Customer Reviews

Finding Juliet

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The storyline is delightful and the descriptions of Italy and the cuisine are simply delicious. I like how the story is told from a male point of view. You can almost picture Nick's facial expressions as he acts and reacts to events unfolding around him. Frank Sennett is a master at creating realistic characters, quirks and all (as evidenced in both of his Nash mysteries). The Juliet Society is a real entity. It's about time a romantic novel was created around that concept. And I'm glad it was Frank Sennett who thought of it. Yes it's romantic, but it's a sweet story without the sticky goo. There's plenty of humor tossed into the mix too. I can easily recommend this to men and women alike.

Am I in Venice yet? I really want to be after reading one of the best romances that I've read in a very long time.

Frank Sennett does a masterful job of balancing head-over-heels romance with all of the doubts and realities that go along with it in the real world. The book is a fun read, but it's not just a fluff book. The characters make you want to keep reading along to find out what happens next. And once you do, you'll wish there was more.

The descriptions of Verona and the Italian countryside will have you ready to pack your suitcase and rent a car to drive around when you get there. And then there's way Sennett describes the food. He makes you taste the fresh pastas by describing them with love and the attention to detail that make this book so special.

Now I just have to talk the men in my life into giving it a chance. They won't regret it if they do.

Finding Juliet is a captivating and realistic love story. Frank Sennett immediately draws you into his characters' worlds and how they deal with life and love after their faith has been shaken. Nick is a literature student who is trying to figure out what to do with his life, and Lia is picking up the pieces after a bad marriage.

My finger kept sliding across the screen (on my Kindle for iPhone) as I became lost in the beautifully detailed city of Verona and this modern day story of Romeo and Juliet.

This book was a fun read. Set amongst one of the great love stories of all time, Finding Juliet creates a romance that feels more real than fiction. Frank Sennett did a great job with this book. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more works by this author.

As a guy, I like a bit of romantic fiction as a distraction from the usual fare of murder and mayhem I read. This hit the spot. In addition to being a sweet story, it is an interesting travelogue. The characters act somewhat irrationally at times, but that is typical of the tension that must be created to make their final union more of a desirable emotional destination.

Every once in a while the planets align, and when they do, everything grounded to them aligns as well. Today's particular alignment just happened to focus on the fair city of Verona. A few days ago I was sent "Finding Juliet" by Frank Sennett a novel based on a cities tradition of (not only) writing letters to one of Shakespeare's most influential lovers, but also the effect a reply can have on a person's soul. Today I watched "Letters to Juliet" same general concept, different media outlet. (I think Shakespeare is trying to tell me something. Let's hope its "you should take a vacation to Italy")

Now, while I won't give you details about the movie (cause lets face it... I'm much better with the written word.) I will tell you that the literary version of this little trip down destiny lane was nothing short of charming.

Nick is a mess, he just found out that his girlfriend cheated on him with a drama major and (on a whim) his best friend is using his "love for collecting ticket stubs" as a writing assignment. Lia (on the other hand) is too afraid to be a mess. She's afraid of taking chances, she's afraid of her impending divorce, and more importantly she's afraid of love. But the fate of these two damaged people quickly changes with the writing of 1 little letter.

"Dearest Juliet,
Rather than kill myself, I have decided to pour my grief into a letter this night. Would only that you had done the same upon finding your lover dead with lips still warm and touched with poison.

As it is, you are not only fictional, but extinguished. I only hope your spirit paid no heed to these cruel tricks of paper fate, so that you might yet provide the comfort I seek.

I spill ink instead of blood because, although my true love lives, her love for me has died. I do not wish to compound my tragedy with desperate measures that would stir only contempt within her breast. As the target of my rejection has rejected me, any harm I do myself, I do only to myself. It is a lesson well learned before the act is done."

Can a broken soul from America find love through the responses of a (seemingly) fictional character? Can a lost spirit find peace in the arms of a stranger? And when exactly is everyone going to start telling the truth?

"Sennett" created what we crave... love, and passion, and the ability to believe in the impossible. He took 1 tiny spec of culture and morphed it into a tale of acceptance and understanding, and he did it all while spouting the break-taking prose of "Shakespeare." It is unnecessary to criticize or breakdown the complexities of this novel like I usually do, for no other reason than the unwavering belief that I would ruin forever the telling of it. This is a book to enjoy, to savor, and to dream upon. This is a book to read, not rip apart.

If you love "Love," if you believe in fate and all that that word encompasses, the please take part in just this little piece of it. I dare say you won't be disappointed.

Happy reading my fellow Capulet's and remember: "My only love doth spring from my only hate."

Breathtaking love story. Oh to find love like that. The book held me captive to the end. It was a slow start, but required to give the reader full understanding of where the characters came from.

All right, the plot is a bit out there, but not so much you can't buy it. Nice romance story. Very readable, one of those books that gets your attention from the start and keeps it.

Frank Sennett is a masterful storyteller. I was drawn into this wonderful novel instantly. The characters are engaging and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sennett's use of language is brilliant; without a superfluous word in sight. This story mixes all the elements of a great book. Finding Juliet is a terrific romantic journey with a mix of great food and humor. I could not recommend this novel more. Enjoy!

Ken Levinson
Chicago, IL

I was surprised to see Sennett, author of the breezy crime capers Nash, Rambler (Five Star Mystery Series) and Five Star First Edition Mystery - Nash, Metropolitan, take a romantic turn. Could a writer with the soul of a wiseass journalist make me care about two young lovers? As it turns out, I needn't have worried. After all, the Nash books are more Fletch than Dexter--trade mystery for a case of mistaken identity, and an already winning formula remains intact. I'm tempted to call this "guy lit," but I won't, because with such charming characters of both genders, chicks will dig it, too.