Posted by Jen B. and Ann G.
Ann suggests:
Many of us have a literary character who we long to meet in real life. Mine has changed over time—my first was Harriet the Spy (I wanted to read her secret notebooks). In Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman, we hear from the people who feel this way about Shakespeare’s tragic heroine, Juliet. In fact, they’ve been writing to her for upwards of a century, while a devoted band of volunteers, Juliet’s secretary as it were, answer the letters. And these letters are heartfelt—full of confession, and longing, and even passion. They come from all over the world, and each correspondent gets a reply. Seventy-five of these are reproduced here, in a touching testament to the power of literature. Reading this collection almost feels like reading someone’s secret notebook, but in a good way.
And, if you like this book, you may also enjoy the movie of the same name that takes off from this premise, imagining what would happen if one of us answered a letter to Juliet, and then met the letter writer. It could be life-changing! In fact, the Juliet Club, which still answers the letters in real life, takes volunteer letter writers (although they have to live in or near Verona, Italy). Here is their website, and the job description: “The voluntary service experience at Juliet’s Club is open to male and females candidates (> 18 years old). Preference will be given, though, to candidates with backgrounds in foreign languages, psychology, sociology, literature and journalism. Fluent written English is a must. Particularly welcome are skills like psychology, creativity and empathy, meaning the ability to transmit messages of love and hope on behalf of Juliet.” Might be a fun summer job…
Jen suggests:
Others of us long to meet (and impress) our favorite author – to bask in their creative energy and have long, meaningful conversations. Or perhaps we’d strike up a correspondence and arrange to meet someday on the Riviera or in Rome. In That Part Was True, by Deborah McKinlay, an American thriller writer (Jackson Cooper) and an avid reader in England (Eve Petworth) discover the pleasures of a long-distance, old-fashioned friendship by letter after Eve writes fan mail and Jackson enthusiastically responds. And in the way of perfect romances by mail, they exchange favorite recipes, discuss writing and finally Jackson suggests they meet in Paris. But like all social media, letters can be vehicles for fluffing up one’s positive – or nonexistent – qualities and downplaying – or neglecting altogether – one’s negative attributes. For instance, Eve doesn’t know Jackson is dating a lovely but cold younger woman: Jackson doesn’t know Eve suffers from agoraphobia. The part that’s true in their letters is their genuine yearning for connection. In McKinlay’s novel, Juliet’s tragedy has already occurred offstage and her new Romeo has arrived!
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