Juliet

Anne Fortier’s debut novel, the historical romance Juliet (2010), concerns a young woman who discovers that she is descended from Romeo’s Juliet, and if she doesn’t uncover the truth about Juliet’s life, the same curse that killed the lovers will end her, too. The book received nominations for various awards and it is an international New York Times bestseller. A Danish writer, Fortier graduated from Aarhus University in Denmark with a Ph.D. in the History of Ideas. Before moving to the U.S., she spent two semesters at Oxford University’s Corpus Christi College as an Associate Graduate Member.

Protagonist Julie Jacobs is a quiet and mannerly twenty-five-year-old Italian woman. Her twin sister, Janice, is cruel and conniving. They could not be more different. Juliet wishes that she had a better relationship with Janice, but she knows that is impossible. All they have in common is their aunt Rose, who raised them since childhood after their parents died in a suspicious accident.

Everything falls apart for Julie when Rose dies. Although Julie expects to receive half of Rose’s estate, Rose leaves her estate in its entirety to Janice. Julie gets nothing more than a handwritten letter from Aunt Rose, telling her to return home to Italy. Janice, naturally, thinks this is amusing. She assumes that Aunt Rose disliked Julie and wants to be rid of her. Julie cannot help but feel the same way until she reads the letter more carefully.



Rose tells Julie to go to Siena, Italy. Here, Julie will take over her mother’s secret mission. Julie’s mother died thinking that the family is descended from the Juliet whom William Shakespeare made famous. Although she died before completing her investigations, Julie’s mother is convinced that the truth lies in Siena. It is up to Julie to find the answers to the family mystery.

Julie doesn’t understand why Rose chose her for this mission. All Julie can think of is how much she loves the play, Romeo and Juliet. She can even recite the play by heart. She also loves ancestral trees and family lineages. Since Rose refused to tell Julie anything about their family, Julie seizes the opportunity to indulge her interests.

When Julie arrives in Siena, she finds a mysterious box. The box needs a key to open it. Luckily, Rose left the key inside the letter envelope, and Julie brought it with her. When she opens the box, she pulls out papers describing the real story behind Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The protagonists are Romeo Marescotti and Giulietta Tolomei. They were real people, and they are famous across Italy. Their story began in 1340.



Armed with this knowledge, Julie digs deeper into the past. She soon discovers that Julie isn’t her real name. Her real name is Giulietta Tolomei. Her sister’s real name is Gianozza Tolomei. Julie realizes there must be something very dangerous at work if her family hid her identity from her. She vows to uncover the truth and unravel all her family secrets.

Julie begins by remembering Romeo and Juliet, and the various feuding families involved. The main families are Tolomei, Marescotti, and Salimbeni. Julie plans to speak with existing family members about their ancient past. What she discovers is that these families still despise each other, and there are few people whom she can trust.

On her travels, Julie meets Alessandro Santini. A policeman, he’s very handsome. Alessandro reveals that his godmother is a Salimbeni. No one seems happy that Alessandro and Julie like each other. Julie assumes this is because she is a stranger, but the truth is more sinister. There is a dangerous curse at work, and Julie next is next in line to be ensnared.



“A plague on both your houses!” is a famous curse from Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare didn’t create the curse, however—the Virgin Mary started it, back in the fourteenth century. The curse is still alive and well, and it has ruined many love affairs over the centuries. The families hate each other because Giulietta’s descendants are still inexplicably drawn to Romeo’s, and the curse always destroys them.

Julie discovers that she shouldn’t love Alessandro because the only way to end the plague is if she finds her own Romeo. Together, they can unravel the Virgin Mary’s curse and restore peace between the houses. The problem is that Julie loves Alessandro and she doesn’t want to give him up. Unlike her sister, Julie is a virgin and has never known romance,. She doesn’t want to sacrifice what might be her only chance at happiness.

Julie then uncovers another startling revelation. She is a reincarnation of Giulietta. Alessandro is a reincarnation of Romeo. This explains why they are so drawn to each other, and why their relationship is forbidden and toxic. They decide that this is an opportunity to put right any past family wrongs. They refuse to give up on each other because they don’t want anyone else. Their relationship prevails, and they reunite the warring families.