Folger Book Club
Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
Our September selection offers a very different perspective on Romeo and Juliet.
Booking and details
Coming SoonDates Thu, Sep 3, 2026, 6:30pm
Venue Virtual - on Zoom
Tickets Free, Registration required
Duration 6:30pm - 8:00pm (ET)
Registration opens Tue, Aug 18 at 4 PM, with early access for members beginning at 10 AM.
Our September 2026 pick is Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons.
About Fair Rosaline
Was the greatest ever love story a lie?
The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love. Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo’s attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life.
Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her. She breaks off the match, only for Romeo’s gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realizes that it is not only Juliet’s reputation at stake, but her life. With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way?
Shattering everything we thought we knew about Romeo and Juliet, Fair Rosaline is the spellbinding prequel to Shakespeare’s best known tale, which exposes Romeo as a predator with a long history of pursuing much younger girls. Bold, lyrical, and chillingly relevant, Fair Rosaline reveals the dark subtext of the timeless story of star-crossed lovers: it’s a feminist revision that will enthrall readers of bestselling literary retellings such as Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese.
About the Book Club
Our informal Book Club is free and open to all. Our picks range from historical fiction to adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, encompassing a wide variety of genres.
Each session begins with a guest speaker exploring that month’s pick and highlighting items from the Folger collection related to the novel. After the short presentation, participants will be broken into smaller groups for breakout discussions, moderated by a team of staff and volunteers.
Why did we choose this book?
The Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection explores not only Shakespeare’s life and works, but also the plays’ historical context, source material, critical and performance histories, and the ways in which they inspire and are adapted by contemporary novelists.
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s most iconic love story, but how much do we really know about these lovers? Solomons imagines a different perspective on the star-crossed couple and gives voice to a character we only hear referenced in the tragedy—Rosaline, the original object of Romeo’s affection.
Critical reception for Fair Rosaline:
“entertaining and empowering”—Publisher’s Weekly
“a spellbinding, creatively crafted book [. . . ] Solomons’ assured and courageous handling of perhaps the world’s best known tale is simply incredible.” — Rebecca Munroe, Book Reporter
Content transparency
Fair Rosaline includes potentially sensitive subjects. Expand below for a full list of content (includes spoilers).
- Adult/minor relationship
- Toxic relationship
- Death of parent
- Gaslighting
- Sexual content
- Miscarriage
- Self-harm
Guest speaker
Ellie Milne
Cut, Click, Copy, Keep: Fashioning Melancholic Girlhood in the Afterlives of Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroines
2026-27 Folger Institute Fellow
Support the Folger
Fall Folger Book Club selections are now available online and in-person through the Folger Shop!
Click below to purchase your copy of Fair Rosaline online or come visit us at 201 East Capitol St SE during our opening hours.
You can also choose to support your favorite local bookstore through Bookshop.org or Libro.fm.