Coffee Letter #029: My Romeo & Juliet High
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…
On Monday I went to see Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet and it only reminded me of how much I love this damn bloody eternal story that is so cliché yet it still has such a hold on us as species, as humans, because really, isn’t love everything?
To be honest I wasn’t always a big fan of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. I was bored of it and considered it outdated (and obviously such a huge cliché) before I even read it properly (I did actually read one of those retellings in novel form for preteens, which is probably what made it so banal). I was quite the nihilist as a teen so love did not matter, naturally — or so the teen me liked to believe about herself. She was not like other girls, dear readers.
Ten years ago I attempted to read all of Shakespeare’s works in a year — I even had a daily schedule (similar to this one) and that’s when I read the actual play for the first time. I couldn’t believe how much I liked it, but it was also in contrast with the previous play read, which was Othello, and more so it was about the language — one play I read in Romanian, the other in English.
Then one dark and gloomy day during the pandemic I reread the play and I fell utterly in love with it. This is my second review on GR:
The second time I enjoyed it even more! The language is particularly beautiful and the sexual jokes are plenty. Loved it!
I don’t know why the second read sparked such an obsession — I even named one of my cats Julieta because she had a lot of suitors coming at our window to woo her.
I was enthralled by it. I was seeing it everywhere, because quite frankly, it is everywhere (as it should be). I watched Broadway plays, I listened to a bilingual audioplay (Romeo y Julieta), and naturally, I watched Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968), which sparked a whole new wave of my infatuation with the story.
Last year I finally watched Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) which retains the original dialogue but in a modern setting and is to this day one of my favourite films.
I want to say I love this story because of the political tensions and all the drama — and at first I did, because I still had my issues with being a girl who, goddess forbid, likes romance, but honestly, what I look forward the most when it comes to Romeo and Juliet is that first-love giddiness, that incredible teenage feeling that everything is life or death, that not seeing him or her means the end of the world. Literally! And this translated really well in the ballet too. The ballet was extraordinary, btw — the costumes, the decor, the lights, and of course, the music.
Naturally the play can be read through a cynical lens and Romeo can be bashed for how quickly he switches his infatuation from Rosaline to her cousin, Juliet. But isn’t that the essence of teenagehood? We can’t expect them to act like fully-fledged adults (this is not scientology). The impulsive decisions they make are an integral part of those heightened teenage emotions, that intensity with which they live because their brains are not yet fully developed and they have no experience, and honestly, I find that beautiful. Which is why I still get excited to relive those times through literature or films. Plus, I’m also a sucker for the miscommunication trope.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
~ read
A few letters ago I was telling you about a fun cowboy romance series and how excited I was to get to the third book (Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage) because it was about a couple who hated each other and I was sure the banter would be priceless. I was wrong. Imagine the disappointment…
On the bright side, in the past couple of weeks I did finish two more books from the International Booker Prize shortlist aaaaand some fun mangas and graphic novels:
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre. This book follows a peculiar friendship — or more like it follows the Narrator as he is reminiscing about his friend and their weird back and forth relationship. It’s somewhat experimental and playful.
I'm not yet sure how I feel about this book. I was quite bored while reading it, which almost never happens, but I also can't say I did not enjoy it? There were parts of it I really connected with, and at times I really really liked the writing. But I found myself questioning my opinions: am I influenced because it’s on the shortlist? am I bored because I’m on vacation and I just don’t have the mental space to fully grasp this book? am I asking too many questions? am I overthinking this?
I gave it a few days and I'm weirdly still not sure about it. The main thing is I couldn't connect with the story (or rather the structure of it) or the writing style for that matter, and that automatically makes me have a hard time with the book overall. But there were some things the book touched upon that I quite liked — the nature of other people, the idea that others have a whole other life we are not privy to and coming to terms with that.
I also chatted with other readers and they felt similarly — except for Jack Edwards who absolutely adored it and that made me question it again.
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. This book is a snapshot of an entire generation. It follows a millennial expat couple that lives in Berlin but really, it could be anyone’s Instagram feed and you wouldn’t even know it. Reality check much?
What I find very fascinating about this little blue gem is that there isn't much of a plot, but the text also doesn't allow us to get too close or to even get to know the characters. Or maybe there isn't anything meaningful about these characters because they represent a generation rather than a particular Tom and Anna (even their names are so devoid of personality).
Look, I probably would've been mad about this book if it weren't written by a fellow millennial, but alas, Latronico is just presenting a social satire and a realistic critique of its own generation.
There's notes on globalization and social media and materialism, but just like our characters, the book doesn't go below the surface. That did not stop me from highlighting full paragraphs of it or for taking a deeper look at my own life as a millennial.
I got two new mangas for review and they were a lot of fun:
Dra-Q, vol 1-2 by Chiyo. This is a horror romance with vampires. It follows Amelie Kurosaki who looks just like a normal teenager who has a secret crush on a boy, but vampires are not allowed to fall for humans. Star-crossed lovers, very much on the theme of this week’s letter.
It was a lot of fun. I love how strangely cinematic the art style was. The story is rather simple, but I really enjoyed the mix of camp with gore. It's not extremely original, but it has all the elements I like in a vampire romance. It's dark, but cute. The characters are introduced nicely and the first volume managed to open my appetite for more — so I read the second one too, which adds more layers to the story.
Love on the Horizon, vol 1 by Machi Yamashita. This is a fluffy yaoi manga about two college boys growing closer and closer and coming to terms with their feelings. It’s very simple, and not very dramatic. There’s a lot of pining, doubts and angst, plus it has that first-love tingling feeling which we have already establish that I love to see.
It’s a sweet story and I know it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but sometimes my brain craves these love stories with no stakes, just fluff.
Last but not least, a graphic novel I read for
’s book club (which you can still sign up for the online version):Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim. I made the mistake to read this on the airplane and I was in the tears by the time we were landing. It’s a graphic novel that follows the story of a Korean comfort woman during WWII.
I think graphic novels are a great medium for memoirs or biographies, especially those with a political/historical aspect — and I even wrote my final project in Uni on this subject. Art can be used to express so much more without being too graphic or too in your face about it — which Grass uses really well to tell a story about sexual violence during war without sensationalising it or depicting it per-se on the page. Even so, it's not an easy read by any means.
The landscape panels, the grass and flowers panels were amazing. I think the choice of ink for the art was great and now I'm curious to see the author's other works.
Currently I’m still working my way through the International Booker Prize shortlist and I started my buddy-read of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
~ watch
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), d. Taika Waititi. I missed the film club meeting this month, but I still watched the film — and I’m so glad I did because it’s such a wholesome movie about a foster kid finding his place in the world. It’s cute and heartwarming, but also really funny. Majestical, no notes.
You (2018-2025, TV series). Oh, and of course I watched the final season of my favourite guilty pleasure: You. Why must this serial killer like books so much? Even though it wraps things nicely and it’s quite fun at times, I got a bit bored this time around — maybe too repetitive, maybe too weak, maybe this series was already too long.
~ and other things I did last week
Fruit: Cosmic Crisp apples. Me and my husband have a passion for apples and this year we finally decided to have a spreadsheet for them and test different apples we find while travelling. We discovered the cosmic crisps in Germany, but when I checked the LIDL catalogue upon returning home I was surprised to see them here too!
Other things consumed last week (only video essays):
romanticizing 'millennial optimism' & the 2010s hipster lifestyle?? | Internet Analysis (tiffanyferg - youtube). On theme with Latronico’s Perfection.
The problem with reading for empathy: how we consume stories in an age of performance (withcindy - youtube). Reading doesn’t make you a better person, plus other wise notes from Cindy.
does originality still exist anymore? (Mina Le - youtube). Gorgeous video about originality and our obsession with nostalgia and references. Is that even something new?
What If You’re Not ‘Smart Enough’ to Read the Classics? (Spoiler: You Are) (Lady of the Library - youtube). I loved this video because it’s a subject I see around me a lot — a lot of smart people I know are intimidated by classics and they shouldn’t be. Even I feel a bit intimated by James Joyce (the plan is to read Ulysses next month) but I do have this careless attitude around books where I don’t expect them to teach me everything and I also don’t expect myself to understand everything.
When Shakespeare Got Cool (Broey Deschanel - youtube). To end on a Shakespeare note, this time focused on the modern film adaptations.
If you still find yourself intimidated by classics or Shakespeare, I really recommend the CrashCourse videos on Romeo and Juliet: Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting and Love or Lust? — these videos that I watched a decade ago helped me give Shakepeare a chance.
Thank you for reading and GO VOTE this coming Sunday!