Sunday, May 23, 2010

Letters to Juliet-The Book


Juliet. She’s one-half of the world’s most famous couple, whose enduring legend draws millions of visitors to Verona every year. But that’s only part of the story. Since the 1930s, Juliet has received an untold number of letters from writers all over the world. Most of the missives talk of love, of course—love found and love lost, love sought and love remembered. They may be written by teenagers in the throes of a first crush or struggling with parental censure. They may be from adults celebrating a hard-won love or wrestling with commitment. They come by the truckload, in almost every imaginable language—composed on ornate stationery, scrawled on loose-leaf, or scribbled on whatever scraps were handy. Frequently addressed simply, “Juliet, Verona,” all of these letters reach their destination and, amazingly enough, all of them receive an answer.

Letters to Juliet is the story of these letters and the volunteers who have been answering them for more than 70 years—volunteers who first acted privately, and who are now sanctioned by the city of Verona to answer thousands of letters each year as part of the Juliet Club. Complete with selected letters, this romantic and poetic book also contains the history behind Shakespeare’s tale and the monuments that fuel the legend. Utterly unique and magical, Letters to Juliet is perfect for anyone who’s ever felt the pangs of love. (this review taken off of Amazon.com)

I have been to fair Verona and have seen the detailed scribbles of love lost and found. The greatest love story ever told? I'm not sure about that because as we all know they both end up dead over a miscommunication. But I would say, as Bridget Jones would say, the top ten at least!

2 comments:

Mycket said...

Haha. I was thinking that this was a really well written blog and then you and your propriety had to come clean. Well written, Amazon! Dead over a miscommunication. Hahhaa. well played, HT.

kimi + joe said...

Oh, I'll have to pick that one up. I remember seeing all the love notes, gum and kisses plastered on the wall outside her balcony in Verona. Responding to these love letters probably makes Verona even more of a tourist destination. Perhaps the little truckers could make Italy the next destination.