Fair Rosaline - by Natasha Solomons

Book Synopsis

The most exciting historical retelling of 2023, Fair Rosaline is a subversive, powerful untelling of Romeo and Juliet by New York Times bestselling author Natasha Solomons, perfect for readers of Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese.

Was the greatest ever love story a lie?

The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love. Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo's attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life.

Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her. She breaks off the match, only for Romeo's gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realizes that it is not only Juliet's reputation at stake, but her life. With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way?

Bold, lyrical, and chillingly relevant, this spellbinding prequel to Shakespeare's best-known tale reveals the dark subtext of the timeless story of star-crossed lovers, shattering everything we thought we knew about Romeo and Juliet.

"Irresistible." --Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne

"I have not been able to stop thinking about this book." --Elodie Harper, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf Den

"I absolutely devoured this thought-provoking, female-centric take on Shakespeare." -- Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools

Review Quotes

"A brilliant, feminist re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet, Fair Rosaline is a gorgeously written version of Verona from Juliet's cousin, Rosaline's, point of view. What does Romeo truly look like through the eyes of a woman on the periphery of the original story? Natasha Solomons skillfully shows us another version of the star-crossed lovers--and the Romeo--we all think we know. I absolutely devoured this thought-provoking, female-centric take on Shakespeare." -- Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of Beautiful Little Fools

"Challenges classic interpretations of Romeo and Juliet...entertaining and empowering." -- Publishers Weekly

"Exquisitely written, wonderfully lyrical and richly immersive - this a story we all know made fresh and chillingly relevant, refracted through a feminist lens." -- Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The Club

"I have not been able to stop thinking about this book . . . Fair Rosaline is a gripping, spellbinding and wonderfully immersive book - and one that truly makes you think. I would be very surprised if everyone is not talking about it." -- Elodie Harper, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf Den

"Intelligent, imaginative, irreverent. Solomons has created a gripping Romeo and Juliet for the 21st century." -- Annabel Abbs, author of Miss Eliza's English Kitchen

"Irresistible. An excellent spin on a timeless classic." -- Jennifer Saint, Sunday Times bestselling author of Ariadne

"Mischief and forbidden love ensue as Rosaline and Romeo embark on an affair that is the prelude to the more famous story. Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Julia Quinn who love a historical setting and classic characters mixed with drama and romance." -- Booklist