Was the greatest love story of all time a lie?
The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love.
Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo's attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life.
Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her. She breaks off the match, only for Romeo's gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realises that it is not only Juliet's reputation at stake, but her life.
With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way?
"I cannot think of love or life, surrounded by and mocked by death on every side. It makes me see the end, before we've even begun."
A subversive, conceptual retelling of one of the most iconic stories of all time. Fair Rosaline invokes the true nature of the tale of R&J, the tragedy and pain that was meant to be the focal point of a story misconstrued as a romantic fairy-tale.
Giving a powerful, echoing voice to the voiceless Rosaline, this reimagining is a dark, electrifying tale with the poetic beauty of a classic but the cinematic intensity of a thriller. Rosaline was everything I wanted in a truly strong leading woman — she is unapologetic and fiercely loving, risking everything to protect her young cousin from a predator that could ruin her life. Young and naïve in some ways, but strong enough to fight with everything she has against a patriarchal world that she doesn’t believe in. It delves into dark, uncomfortable things that made me want to look away but I couldn’t put this story down until I’d read the whole thing.
As a narrator, Rosaline starts slowly building up the world and climate of Verona at the time, and the personal tragedies she’s lived through. Her storytelling was emotional, raw but clear — she’d go on tangents but it never felt like info-dumping or filler. As we move along, she begins to question why she’s a possession, why she’s treated so differently to the boys and men — and realises she cannot tolerate them to hurt Juliet too as she tries to unravel the Gordian Knot that has started to tighten around her. Her language was reminiscent of a classic Shakespearean but with a more accessible, readable style and beautiful subtle references to the original tale.
The setting was rich and vivid, transporting us to another place and time with cultures and superstitions from years gone by on the page for all to see. Telling a twisted version of a famous story is always risky — but this paid off. Fair Rosaline is a triumphant reimagination that is a classic of it's own in the making.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. Please check content warnings before reading as this title contains subject manner that could trigger or upset readers.
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