Two sixty-somethings, Romeo Cacciamani and Julie Roseman Roth, whose families have been feuding like the Montagues and Capulets for three generations, meet at a small business seminar in Boston. Both had been raised to hate the other's family, and Julie's first thought upon meeting Romeo was -"This handsome, perfectly nice gentleman is an evil Cacciamani?" Romeo, a widower with six children and a struggling florist shop, suggests dinner. Even though she is uneasy, Julie, a divorcee trying to keep her own florist business afloat, accepts.
Both Julie and Romeo have grown children, totally immersed in this family feud and dedicated to seeing that the growing relationship between their respective parents ends. Sparks really fly when Julie's ex-husband and Romeo's 90-year old mother start meddling, along with other family members.
Delighted by this chance for happiness, Julie and Romeo try to neutralize the opposition within their families, not an easy task. Their relationship just adds to the already fiery family vendetta.
Ms. Ray portrays her characters with understanding, poignancy, and humor, showing that love and passion are not exclusively for the young . Ray's work is full of sharp understated wisdom.
The novel gets funnier with each chapter and each situation that occurs. The scene in the CVS store where the couple has their awkward first "date" so as not to arouse suspicion, is hilarious, as is the scene in the cold-storage locker at Romeo's store. You will also be laughing out loud at some of the things the families do to each other, trying to "get even".
"Julie and Romeo" was a delightful reading experience, and is sure to bring pleasure to every reader.
This is a first novel by Jeanne Ray, who, by profession, is a nurse and is also the mother of the novelist Ann Patchett, bestselling author of "The Magician's Assistant" and "Patron Saint of Liars". I predict that we will be seeing more books by Ms. Ray in the future and I look forward to reading them.
Both are florists who own small flower shops. Julie has grown up with the memory of her father cursing Romeo's father so she embibed the hatred as well. Romeo is an only child who end up having seven children who play menancing roles in the book. One day, they were both attending a small-business seminar ~~ Julie's working to keep her shop open after her ex-husband walked out with a bridesmaid who had never been a bride ~~ and Romeo was there to get ideas to keep his business open and they run into each other and sparks began to fly ~~ only this time, it's the sparks from Cupid's arrows hitting his targets.
Naturally, their children and his mom become dismayed and gets involved ~~ what ensues is a hilarious book between two families. Somewhat loosely based on the traditional Shakespearan play, "Romeo and Juliet" ~~ this book is just as delightful and it's not a tragedy!
It's a fun book ~~ a quick read! Great for the flower lover in your family or just for the romantic at heart!
2-13-04