Saturday, August 6, 2011

The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

I found this book in the library and was instantly carious, seeing the title and front page. So I then read the blurb and I was completely hooked.
Well this story has six main characters (the story is told through all of them), who, in turn are thrown together and are facing many different things when it comes to Love. They all have to attend a month long seminar on one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Romeo and Juliet. In no other place but where the star crossed lovers supposedly met. So “In fair Verona where we lay our scene. . .” These six teens meet, three are from America, and the other three are from Italy.
(The Americans:) Kate: she is a very practical and sensible person who has recently got her heart broken and has sworn of off love forever. She comes to the seminar looking to immerse herself in studies and explore this beautiful city (she’s there with her dad who is a Shakespeare scholar and who is the enemy of the woman running the seminar).
Lucy: she is a charming, cheerful Southern girl who is completely swept away by the fact that she is in Italy!
Tom: He is not much of a scholar–his main interest is soccer. He is mostly there so that he can have a chance to play football in Italy.
(The Italians:) Giacomo: He is the handsome type all the girls fall for, but he never really cares about any of the girls. He flirts, has fun, breaks their hearts, and moves on. He is less than thrilled about having to study Shakespeare all summer, but his mother insists (his mother is the one running this seminar).
Benno: He is short, friendly, and a hard worker who always has to dash off to run an errand for whoever pays him.
Silvia: She is an intense, beautiful, and lashing out at the world for various reasons that we find out throughout the story. She is the one who starts everything off in the story, as she is just looking for trouble.
Arriving on the first day of class they expect to spend their summer studying the play, but to their surprise they are told they have each been signed up to become volunteers in the Juliet Club, a group that receives letters from people of all ages, from all over the world asking Juliet advice about LOVE.
And of course spending the summer in a city as beautiful as Verona, romances will bloom, opposites will attract and all six of them will learn that the course of true love is never one, which runs smoothly.

I think this book is a really good book but in saying that, considering the story line, could have been an amazing read if only it was described in a lot more dept. like I said at the start the story is told through all six of them and because there are so many of them it's almost like the story isn’t completely finished and the characters are real, because if it had maybe focused on one them, instead of jumping from one person to another it would have been better. But if you find the book interesting from what I have said, I would encourage you to give it a go because at the end of the day it is still a really good book to read. I would give this book a 9/10.

2 comments:

  1. Hey:) sorry it's soooo long, it's a really comlicated book to explain as i have found out. Hope you guyz don't mind.

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  2. I thought your comment about the use of multiple perspectives was really interesting and perceptive, Amanda. Often, I think having multiple points of view is interesting and effective but it is quite challenging for an author to do this really well. Sounds as if this author didn't quite succeed. Glad you enjoyed the book nonetheless and hope that someone else reads and comments on it.

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