A New Version of the Story

During the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading the book “Saving Juliet” by Suzanne Selfors. Here is a summary of what it’s about:

Mimi Wallingford is a sixteen year old girl whose life revolve around her mother’s dream of her becoming an actress. But after deciding that she is tired of learning lines and performing in a stage, Mimi and a famous star named Troy, are magically transported to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Verona, thanks to a special quill she got from her aunt. The two teenagers meet Romeo, Juliet, Benvolio, Friar Francis and many other characters from the play, but start to change the story that was originally written. Mimi and Troy realize that they are the ones writing the play since their arrival, and to get back home, they must reach the end. After an elaborated plan and major events, the actors return to Manhattan and decide they are going to choose their own destiny.

Quote 1

“Two daughters, both alike in dignity, forced down paths of their mothers’ choosing. I had never realized the similarity between Juliet’s and my plight. It made perfect sense that my subconscious had selected this story for my dreamworld.” (Selfors, 82)

After acting as Juliet for such a long time, Mimi becomes tired of “Romeo and Juliet” and the character she plays. But when she arrives to Verona, enters the Capulet house and meets Juliet in person, she realizes she underestimated the girl she, at the beginning, only saw as desperate and lovesick. This quote shows how Mimi discovers that Juliet shares the same problem as her: a controlling mother. They both want to be the ones to decide what to do in their life. I think this scene is very valuable because it teaches us that we can’t judge other people before we meet them; they can end up being the person we didn’t expected. Things always happen for a reason, and in Mimi’s case, she ends up in fictional world to understand that she must be the one to decide her future.

Quote 2

“Every person has a right to be unhappy, to suffer in peace without someone else telling her that she is acting like a spoiled brat. Without a certain someone telling her constantly that her life is the stuff that everyone else dreams about. Happiness is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.” (117)

When I read this quote, I realized that it has a very deep message. My first thought was what that the statement Mimi makes is true: everyone has the right to be unhappy without anyone questioning him or her. I think that the lesson the author tries to teach with this is that people have to be left to decide on their own if they want to be sad. In some occasions, it’s hard for people to think positively and have a simile on their face. That’s why others shouldn’t intervene negatively in that people’s feelings; they should try to help them and make them feel better, not worse.

Conclusion

I have really enjoyed to read “Saving Juliet” by Suzanne Selfors over the past few weeks. I would definitely recommend it for girls ages 12 and up because it’s a book full with adventure, suspense and love (which I guess some boys wouldn’t like)! The author uses a good language, includes elements from our modern world, achieves her book to make sense, and shares many valuable messages in her writing. In my point of view, it’s important for writers to have these elements to create a great book. It’s always fun to read a book like this one! I hope you liked my blog about this crazy adventure as much as I liked to read it.

 To conclude this blog post, I would like to share this quote that I learned while watching a movie. Throughout the book, I've thought about this quote and connected it to the parts when the characters aren't thinking positively about their life but then look forward.