Full review. What I loved most about this novel was Leveen's sensitive look at the emotional implications of being a wetnurse.  Angelica has just lost her child when she's given infant Juliet; it's no wonder she fell in love with the needy infant she nurtured.  But that relationship is fraught, for Angelica is not Juliet's mother, and her connection with the child she loves is dependent on whether her employers still value her.

The first half of the novel is devoted to this, which surprised me but was the best part of the novel.  Once the story shifted into Shakespeare's tragedy, the story was less gripping -- of course the nurse is stricken and sad, and of course she's devoted -- and since we know what's going to happen to Juliet, it was just about sitting back and letting the bus drive.

As a look at medieval life for a domestic, this was really fascinating. Shakespeare loyalists shouldn't mind this imagining, and those who might be unfamiliar with Romeo & Juliet will be able to enjoy the story just fine.

This is grief's great trick: you think you have faced the worst of it, not dreaming of all that is yet to come.

I, like many others, had to read Romeo and Juliet back in high school. When I first read the book I fell in love with it and couldn't get enough of the star-crossed lovers (oh how young I was). Unfortunately once I grew up from being that starry-eyed girl, I began to like the book less and think it not so romantic as I used to. I decided to request Juliet's Nurse from NetGalley because even though I'm no longer a starry-eyed girl I thought it would be absolutely fascinating to read Lois Leveen's interpretation into the background of Juliet's nurse. This is a wonderful tale filled with love, loss, and a woman's drive to protect the only person she has left in the world, a girl named Juliet.

The woman that Leveen creates from the clues that Shakespeare leaves about Juliet's nurse is a woman easy to connect with, love, and at times become frustrated with. Angelica, Juliet's wet nurse, comes into Juliet's life already having experienced great loss and she clings to Juliet to stave off some of her grief. Angelica not only becomes close with Juliet but also with Juliet's cousin Tybalt. With these two children she discover the joy she hasn't had since she lost her beloved children.

I absolutely loved Angelica's husband, Pietro. He brought such joy (most of the time) and humor to this story. You couldn't help but want the best for such a kindhearted and loveable man. At this stage in my life I have to say that I loved Angelica and Pietro's relationship way more than Romeo and Juliet. Ultimately I am angry at what happens to Pietro and how Angelica eventually treats him. Pietro had such a goodness to him that no other character truly seemed to have that he became my favorite character in this book.

This book covers the events after Juliet is born and some of her childhood and then it jumps to the events covered in Romeo and Juliet. Once it jumped ahead it seemed like the book changed in writing style because some of Shakespeare's dialogue was included (obviously) and that really differs from the dialogue of the first part. The second part was definitely more Shakespearean than the first part but it was fascinating getting to see these familiar events from the point-of-view of Angelica.

What Leveen has created with this book is a look into the life of a mysterious but important character of Romeo and Juliet. It may be difficult to do but I felt that she did Shakespeare justice and I would highly recommend this book to all those out there that have read Romeo and Juliet and liked it or to all those out there who want to see the story from another point-of-view.

I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it! I recently was approved on NetGalley for a few books and they all look like books that I would love..

Ruth's Journey by Donald McCaig:

I am SUPER excited about this book. This is the Mitchell estate authorized prequel to Gone With the Wind that follows Mammy. Around Easter I was re-reading GWTW but really I managed to read two chapters before I had to set it aside and concentrate on all the NetGalley books I had. Now I am going to continue re-reading it and also I have purchased Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig so that I can finally read those two books. Needless to say it is going to be a GWTW summer for me to prepare to read this book in the Fall.

Publication date:October 14, 2014

Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen:

This is a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet but from the perspective of Juliet's nurse. It surprised me, as I normally wouldn't like a love story like R&J, but I really loved Romeo and Juliet. I am really looking forward to this.

Publication date: September 23, 2014

Double Agent by Peter Duffy:

This is a book that according to the book description tells "the never-before-told tale of the German-American who spearheaded a covert mission to infiltrate New York’s Nazi underground in the days leading up to World War II—the most successful counterespionage operation in US history." I am always interested in learning more about WWII so once I saw this book I requested it right away.

Publication date: July 22, 2014

Goebbels: A Biography by Peter Longerich:

This book had no description on NetGalley or any other website but clearly it is a biography of Joseph Goebbels by German professor/historian Peter Longerich. Once again as with the book above I am always looking to learn more about WWII and that also means the people who took part in what took place.

Publication date: October 14, 2014