"Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio, retold across the centuries"
Call Me But Love
By: Tracy Rowan
Genres: Romance LGBTQ
Posted: December 22, 2013
CALL ME BUT LOVE then moves to London in 1889 as young Romeo, scion of a banking house, eyes pretty unformed maiden Juliet at a ball, thinking, as well-off men of those times did, of the advantage that would come his way if he wed this heiress; and how once she was wedded, bedded and produced an heir he could look elsewhere for amusement. Should he so wish. Mercutio jeers that it's a pity Romeo can't just lie down and earn a title like women, and Romeo retorts, at least I can't be arrested for what I am.
Fast forward to Chicago in 1946, where Rom denies being gay but is thrilled that his friend Matt is coming home from the war. Julie, Rom's wife, is busy raising their baby, but his parents don't really like her somehow. Life gets complicated.... then the story continues with permissive seventeen-year-olds on the Los Angeles music scene in 2012.
This unusual approach to the archetypal story teaches us something about the way love has been regarded over the years and how women and men have valued one another differently at different times. If you love the classic play, you may not want to read this short by Tracy Rowan. But if you want to examine the use of language in different eras and the permission for sexuality to be expressed in different ways at different times, CALL ME BUT LOVE is a convincing, mischievous and tragic read. Rather like Shakespeare intended.
Book Summary
Mercutio is a funny, moody, complex foil for Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but in the four stories presented here, each an independent tale, Mercutio’s love for his friend goes far deeper, always somehow entwined with the fates of Romeo and Juliet.
The first tale sets the trio back in Renaissance Verona, where Mercutio vies for Romeo’s love. Romeo is oblivious, but the love triangle has deadly consequences. Next, we find Romeo and Mercutio in Victorian England. Though Romeo knows Mercutio loves him and returns his passion, he struggles to fit his desires into the strict mores of the day. The third story takes us to post-WWII America, where war-weary Romeo, Juliet, and Mercutio long for the right to love whom they choose. The final story in the collection brings the three characters into contemporary times, a band on a road trip that will change their lives forever.
Read an Excerpt
by: Tracy Rowan
Dreamspinner Press
September 1, 2013
On Sale: August 28, 2013
Featuring: Romeo; Juliet; Mercutio
72 pages
ISBN: 1627980148
EAN: 9781627980142
Kindle: B00ETYS9IS
e-Book