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Description
The International Bestseller “Lois Leveen’s richly detailed, fascinating novel offers a wholly original and intriguing take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays” (New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini). In Verona, a city ravaged by plague and political rivalries, a mother mourning the death of her day-old infant enters the household of the powerful Cappelletti family to become the wet-nurse to their newborn baby. As she serves her beloved Juliet over the next fourteen years, the nurse learns the Cappellettis’ darkest secrets. Those secrets—and the nurse’s deep personal grief—erupt across five momentous days of love and loss that destroy a daughter, and a family. By turns sensual, tragic, and comic, Juliet’s Nurse gives voice to one of literature’s most memorable and distinctive characters, a woman who was both insider and outsider among Verona’s wealthy ruling class. Exploring the romance and intrigue of interwoven loyalties, rivalries, jealousies, and losses only hinted at in Shakespeare’s play, this is a never- before-heard tale of the deepest love in Verona—the love between a grieving woman and the precious child of her heart. In the tradition of Sarah Dunant, Philippa Gregory, and Geraldine Brooks, Juliet’s Nurse is a rich prequel that reimagines the world’s most cherished tale of love and loss, suffering and survival. Read more
Publisher : Emily Bestler Books
Publication date : June 9, 2015
Edition : Reprint
Language : English
Print length : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 1476757453
ISBN-13 : 52
Item Weight : 11.5 ounces
Dimensions : 5.31 x 1 x 8.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #2,552,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #284 in Renaissance Historical Fiction (Books) #906 in Renaissance Literary Criticism (Books) #16,819 in Literary Fiction (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
When we read a play, all that we can know about the characters is contained in their lines of dialogue. Sometimes, the playwright will include detailed notes regarding setting, characters' moods and humours when speaking their lines, and blocking. But in truth, a written play is a skeletal thing. Many of us require a director to flesh out what is going on, and the individual actors and actresses to give us insight into their characters. A play is a cooperative venture in storytelling. Over the years, when reading famous plays, especially those plays whose authors have long since passed, and so can no longer give us their own vision for their work, we tend to accept what the more popular versions of such productions tell us. Often, it is the more traditional versions we remember. And then, as youngsters, being forced to read such plays, with little background in the history, politics, social order, philosophies and religions, or the geographical locations of these works, we become easily and quickly bored. The plays do not "live" for us. And then, we have the occasional moments of genius like Sir Ian McKellen's adaptation of Richard III, in which Shakespeare's history is transposed to a 1930s fascist monarchy, and the very setting helps to enhance the politics being portrayed. Or, Michael Hoffman's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which the comedy set in ancient Athens, is transposed to a 19th century Italian village, Monte Atena, adding visions of country life in Tuscany, and new technologies, like bicycles and phonographs. All of these help bring the play closer to us in understanding and allow us to appreciate the Bard's skills. A novel, in contrast to a play, is not mere skeleton, but also muscle and sinew, and fat and viscera. It is rich and deep and immediately accessible to the reader in ways a play is not. And this is not to denigrate plays in general, or Shakespeare in particular (the Muses forbid!); but rather to point up the differences between a story that one can enjoy alone, as opposed to a story that must be enjoyed as the collaborative effort of a community. All this said by way of preface, if you have any appreciation for The Bard at all, and if you have enjoyed, in text, or in production, the play Romeo and Juliet, then I most strongly urge you to purchase and read Juliet's Nurse, by Lois Leveen. Juliet's Nurse is a retelling of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy through the eyes of Angelica, noted in the play simply as "Nurse." It spans the days from Angelica's engagement with House Cappeletti as wet nurse to their newborn child Juliet. We learn of the Nurse's background, her husband, with whom she was very much in love, and who loved her just as fiercely. We learn of her six boys, the eldest fifteen, and the youngest nine, by the time the plague took them all. Leveen's book is full of marvelous historical details, and describes the daily life of early Renaissance Verona with as much colour and clarity as any of Michelangelo's frescoes. And everything that happens is from the point of view of this poor, workaday woman, who has had joy in her marriage, and pain in the loss of her children, and is in so many ways as "average" a person of that day and age as any. The book opens with Angelica struggling in labour to be delivered of a child. She and her husband are by now in their thirties (roughly), and Angelica had thought herself beyond bearing at this point. Alas, the woman bears a girl, stillborn, and is heartbroken; but is almost immediately engaged as a wet nurse for a girl that was born on the same day to Lord and Lady Cappeletto. From that point, we see Angelica raising Juliet, and coming to love her as deeply as if she were her own child. We see, with Angelica, Juliet grow from swaddled baby, to toddler, to child, to young woman. And we see Tybalt, also a child, spending his time with the Nurse and his little cousin Juliet, upon whom he dotes from the time of her infancy. We see Angelica's husband come for clandestine visits, as he tends the beehives of House Cappeletto, and how Juliet and Tybalt come to love him as they love Nurse, and mourn with her when she is widowed. It is very difficult to give much description here without giving away too much of what you will delight to read yourself in this novel. But by the last quarter of the book, the events of the play begin to take place. All from Nurse's point of view, and Leveen skillfully integrates Shakespeare's dialogue into the story. And we come to see the play in a new light. Romeo is not the young gallant we've come to think of him as, but a false and deceitful boy, who, thwarted in his pursuit of Rosaline, turns his attentions to Juliet. We see Tybalt, not as the hot-headed villain, but as a loving and loyal brother, and cousin, and a defender of Capelletto's honour. Events hinted at in the play are fleshed out, such as the time when Juliet was said to have fallen upon her face as a child, and Tybalt's appellation as "King of Cats." There is also an ingenious plot twist regarding Juliet's parentage which, as Leveen writes it, could be true-- or it might only have been Nurse's own imaginings. But you must read it for yourself to decide. Of course, the play, the original story is a tragedy. So that cannot be changed. But as we are introduced so intimately to this family, we get to see the principals of the play as little children, and we see them grow up, and we see the politicking and circumstances that help mold who they become as they grow up. And it makes the tragedy of the story all the sharper, all the more cruel. We see it in a way that we cannot see in Shakespeare's play-- Even in a full production; for in the play, we are introduced to the players in their final forms. We are taken (or not) with the beauty of the words and lines. But in Leveen's book, we become so familiar with these young lives-- with Juliet-- that the pain of her foolish choices, leading to her death, is very real, and very close to the heart. I would even urge that anyone who wants to put on a production of Romeo and Juliet should first read Lois Leveen's book.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2016 by M. Butchin
In Leveen's book Nurse is more intelligent and there is depth to known characters. An easy, fascinating read. Loved Tybalt as a child and Nurse's home life as well as life after Juliet explained. Verona is alive. Confection and food descriptions delicious. Get this book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015 by Amazon Customer
I should mention first how sceptical I usually am when an author takes upon him or herself to step into the shoes of some genius' masterpiece, unless it's a (good) parody- I still recall clearly the disdain I felt when I learned a French writer had produced a sequel to Victor Hugo's "Les miserables". But "Juliet's nurse" is different, and intriguing, because it is not a mere clumsy add-on to Shakespeare's world-famous play; rather, it offers a wholly new and fascinating point of view and background. I was wondering, why the nurse? Lois Leveen explains this in her note at the end of the novel - it turns out the nurse is a far more complex character than you'd think, and Leveen exploits that beautifully. The nurse is not just a bystander, a witness of the tragedy, she has an active hand in how the whole thing unravels. Some quotes you will recognise from Shakespeare in the thick of the action (the second part of the book is focused on the play's events, whereas the first part dwells on the nurse's background and history and her early years as Juliet's wet-nurse); but a lot of what happens in "Juliet's nurse" is merely hinted at, or not mentioned at all, in the play. The novel is a brilliant, imaginative fill-in of what might have been really happening. Everybody's focused on Romeo and Juliet's doomed love when reading Shakespeare's play, but the novel not only brings the young lovers as well as friar Lorenzo and Juliet's parents in a whole new light, but it also gives the reader much to think about regarding the themes of birth, fertility, family honor, piety, loss... It's a great historical novel of its own and definitely stands on its own feet. As a bonus, Leveen put together some material for teachers on her website if they wish to use both books with their classes. I absolutely loved the book and would give it more than 5 stars if possible!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2014 by Celine
Leveen's novel 'Juliet's Nurse' is well-researched into the dark days of Verona, Italy. In medieval times adulthood started at puberty and the characters change from delightful children to bitter adults, except for lower-class Angetica, Juliet's servant and nurse. She marches on through many tough life events, and at times you wonder where this novel is going until the twists. Bees play a role as a symbol of the sweetness of life or the evil of getting stung in life. There are so many contrasts in life today and life then that one thinks about. The style of writing makes reading slow at times.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2016 by R. E. Cooke
I can't remember when last I read such a beautiful story! Extremely unique plot line. Unforeseen twists and turns. Hard to put down. The fun and expectant feeling that you know what's going to happen but not how you're going to get there. Never a dull moment, so to speak. Incredibly rich writing. Heartbreaking emotion, joy and suffering. I was so sad when it was over! Exquisite in every way. 5 stars +++
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Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2014 by Elena Azzarelli
I love alternate viewpoints of Shakespeare plays. As many of the most entertaining ones this expands and enriches Shakespeare's text A twist partway through at first seemed to be author's caprice, but i came to view it as a choice more nuanced and resonant than it first seemed.
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2018 by Angela
I loved this book. Having taught R&J for decades, I thought I knew all the details. But these are the details behind the details. New ideas that give a wonderful new way of looking at the nurse. Leveen has done a wonderful job of working with Shakespeare's characters, strictly adhering to his facts, and writing a wonderful novel to go with a best loved play.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015 by thtchrs