I was attracted to the novel The Hundred Loves of Juliet when I realised it was a Romeo and Juliet book:
After a bad breakup, Helene Janssen runs away to Alaska to find some peace and quiet. She’s been dreaming up bits and pieces of a novel for years and hopes to finally have time to write it.
On her first night there, Helene meets Sebastien Montague, a gruff fisherman who looks exactly like the hero in the book she’s working on. But how is that even possible?
Sebastien seems to recognise Helene, too, but he lies about it and brushes her off, even though their chemistry is like a live wire—immediate and undeniable.
It turns out that she’s Juliet, reincarnated, and he’s Romeo, lost in time. And if Helene can convince Sebastien to give her a chance, maybe this time they can rewrite the ending of their story and find a true happily ever after.
I love Shakespeare but have mixed feelings about the story Romeo and Juliet. The Franco Zeffirelli film of this play is exquisitely beautiful. I have watched it multiple times. It’s a great love story. Or is it? Does following our beloved to death, refusing to live without them, prove our love? Or is that not what love is all about? Perhaps Romeo, if he truly loved Juliet, should have continued living without her, offering Masses for her soul. Having expressed that opinion, many people might sigh dramatically, saying, “Sue, it’s only a story! Don’t spoil it.” And they’d have a point. Who will watch a movie that ends with the hero saying, “I must find Friar Laurence and ask him to offer a Mass for Juliet.” But if he’d done that, Juliet might have woken up while he was gone. Tragedy could have been averted.
While reading The Hundred Loves of Juliet, I remembered a draft manuscript of a novel I wrote quite a few years ago. I searched my files for it, wondering if it’s worth finishing. The novel is called The Shakespeare Breakspeares. I wrote it in 30 days as a NaNoWriMo challenge.
On the first day of the challenge, all I had was a one-sentence idea: this story will be about a family of six girls named after Shakespearean heroines. Thirty days later, I had a novel with the central themes of dreams and love. Should we be brave, go in a different direction and try something new? Where will our courage lead us? What will we learn? While Mr Breakspeare is exploring his dreams with his family by his side, I write about an old dusty cottage in the middle of the drought-affected bush, a locked secret room without a key, a favourite uncle who refuses to accept his loss, a tragic Shakespearean actress, a TV cooking show producer with noisy high-heeled shoes, and a dramatic snakebite rescue involving a helicopter.
Rereading the manuscript, I’m aware that the novel needs lots of work if I’m going to get it to a stage where it’s worthy of being published. But I have plenty of time. I could give it a go. I’ve been making notes as I’ve been reading. New ideas are popping into my head. I love how that happens.
Each morning, during my quiet time, I spend a few minutes scribbling in my journal before my family gets out of bed. I list a few things I’d like to achieve each day. Lately, I’ve been writing: Work on my novel.
Last night, I finished The Hundred Loves of Juliet. So what did I think? Well, the story idea was intriguing, but it didn’t quite work for me. Although there were elements of fantasy in the book – no one in the real world has lived for hundreds of years – everything still had to make sense. Throughout the novel, I wondered how Sebastien and Helene would resolve their situation. How were they going to break the curse? Would they search through history to find something they’d missed? Could they put past wrongs right? I was eager to find out. I won’t tell you how the novel ended. All I’ll say is that I was disappointed. I felt a bit cheated. The ending didn’t resolve everything and answer all my questions.
I wonder if my Shakespeare novel will have a satisfying ending. Will anyone like it? What if no one discovers how my book ends because no one wants to read it? Should I bother finishing The Shakespeare Breakspeares? Oh yes. We shouldn’t pursue only the things guaranteed to be successes, should we? Whatever our project is, we must begin and see where things lead. And enjoy the process. We’re sure to learn something if nothing else.
So, I’m writing a Shakespeare-inspired novel. It’s a love story like Romeo and Juliet and The Hundred Loves of Juliet. But in my book, no one dies. No one refuses to live because things aren’t going their way. My Breakspeare family will face challenges, draw close as they help each other and their friends, and have lots of fun along the way. At least, that’s what I’m hoping will happen. But who knows? Books have a life of their own. Sometimes, they turn in unexpected directions, driven by an unseen power.
Just like us.
Photo
Julia Kadel, Unsplash.
So, what do you think?
Have you read any good Shakespeare-inspired novels? Are you working on a project of your own at the moment? Have you ever wanted to write a book? And what do you think true love is all about?
Splended. I love your point of view on life and literature. I laughed at having the masses said, even though I know in real life it’s a serious matter. Still, you never fail to lift and encourage.
Aside from my book about how nature heals, I mostly have titles. Some folks write the story and then the title. I write the title and not much more. Haha. The latest was “Jesus was not a narcissist.” 😂 But seriously, He’s the ieal and model in a world which seems to be increasingly narcissistic. Maybe it’s more a point for my own pondering.
But I digress, true love is all about sacrifice. It’s a decision. And as tempting as, “their chemistry is like a live wire—immediate and undeniable” is, I know that only God can satisfy the longing for love which is deep within the heart.
Michelle,
Finding a good book title is hard! It’s so important to find one that matches the book contents and will also grab potential readers’ attention. I agonise every time I’ve got to name a book. So, having a perfect title is an excellent beginning! Now, how are you going to turn your titles into books? Do you have a plan? You can’t waste your titles. You have to start writing!
Oh yes, true love involves sacrifice. It’s a pity that Romeo didn’t understand that, though I’m sure Shakespeare did. I love how his plays make us ponder. We can learn a lot from them. Are you a Shakespeare fan like me?
No, I don’t know much Shakespeare, but for a children’s story or two. But I was inspired by you to continue writing “The Smell of Fresh Earth in Springtime”. In case I didn’t mention it, it’s about how God heals us in nature.
Growing up in an alcoholic home, outside was our haven. Don’t get me wrong, inside was too at times. My parents did the best they could with what they had. But outside was a balm and an adventure! We had vast woods, with a train track and a gravel pit. Wild berries grew and there were plenty of places to make forts, which to me were small homes. As I grew older, I realized that it kept us well. Would you like to read the first paragraph sometime?
Lol, I don’t want to turn my comments into blog posts! Hope you don’t mind my rambling a little.
Michelle,
I’d love to read your first paragraph. And then you must continue writing and sharing! Do you think that further healing and insights will arrive as you’re writing? Working on the book could be good for you as well as your future readers.
I don’t mind long comments! I enjoy chatting with you. Talking about blog posts, I wonder if you’ve ever considered creating a blog of your own. 😊 xx
Thank you, Sue. Yes, I do think further healing and insights will come with writing, since it requires thinking and in this case, research.
I have considered a blog. I wonder if people read blog much anymore. Social media is easy, but not so deep. Blogs are slower and deeper and that’s why I enjoy them much more.
Michelle,
I’ve also questioned whether blogs are still relevant now that we have social media. I’ve had times when I’ve abandoned my blogs and joined in with social media instead. I’ve wondered what’s the point of writing blog posts when everyone seems to be on FB and IG. But my social media experiments weren’t successful. Each time, I got overwhelmed by the noise and pace. Yes, it’s easy to write an IG caption, but I had to keep producing them daily. I found it hard to keep up. As you said, blogs are slower, and we can go deeper. I like that. I’m glad you do too!
After reading your thoughts here, Sue, I find myself intrigued by the idea of reading novels that are rewrites or sequels of classics by modern authors. In the past, I didn’t give them much thought as I assumed that an unknown or lesser known author could never match the standard of a classic but now I’m not so sure. It could be that a new author has more to add or they may have some fascinating insights on situations that the original author left to the imagination.
I also began to think that spin off novels might be interesting if only to see how differently another mind has interpreted or reacted to the story. The mind of the second author may be as intriguing as the first. We all have diverse experiences and personalities to contribute, don’t we? And, when you relate the concept that matter is neither created nor destroyed to the fact that what we ourselves personally create is never wholly original, it seems to make sense to start with a common storyline or a familiar scenario. Then, a fresh personality or a more unique form of creativity may instil new life into old life forms, don’t you think?
Another thought coming to mind is that I wonder whether we sometimes value classic authors and artists, holding them in high esteem, predominantly because they are old, much as we value an antique more for its age than for beauty or excellence. I look at certain paintings by the old Masters and some can seem quite primitive. It would be sad to dismiss the possibility that cultures may progress and improve upon the ideas of previous generations to produce unsurpassed classics of their own.
I’m wondering if you have any recommendations yourself for these sorts of books? Rewrites or sequels to Shakespeare or Jane Austen books, like The Shakespeare Breakspeares, are suddenly seeming very interesting to me. I’m looking forward to reading your new novel. Have you ever thought of writing a Jane Austen book, as well?
Thank you for another great article, Sue. Your writings always inspire me and lead me to deeper thinking.
Vicky,
Oh yes, no one creates anything totally original. We just connect existing ideas together in new ways. Even Shakespeare did this. His plays are based on other people’s stories. The idea for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ came from Arthur Brooke’s poem, ‘The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet’. So, Shakespeare’s play is part of a series of Romeo and Juliet stories that include modern novels like ‘The Hundred Loves of Juliet.’ It’s not an original work
. Shakespeare and other authors have taken the same story and added other ideas to it.
I’ve also wondered if certain books and other works have become classics just because they are old. Some people defend older books that are hard to understand, saying there’s nothing wrong with them. The problem is with our falling standards of English. But could many of these books fail to communicate their meaning to their readers because of poor use of language? Perhaps they’re not as well written as most people believe. They haven’t endured throughout the years, speaking to every generation. I hesitate to suggest this because I’ll probably be accused of being poorly educated!
I’ve wondered if many classic authors are self-indulgent. Do they ramble instead of engaging the reader’s attention? I’m thinking of such authors as Victor Hugo who insert endless passages of description between the action of their stories. I have never made it past the first few pages of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ because it was hard going. The first chapter failed to grab my interest and that’s what a good book should do. Of course, many old books do deserve to be regarded as classics. Jane Austen is an author who has appealed to many generations, and she doesn’t show any signs of losing her popularity.
Yes, it would be sad if all the work deserving of the title ‘classic’ has already been produced. But I don’t see how that’s possible. If we keep building on the ideas of the past, new classics will be created. I can think of many excellent present day authors. They’re not Dickens or Austen or Shakespeare. They’re themselves. I particularly like the work of Australian author Trent Dalton.
Janice Hadlow is the author of ‘The Other Bennet Sister’, a sequel to ‘Pride and Prejudice’, focusing on Mary. I enjoyed this story, though I found the ending rather drawn out.
‘Death Comes to Pemberley’ by PD James is a mystery crime novel based on’Pride and Prejudice’. It’s a sequel to the Austen story. The miniseries version is beautifully filmed and very enjoyable.
‘The Shakespeare Stealers’ series of children’s books by Gary Blackwood are imaginary stories about Shakespeare and his life in the theatre. My kids liked these books very much.
I know there are loads of other spin-off books, but I can’t think of any more at the moment!
Thank you, Sue. Those sequels sound more promising than the novels I saw that changed the original story. Retelling the story in a more modern setting with more modern language seems better than taking the same characters and just changing up the plot. I think I saw some of them described as ‘what if’ books. Perhaps, they do have value in their own right but I felt they were riding on Jane Austen’s fame when I saw some authors who write Jane Austen spin offs and nothing else.
I’ve also come across classic authors who are sometimes seen as overrated and I agree that a book hasn’t succeeded if it fails to draw the reader in, during the first few chapters. One of the first lessons I was taught, when writing essays at school, was to edit my words down and try to say the most with the least number of words. After reading some classic novels and poetry, I understand the importance of that. When I read something that is clear and concise, and also written in beautiful language, it feels inspired and I marvel at where those words came from. I really think that it’s as artistic as a visual painting and it’s something which comes from deep within the soul.
Vicky,
Oh yes, there are different ways people can build upon Jane Austen and other classic authors’ work. Maybe you wouldn’t like ‘The Hundred Loves of Juliet’ because Evelyn Skye doesn’t stay true to Shakespeare‘s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ plot. She changes a significant detail which is necessary for her own story.
I wondered if Shakespeare, when writing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ stayed true to the story in ‘The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet’. He didn’t! While I was googling Arthur Brooke’s poem, I discovered his narrative poem isn’t original either:
‘Romeo & Juliet, arguably Shakespeare’s most known play, is an adaptation. Shakespeare took a mildly popular poem as the source material for his epic tragedy. The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet was a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke, published in England in 1562. This was not an original work of Brooke’s, but his take on a French poem, that had been inspired by an Italian novella. Brooke’s 1562 take on the tragedy was well-known in England by the 1590s. When Shakespeare’s adaptation premiered, literate theatre-goers would have sensed the similarities and searched for the differences in the adaptation…’
It seems nothing is original, and it’s okay to adapt someone’s work, turning it into something of our own!
Maybe the key feature of a classic work is that it speaks to multiple generations. It’s relatable, regardless of the time period. And it has to be accessible. If readers are unable to understand the work, they can’t connect with it. Of course, some works require us to think deeply about their meaning before we appreciate them. They don’t have to be constructed simply, just well.
That’s really interesting, Sue. It shows how easy it is for prior misconceptions to limit our opportunities for growth and new experiences. (Like non-cruisers sometimes do – I haven’t given up on persuading family to come with me on a cruise, yet!😁)
I wonder if my attachment to a favourite novel overrides my openness in a negative way. I think I’ll have to read one of the books that I dismissed to discover what they really do have to offer before I make rash judgments.
For us, in our times, it’s Shakespeare who owns the plot, isn’t it? I never considered that his contemporaries might feel their favourite story or poem had been plagiarised. His plays would have all been lost to English literature if everyone had dismissed them like I did with our modern retellings and that almost seems unthinkable.
It also makes me wonder how I could use these stories and poems as a starting point for visual art. Ideas have to come from somewhere and it makes sense to look for them from the best we have already, doesn’t it?
I wonder if, amongst all those retellings, there might be an author who’s actually a lot better than Jane Austen. It seems that she’s been almost deified as a writer but I think there’s always room for improvement and, if we build our culture upon the shoulders of giants, we ought to be able to improve on them like Shakespeare did, shouldn’t we?
Vicky,
I like the idea of using stories and poems as inspiration for visual art. We can take ideas from one field and apply them to another, seeing where they lead.
It’s possible there are many authors who have better writing skills than Jane Austen had, but they’re not Jane Austen. We value her books because SHE wrote them. We say, “I love Austen,” meaning her books and not the person she was. We each have our own voice and way of telling a story, don’t we? If we try to imitate someone, our work won’t be very successful. Perhaps it’s essential that any retellings or classic-inspired works have the new author’s own style and voice and includes their ideas. What do you think?