Fair Rosaline

Fierce, feminist and intensely gripping - FAIR ROSALINE takes everything you think you know about Romeo & Juliet and turns it on its head . . .

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 realises 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?

A subversive, powerful untelling of Shakespeare's best-known tale, narrated by a fierce, forgotten voice: this is Rosaline's story.

Review

A deliciously dark take on the iconic love story. ― Woman & Home

This sweeping untelling of Shakespeare's most famous love story is subversive and a lot of fun ― The I newspaper

Immersive, original and thought-provoking, this is brilliantly done ― Best Magazine

A thought-provoking reimagining of the classic tragedy, Fair Rosaline is, at its heart, a love story that champions the most elusive and rare of all loves: self-acceptance and self-love. This is a rich and atmospheric work that, despite its historical setting, feels intensely relatable thanks to Solomons' resilient heroine. ― Katherine J. Chen, author of Joan

Natasha Solomons' masterfully weaves Shakespeare's classic play into a gripping story of female agency and strength. Rosaline is a compelling heroine and I was rooting for her from the first page, and as a Shakespeare-lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the new life Natasha breathes into Romeo and Juliet. ― Isabelle Schuler, author of LADY MACBETHAD

Dismantling the myths around Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Fair Rosaline is a revelatory feminist retelling. I got lost within its pages submerged within a Shakespearean sensory drama where the voices of young girls & their predicaments mirror real history with powerful resonance for our present. ― Anya Bergman, international bestselling author of The Witches of Vardo

A fabulous avenging heroine who inhabits a story that teems with vivid period detail and burns with feminist fury. You'll never look at Romeo the same way again. ― The Bookseller - Editor's Pick

I was gripped by Rosaline's story . . . You may think you know this story. Think again. ― Laura Shepperson, author of THE HEROINES

Fair Rosaline is the story of Romeo and Juliet, but not how you remember it . . . a dark, powerful and thought-provoking novel . . . An entirely original and gripping reading experience . . . Fair Rosaline is a complex and layered story that offers up a bold new take on the story of the star-crossed lovers, and it's one that both committed and casual fans of the original play are sure to find fascinating . . . Solomons has also breathed fresh life into a classic tale, exploring new character relationships, darker realities and the complexities of love, family and duty along the way. A subversive and riveting novel that challenges expectations and . . . turns the story of Romeo and Juliet firmly on its head. ― Culture Fly

A deliciously dark take on the iconic love story. ― My Weekly

About the Author

Natasha Solomons is the author of seven internationally bestselling novels, including Mr Rosenblum's List, The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and I, Mona Lisa. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages. She lives in Dorset with her family.