Customer Reviews

The Juliet Club

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE JULIET CLUB is about six teenagers taking a Shakespeare Seminar in Verona, Italy, which is the same place where the famous Romeo and Juliet is set. The three Americans, Tom, Lucy, and Kate, are winners of a Shakespeare essay contest and have traveled halfway around the world to attend the seminar. They're all excited, for different reasons, to be spending a month in the beautiful country of Italy. The other three teenagers, Benno, Giacomo, and Silvia, all live in Verona and happen to be studying at the seminar.

Each of the teenagers is very different from the rest. Kate is very educated and her father is a noted Shakespeare scholar, who just happens to be the main rival of Francesca Marchese, who will be teaching Kate's seminar. Kate, who's still suffering from a broken heart whether she'll admit it or not, plans to spend the summer studying and discussing Shakespeare even more than before. Lucy, a friendly, bubbly, and beautiful southern, is crazy with happiness about being in Italy. Unlike the girls, Tom doesn't seem interested at all in Shakespeare, but more in playing soccer (football). Benno is happy and ready to work for whoever will pay him. Giacomo, Benno's best friend and the boy all of the girls fall for, is less than thrilled about going to the seminar, but his mother insists. Silvia is an angry but beautiful girl who gives off the vibe to stay away from her. Somehow, these six very different teens end up together in Italy, where romance is always blooming.

During the seminar, they are to act out scenes from the play and to answer letters written from Juliet's point of view, because hundreds of teens throughout the world write to her every year about their love problems. But the teens are not only studying love - they're experiencing it. Their lives are filled with the same experiences of falling in love, heartbreak, and jokes that Shakespeare's plays were filled with.

This book had a fun setting, great characters, and a whole lot of potential. The thing is, it switched points of view so often, and focused on so many relationships, that it was hard to keep track and relate to the characters. But even so, I'm still looking forward to reading Ms. Harper's previous books and any books to come.

Reviewed by: Harmony

Kate Sanderson prides herself in being sensible. After an unfortunate romantic encounter that ended badly, she's resolved that no one needs romance until after they're out of school and have a career. Her friends despair of her ever falling in love, but for Kate, schoolwork is satisfying enough. So that's why when she wins a Shakespeare essay contest with an all expense paid trip to Verona, Italy to attend a seminar on the great Bard, the only thing she's got on her mind is enjoying her time there and working hard. Kate is stunned to learn that rather that analyzing Shakespeare's text; she's expected to feel the meanings by acting it out with her classmates, and by answering letters seeking advice on love. This is hard enough without pompous Giacomo having to argue with her on everything. And when her other classmates conspire to play a prank on them, she'll have to work with him to outsmart them. But will the joke be on her?

The Juliet Club is a wonderfully fun and breezy read perfect for summertime. The trip of a lifetime comes alive in this cleverly constructed and formatted book that will ensure that readers devour it quickly. Though the first chapter is slightly awkward, but the numerous characters and their backgrounds make this novel appealing to everyone, and keep the story moving quickly. Throw in a few fun twists, Shakespearean sonnets, and a masquerade ball, and you have a light, funny, and uplifting romantic novel that won't soon be forgotten.

I received this book from Harperteen a few months ago, and I really enjoyed it. Endless plot twists and complex characters never failed to entertain me in the 400-ish pages of the book. What really intrigued me about this book is the originality of the idea, and the amount I could learn from such a book. Few books have focused on The Juliet Club in Italy and out of those few I didn't find any that offered such an enticing plot-line and writing style as the Juliet Club did.

It begins with Kate, a sometimes cynical, reliably reasonable teen. She wins a great opportunity to travel to Italy and attend a prestigious seminar on Romeo and Juliet. After this cliché begins to dominate, first Kate's character is overly done as completely reasonable and doesn't believe in love, so naturally her potential love interest, Giacomo, is completely opposite and a player that argues with her on every point. Anyways through some spurts of creativity and many clichés later, the book culminates in a romantic Shakespearian costume ball that answers all questions the reader may still have and wraps up the book well.

Although the book has so many different plot developments that it's slightly confusing, and a array of predictable clichés, it's a fun summer read. The Juliet Club is riveting, fast-paced, and beautifully written and I never put it down.

I have become a big fan of Shakespeare spin-offs/interpretations, ranging from ones that take place during his time (like Ophelia by Lisa Klein) to ones that take place now (like Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors). This adds to the collection.
Kate Sanderson is a smart girl who learns from her mistakes. After being dumped by her boyfriend for another girl, she vows never to fall in love again.
Kate then finds out that she has been accepted into a summer course in Verona, Italy, where Romeo and Juliet took place. Kate is excited: she will eat, study, and see the awesome sights. Her friend Sarah though thinks something else will happen though: she will fall in love.
There is a whole cast of characters at the course: Tom, the average soccer playing California boy who maybe isn't so much into Shakespeare as he seems; Lucy, the beautiful, kind, and polite Southern belle; Silvia, the revengeful and fiesty Italian with a secret core; Benno, the hard-working boy who wishes to be more like his friend Giacomo; and of course Giacomo, the handsome Italian boy who plays girls like cards.
Throughout the course, the teens learn, answer questions about love, etc. But something better happens: Silvia has a wickedly wonderful plan (a Shakespearan one no less) that will forever change these scholars.
I was enthralled the whole times. Although it seems like a shallow book from afar, it is quite wonderfully written. The plot was well-organized and rapid. Everyone got a happy ending, and a well-deserved one too. The only complaint I have is that perhaps the author could have set the epilouge a year later because Kate and Giacomo live like 4,000 miles away from one another: how will they visit? Otherwise, I enjoyed it emmensely, especially because I am much like Kate. I think other girls looking for a summer read will find that too.
The character development was wonderful, the plot was wonderful, the setting beautiful. It gives all girls hope that one day they will find their match. A time-transporter.

Kate, who has decided to stay firmly out of love after being dumped by her boyfriend, heads to Italy for a summer at a Shakespeare seminar in Verona, hometown of Romeo and Juliet. However, she soon finds her convictions challenged when her fellow Shakespeare Scholars attempt to set her up with the local heart-throb.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I thought that the characters were well-drawn, the dialogue was quick and snappy, and the plot was very amusing. Anyone familiar with Shakespeare will appreciate the references to his plays, and anyone unfamiliar with him might very well become interested in picking up one of his works after finishing this book. I would especially recommend this to middle schoolers and high schoolers with an interest in literary history or anyone looking for a well-written, breezy romantic comedy.

I started this book not sure if I would finish it or not. I finished it.
Why? Because the writing style is outstanding, unique and falvorful. Also the story is a bit vibrant esp. when it's set in Italy.

The plot was not too great, the romance not too believable and a bit mild, the character development was a bit like a flat plane. The central character and her family are practical and unromantic. haha.

I think the scenery was more of my favorite character and the writing style...WOW.

I need to be notified when and if Suzanne Harper writes another novel. The writing style is so clean and consistant...it's like the sports car or the chic new shoe. It's refreshing. I don't know if I have seen anything like it in the YA field so far.

An Okay read, with a writing style that kept me eagerly reading to the last page. Like poetry.

Pages: 416
Release Date: June 1st, 2008
Date Read: 2011, October 30th-31st
Rating: 3/5 stars
Recommended to: 12+

Summary -
Kate is done with love. She has given it up - no more will she fall into its clutches. Jerome broke her heart and crushed her soul. Never again. When she wins a contest - and a trip to Italy with the other winning teens - Kate wants to spend her time properly examining the ridiculousness of Romeo and Juliet, instead of prancing around falling in love. And when the chance comes to turn the tables and play a prank on the girl who's trying to prank Kate, she more than happily seizes her chance, never expecting the snare that awaits her.

My thoughts -
I'm not too much of a Romeo and Juliet fan. To be honest, even with my ridiculous romanticism, I've had my own practical statements and refutes and arguments about their love story. So while Kate was, for the most part, ridiculously practical, I admit freely that I, for the most part, agreed with her.

But anyways - apart from that...

This book was fun, but nothing special or extraordinary. I actually think it fell below the mark of ordinary or good. It had lots of issues - the writing was fun and dramatic but lacking the good stuff; the characters were all fluff and there was no personal connection; the story line had holes; the POV shifted weirdly. I wasn't expecting much, however, so I wasn't disappointed. But neither was I excited, and that is the problem.

Character notes -
I really wish this book had been more personal. There were POV shifts that made no sense; but not only that, the characters themselves were choppy and inconsistent. For the most part, I saw these 16-17 year olds as 11-13 year olds. They had major maturity issues - issues usually overcome by the time you turn 13. It was awkward.

The best character was Giacomo, but even he lacked consistency. I thought of him as 14 years old for the majority of the book. He had a nice back story to add depth to his character but I thought him making up conversations between himself and a saint at the Catholic church, and then running around with a ladies' man reputation was such a strange combo. I think the author may have been trying to show the reader that he really was a great guy underneath?

I really liked Kate, but she was so poorly crafted that I didn't really get to know her, and that made me sad.

And to add to matters, at the end of the story, in the last 15 pages, all the characters just suddenly acted their ages.

What????

Story notes -
Overall, I really liked this story. It made me laugh and had a nice ring to it. The story-line twisted and turned with hilarious events and complication. However, I felt that it was poorly done and as a reviewer I must be honest...

What really bugged me was that it held no personal connection between characters or me and the book. For example - Kate and Giacomo are trying to make everyone believe they've fallen in love. They are about to kiss for the first time to throw off the spies following them - and it suddenly cuts to the POV of the spy! Therefore leaving me, the reader, with no idea of how Giacomo or Kate felt about the kiss that was supposed to be a farce. Basically, there was very little progression of feelings.

Summing it up -
Playful! For the most part, this book had very little to offer when it comes to being a good book, but I did enjoy it all the same. A quick and fun summer read and it'll make you want to travel to Italy! :D

Nothing for the parents - 12+

THE JULIET CLUB is a sweet and romantic story that is very Midsummer's Night Dream esque, complete with humorous antics that would make Shakespeare himself proud. I love a modern twist on classics and Suzanne Harper shrewdly shows her expertise on Shakespearean literature, text and understanding their depth and meanings.

Being that the plot itself is an outwardly obvious play on a classic, the ending is apparent early on... and it doesn't matter. In THE JULIET CLUB you'll find that the strength is in the cleverly written characters and their varying personalities, each with their own mini story and their own important role within the plot. Truly a fun read for anyone who appreciates a good love story that is sure to make you smile.

Bellissimo!... Yet, another bargain bin find that proved to be a wise purchase... gotta love a sale! Thanks Amazon!

This book was basically adorable. It was simply cute, but nothing really spectacular. The only real problem was that is was insanely predictable. At the beginning of the book I figured out the entire plot of the novel. The writing style was nice, but occasionally it jumped from character to character with little warning. At those points it was a bit odd, but within the first paragraph it became easy to tell who was speaking at the moment. The Shakespeare quotes and references were fun to spot, and the similarities found in the plot were fun, though they may have made it so predictable.



I thoroughly enjoyed Kate, the main character. I found her no-nonsense ways charming and slightly refreshing. I get irritated by large amounts of angst and flippancy in books, and was a bit scared that this one would contain a great deal of one or both. The rest of the characters provided equal amounts of amusement, and were a lovely supporting cast. The main male, Giacomo, was just what one would expect; dashing, good looking, and very stereotypically Italian.




Overall this book was just fun. Light and fluffy, it made for a great read after finishing my midterms. If you want some serious Shakespeare grab something by the Bard himself. If some cute chick-lit suits your mood, this is perfect. Don't expect anything surprising, but enjoy the ride anyway.

Anyone who has been to high school knows that most romance is reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedy. "The Juliet Club" takes a spin on that idea, with Kate being chosen to go to Verona for a Romeo and Juliet seminar. The novel is rich with descriptions of Verona's buildings and city, giving the reader a realistic view of walking this famous city's streets. Anyone who has read some of Shakespeare's more popular plays will enjoy the many references and jokes based from them, but it can also be slightly confusing, especially the references to his more obscure works that I have never heard anything about.

"The Juliet Club" is an engaging, but relatively easy read. Not very many people who start this book will be able to put it down! The storyline flowed well, but was somewhat predictable, however small changes kept me on my toes. None of the characters were 2-D, and the character development was enough to make many other teen romances green with envy. Going into "The Juliet Club" I expected an angst ridden sob-fest, but this story was not a tragedy by any means. I truly enjoyed this entertaining romp into nontraditional teen fiction.