown man who is manipulative and wicked.

This book tells the story of one of his former loves, and how she tries to save the very young Juliet. It is a story of how women have no power and their lives are upturned by fathers, brothers, husbands and lovers. Even the one true love story, between Rosaline's father and mother, is one of a huge imbalance of power.

A very enjoyable retelling of a very famous story, with a feminist view. I really enjoyed it.

I was really excited to pick up Fair Rosaline, as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a favourite of mine, and I usually enjoy re-tellings. I was intrigued to read the tale Natasha Solomons has weaved for Rosaline, who doesn't feature much in the original play except as the girl Romeo passed over for Juliet.

Unfortunately, while I enjoyed Rosaline's character and the writing style, which wove in plenty of language and references to the original play, I absolutely hated Solomons' version of Romeo and struggled to see past it. Giving this three stars because I can appreciate the language and what the author attempted, but it's definitely an absolute untelling of the story to the point where I didn't recognise Romeo in anything other than name in this novel.

🌟🌟🌟 Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
 
Before Romeo loved Juliet, he loved Fair Rosaline….
 
A retelling of Shakespeare’s best-known tale, Fair Rosaline explores the idea that Romeo wasn’t a hero after all but a much darker, manipulative sexual predator, praying on young girls by separating them from their families to obtain control.
 
In general, I’m a fan of retellings.  I’m an admirer of the artistry it takes to make a narrative fit a modern audience whilst remaining somewhat true to its origins.  I enjoy (😬 not sure that’s the right word) reading stories centred around the psychological aspects of manipulation and grooming, but they need to be nuanced and thought-provoking enough to open up real conversations around victims and abuse.
 
There were things I really enjoyed in Fair Rosaline, like how the author captures the essence of Shakespeare in her language and how interwoven the original story felt in this retelling.  I appreciate how the author examines the suggestion that Romeo and Juliet was not a love story and I liked where the narrative was taking the idea of the character of Romeo.  However, I would have enjoyed a little more subtly to Romeo’s manipulation to make it complex and interesting, he didn’t appear clever enough to pull this off and while described as being older “there appeared to be flecks of grey in his black hair around his ears like fallen snow…”, he felt unconvincing and foolish. In this way I guess his emotional intelligence more resembled Shakespeare’s Romeo, but I don’t think that is what the author was striving for.   
 
Fair Rosaline is due for publication 8th August 2023.
 
Thank you to the author, @BonnierBooks and @Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Fair Rosaline is a retelling if you will (runs in parallel to the original play) of Romeo and Juliet from Rosaline's perspective - remember her? The one who didn't die.

My favourite thing about this books was Rosaline and how realistic Solomons had written her. Knowing the time period and having read the play, I went in with this idea that Rosaline was pretty much going to have no character traits outside of well saving Juliet but for the wrong reasons. But I was gladly proved wrong. Rosaline was fleshed out to have interests, to have personal relationship (that weren't just superficial), she had a voice and she wasn't afraid to use it!

Not only that but Solomons uses Fair Rosaline to move away from the tragic romanticism that Romeo and Juliet makes us believe when we're young. Highlights the creepiness of Romeo going after thirteen year old Juliet, Friar Lawrence and his relationships with the star-crossed lovers and the abusive power dynamics of the whole thing.

To note a few things, Solomons' writing blends the Shakespearean and the modern, making Fair Rosaline more accessible which I really liked. I think that there's this perception that Shakespearean works is difficult and that you need a specific sort of background to really be able to understand the nuances of the language. You don't. Also, I liked that it turned into this whole other thing, I think it delivered exactly what it said it would: a retelling, taking the original text and then doing something completely different. Just don't get too attached to the original play and take it seriously.

To read or not to read? There is no question, please give Fair Rosaline, a fair go.

Thank you to Bonnier Books UK, Manilla Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another cracking read from Natasha Solomons - I loved 'I, Mona Lisa' and think that this is another ingenious story using a lesser known character from our cultural knowledge.

Rosaline - one of the earliest characters we hear about in 'Romeo and Juliet', yet, she never speaks for herself and is a shadowy character which Shakespeare devises as a 'vehicle' to set Romeo's romantic nature against. This is a play I teach to Year 8 pupils, and know it well, but I will never be able to read it in quite the same way in the future! Rosaline - what a character - Solomons spins a devastating story which is compelling and feels authentic. There are many lines from the play which are lifted and woven into the tale and are cleverly used to develop the story. This novel is probably not suitable for my pupils, it is a little graphic in places, but extracts would work well as a comparison. Romeo is quite a different character to the one we usually expect through the play. He is modernised in this novel to be cast as a predator, which, terrifyingly, works exceedingly well!

I am not sure I was convinced by Rosaline's apparent freedom to slip in and out of the family home to make numerous visits to different houses as she truly understands and plots her revenge against Romeo. Tybalt is less hot-headed and obnoxious in this narrative than I would have expected, but I think these tweaks were needed to develop the plot.

By the end I had so much respect for Rosaline - her actions are admirable and brave. Juliet's future will have a different path to the one Shakespeare devised and I enjoyed that hopeful note as well.

So so clever. A weaving of the tale of Rosaline avenging Juliet and other cast of loves of Romeo into the Shakespearean play we know. We view the main characters in a new light - although Romeo remains sappy just with a bit more of a past. Excellent exploration and challenge of something I thought I knew well. A pleasant few hours of being topsy turvy.

Many years ago, Romeo and Juliet was one of the books I studied for English Literature O-level. Despite failing the exam I have always enjoyed the play, so when I heard about this new book telling the story from Rosaline's point of view I jumped at the chance to get an advance copy, and I wasn't disappointed.

In the play, when we first meet Romeo, he is feeling lovesick: not for Juliet, as one would expect, but for her cousin Rosaline. She doesn't have a speaking part, and after the scene where Romeo attends the Capulet ball and sees Juliet she is only mentioned in passing.

In this version of the story, Rosaline is much more involved, and is present during some of the most dramatic scenes; the omission of those facts from the play being cleverly handled by the author. Although some liberties have been taken with the story, and the ending subtly changed, all is explained satisfactorily as the book unfolds. The story isn't just a prequel, but runs alongside the events of the play, just seen through Rosaline's eyes. There are many familiar pieces of dialogue borrowed from Shakespeare's original which anchor the book and the play together. For example, two mentions of Queen Mab as well as Mercutio's dying words, "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man" will resonate with anyone who is familiar with the play. Fans of the scene early in the play where the servants of the two houses quarrel will be pleased to hear Rosaline saying she "does not bite her thumb" at Tybalt.

Midway through the book it becomes more of a thriller, especially when Friar Laurence's role in the story and his involvement with Romeo becomes clear. Although you think you know how the story ends, the precise details are up in the air, and you are no longer sure. The last quarter of the book becomes a rollercoaster of twists and turns as the finale approaches.

If you think that Romeo is the most romantic character in the history of literature, then this book may disappoint you. They say you should never meet your heroes, and in this book you get a much earthier view of Romeo's character than in Shakespeare's play. Certainly, from Rosaline's point of view, Romeo is not the romantic hero of legend we have all come to know. This retelling of the story of Romeo and Juliet turns a classic Shakespearian romance on its head. Although there is plenty to engage lovers of the original work, nothing more than a general knowledge of the play is required to fully enjoy Rosaline's story.

Was there ever a tale of more woe, than that of Juliet and her Romeo? You will have to read Fair Rosaline to find out.