Juliet's Nurse

October 20, 2014
In her second novel, Leveen (The Secrets of Mary Bowser) imagines the life of Angelica, the nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She brings mid-14th century, post-plague Verona to life with its poor, its royalty, and the battles between rival familiesâhere called "Cappalletti" and "Montecchi." Before Angelica can grieve the loss of her own (unexpected) baby in childbirth, her husband, Pietro, a beekeeper, arranges, with the politically savvy Friar Lorenzo, for her to be the wet-nurse for the newborn Cappalletti daughter, Juliet. As the inevitable bond between babe and wet-nurse grows, we are drawn into the protected world of the ultra wealthy, seen through the eyes of the hardworking, no-nonsense but good-humored nurse. Also remarkable is the strong relationship between the nurse and her steadfast husband (in marked contrast to the stiff Cappallettis), who uses his beekeeper trade to gain access to the Cappalletti gardens and his beloved wife. The characters from Shakespeare's work become presentâLord and Lady Cappalletti, Tybalt and Mercutio, Rosaline, and the ill-fated Romeoâand Leveen adds rich new layers to the story we know so well.

In Shakespeare's play, all we know of the world's most famous star-crossed lovers happens over a period of five days. Lois Leveen's imaginative retelling covers all the years before--from the nurse's point of view. Nicola Barber delights with her full-bodied, earthy performance of Angelica and her lusty husband, Pietro. When Angelica's baby daughter dies in childbirth, Friar Lorenzo helps her become live-in wet nurse to the Cappaletta's newborn girl. Angelica becomes irrationally devoted to Juliet, convinced that she's truly her baby, switched at birth. Barber portrays aged Lord Cappaletta's disappointment at not having a son and is convincing as Lady Cappaletta is driven to the edge of madness. She handles Elizabethan morés, beekeeping secrets, and hot-blooded teens engaged in an ancient feud with quicksilver vocal shifts. Wonderful listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine