O, Juliet

Table of Contents

 

 

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF ROBIN MAXWELL

“I love this novel! A reigning queen of historical fiction takes on the treasured tale of Romeo and Juliet.”

—Michelle Moran, national bestselling author of
Cleopatra’s Daughter

“An intimate historical retelling of the timeless classic.”

—C. W. Gortner, author of
The Last Queen

“Robin Maxwell turns her talents toward Shakespeare’s ultimate heroine of romantic love, but Maxwell’s Juliet emerges as a clever young woman and poetess from Florence, betrothed to her father’s diabolical business partner. Maxwell takes a well-known story and introduces her own set of twists, using historical detail, her vivid imagination and real people to great effect.”

—
New York Times
bestseller Lalita Tademy, author of
Cane River
and
Red River

“Not many writers would dare to compete with William Shakespeare but Robin Maxwell pulls it off. Her star-crossed young lovers are just as unforgettable as the bard’s, and now readers get to see what happened offstage.”

—
New York Times
bestseller Sharon Kay Penman, author of
Devil’s Brood

 

 

“A glorious novel of fifteenth-century Florence, utterly engrossing and glittering with color. Lorenzo the Magnificent, Leonardo da Vinci, and his courageous, passionate mother, Caterina, walk through the pages of this book, radiating life and touching the heart. I will never see the
Mona Lisa
with the same eyes again. Robin Maxwell has a stunning achievement in
Signora da Vinci
.”

—Sandra Worth, author of
The King’s Daughter

“Robin Maxwell is an extraordinary historical novelist. If you are one of the millions of readers who got into the meat of Dan Brown’s
The Da Vinci Code
,
Signora da Vinci
is going to be like a hot-fudge sundae for dessert. It’s sinfully good and you will be very sorry when you’ve finished it. Maxwell’s protagonist, Caterina da Vinci, embodies the absolute female rebel and outcast of her era. Her story involves illicit love and sex, betrayal, defeat, redemption . . . in other words, ALL OF IT, everything that great historical drama entails. ”

—
Pasadena Weekly,
Ellen Snortland, author of
Beauty Bites Beast

“A masterpiece . . .
Signora da Vinci
is an adventure from beginning to end. . . . Maxwell is one of the queens of historical fiction.”

—Swapna Krishna,
skrishna.com

“Taking what little is known about Leonardo da Vinci’s mother, Maxwell has cleverly and believably reimagined the woman who gave birth to the ultimate ‘Renaissance’ man. Lush and lusty, fascinating and smart, this fictionalized biography is a stroke of genius crafted by a gifted historian.”

—
Romantic Times

“Maxwell provides an adoring mother’s eye view of Leonardo’s life and inventions as well as [the] Florentines’ rediscovering ancient wisdom and the joy of their own expression. . . . Caterina is both a witness to and participant in history. . . . Great fun!”

—
The Historical Novels Review

“Ms. Maxwell has again shown her adeptness with the historical fiction genre. She takes a woman whom history has forgotten and not only gives her a voice, but gives her life. . . . [She] pulls her readers into the Italy of the 1400s. . . . [Her] appreciation and passion for this story radiate from every page”

—
Eye on Romance

 

“Robin Maxwell offers a fascinating glimpse at the ambitious girl who will grow into the infamous queen.”

—Susan Holloway Scott

“Reading Maxwell’s brilliant new novel, it’s easy to see why Anne is the ‘Boleyn girl’ who changed the course of history, and why she is the source of never-ending fascination. We are finally able to catch a glimpse of Anne Boleyn before her enemies vilified her, while she was still just a young woman looking for true love. I couldn’t put it down.”

—Michelle Moran

“Anne Boleyn fans will cry ‘Huzzah!’ when they learn that novelist Robin Maxwell has returned to her Tudor roots. In this saucy romp, a prequel to her
Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
, Maxwell writes in the remembered voice of a child—a tricky feat indeed. Readers will find much to delight in, from finely drawn secondary characters like Leonardo da Vinci to scintillating descriptions of the French glitterati and the royal court. Frothy and French in its main setting, Maxwell’s work nevertheless conveys a gravitas that foretells Mademoiselle Boleyn’s eventual fate.”

—Vicki León, author of
Uppity Women of the Renaissance

“Historically plausible account of Anne Boleyn’s adolescence in France as a courtier of King François . . . lavishly imagined . . . [an] accomplished rehabilitation of the much-maligned Anne as an empowered woman.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

 

PRAISE FOR THE OTHER NOVELS OF

“The powerfully lascivious intersections of sexual and international politics, combined with Maxwell’s electrifying prose, make for enthralling historical fiction.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“History doesn’t come more fascinating . . . than the wife-felling reign of Henry VIII.”

—
Entertainment Weekly

“Another satisfying historical epic from Maxwell, [who provides] a sweep of powerful emotion.”

—
Irish American Magazine

A compelling, exhilarating, and thought-provoking account. . . . All of the characters are richly drawn, and the saga of Grace O’Malley sears the imagination.”

—
Boston Irish Reporter

“Maxwell brings all of bloody Tudor England vividly to life.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

NOVELS BY ROBIN MAXWELL

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Published by New American Library,
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80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

First Printing, February 2010

Copyright © Robin Maxwell, 2010
Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2010
All rights reserved

 

 

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

 

Maxwell, Robin, 1948-
O, Juliet/Robin Maxwell.
p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18502-5

 

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