Skip to main content

Still Star-Crossed


The taciturn peace that the double suicide of Romeo and Juliet imposed on the citizens of Verona is tentative at the best of times as the tension generated by the long-standing feud between the Montagues and the Capulets continues to permeate the atmosphere - seeping into to everyone’s bones and tainting all that it contacts. Burdened by the responsibility of leadership and desperate to save his city, the young Prince Escalus concludes that the only way to truly squelch this nonsense is to SUCCESSFULLY marry a Montague to a Capulet. Unfortunately, the betrothed – Benvolio and Rosaline – are not the paragon of peace that he had hoped for. However, in banding together to undermine the fate they loathe, the couple not only broker peace and save the city but also discover that they are far more willing than either would have anticipated. This lovely blend of romance and mystery adheres to the spirit of Shakespeare’s writing, if not the letter. Taub breathes new life into the well-traversed world of thirteenth-century Verona as the Bard depicted it by developing the characters of Rosaline and Benvolio and contextualizing them in a setting where the characters of both Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing came of age at approximately the same time thereby allowing her to borrow Don Pedro of Arragon (and his plight) for a clever Deus ex machina. Taub’s tale truly offers something for everyone: for those who have become disillusioned with the original tragedy, it is reinvigorating; for those who have previously found Shakespeare’s writing oblique and impenetrable, it is quite accessible; and for those who fell in love with the original star-crossed lovers as they fell in love with each other, it is heavily laced with allusions that cheekily pay homage.
  • Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
  • Secondary
  • Delacorte Press
  • 342 pp.
  • Published 2013
  • 978-0-385-74350-1
  • $16.99
  • Romance
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Notes From the Field: Waltz Across Texas, First Dance

Originally published August 1, 2024 Library Developments Blog |  Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission In July, I kicked off the first in a series of day-long turns around clusters of small public libraries to tour their spaces and chat about how the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can best support their leadership. This round, the fancy feet of Continuing Education and Consulting Team Manager Katherine Adelberg accompanied me as we spun through New Braunfels Public Library, Seguin Public Library, and Martindale Community Library. New Braunfels Public Library New Braunfels is perched on the brink of the Hill Country, right between San Antonio and Austin on I-35. Spanning Comal and Guadalupe counties with its 105,000 residents, it’s not only one of the fastest-growing cities, but is also regarded as one of the best 50 places to live in the United States. Established in 1845, New Braunfels is known for its German...
Post a Comment
Read more

Growing Library Leaders With Google Education Trainer Certification

At the Texas Association of School Library Administrators (TASLA) Workshop on June 14, 2016, I was part of a five-part panel presentation that focused on how campus librarians can become library leaders even though they are not library administrators. This presentation was later featured on TASL Talk s as a series titled “Growing Library Leaders.” Become a Certified Google Education Trainer grew out of my portion of the presentation and was originally published September 8, 2016. On April 10, 2018, it was re-posted on the Round Rock Independent School District's Teaching & Learning Blog Librarians have always been at the forefront of information technology, even if we haven’t always had that reputation. Be it in tablets, scrolls, codices, microforms, or databases, we’ve always gone where the information is in order to find answers. Unfortunately, as mere access to information has taken center stage, school libraries run the risk of becoming a Starbucks-without-the-cof...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Year, Old You: Using the Genealogy Resources at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for Reflection and Renewal

Originally published February 12, 2025 Library Developments Blog    Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission   As the new year has well and truly begun, many people reflect on the past, seeking to understand where they come from, who their ancestors were, and how their family's history shaped their present. One of the best ways to begin exploring their roots is to visit their local library. Frequently, small rural libraries serve as repositories of local history. But, what about if a patron’s family has moved throughout various regions of the state? For a more expansive approach, utilizing the rich genealogy resources available at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can provide a bigger picture. Whether they’re a seasoned researcher or just beginning their journey into family history, TSLAC offers a variety of tools to help patrons uncover the stories of their ancestors. A Treasure Trove of Records Th...
Post a Comment
Read more