Completely unexpected and delightful, JULIET’S ANSWER by Glenn Dixon is full of wit, heartfelt emotion, quandaries, love, and the quintessential happy-ever-after.
This book sounded like it would be a travelogue with a man’s observations on love, but it’s not. Mostly memoir with some fiction to protect the innocent, JULIET’S ANSWER is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It was everything I’d hoped it would be, and so much more, that I read it extremely fast.
The author is quite good at building suspense and telling a heartwarming story that includes numerous personalities. I really like the back and forth between the students learning Shakespeare, to the author and friends answering letters written to Juliet in Verona. You get a real feel for the numerous personalities, and the author’s dilemma, with this method. Never once did this back and forth timeline seem choppy.
I laughed out-loud several times at the surprising nuggets tucked in at the right places. The story has some excellent emotion spread throughout, but the halfway mark really touched my heart. I think this book is the perfect change of pace for those who love romantic fiction. Written by a talented memoirist, JULIET’S ANSWER has wonderful positive nuances added to offset life’s rough patches. I love memoirs and I love fiction – this book combines both seamlessly, which has made me a fan of this new-to-me author.
A gifted storyteller, but if Glenn Dixon’s acknowledgements prove anything, it takes a village to write a book this good. I could tell that it was finely honed because there is nothing wrong with it. There’s a small lull when I wondered if anything else could be said, but then it picks up again with more fun in the final chapters.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated with the history of Romeo and Juliet, or to anyone who enjoys a feel-good story of true love. Intriguing, funny, entertaining, and hopeful, JULIET’S ANSWER is armchair travel well taken.
Reviewed by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest. Digital ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.
Juliet’s Answer by Glenn Dixon
Category: Memoir
Publisher: Gallery Books (February 7, 2017)
Rated 5 out of 5 + Recommended Read
Have you read any memoirs that have left a lasting impression?
