The Weight of Words, by Georgina Guthrie, is a delight for lovers of the Bard and romantic fiction. Aubrey Price is a University of Toronto student finishing up her last semester of her undergraduate degree, and striving to graduate with distinction. She is very down to earth and spirited, and works part-time for the Dean of College to make ends meet. Aubrey’s world is shaken up when she encounters the dean’s son, Daniel Grant; a handsome and complex man. There is an instant and palpable attraction. There is one slight problem; Daniel is her TA in her Shakespearean studies course. The university has a rigid anti-fraternizing policy. To further complicate matters, Daniel already has a black mark on his record. What does a woman do when the only man she wants is out of reach? What does a man do when the only woman he desires is off limits?

The Weight of Words is a must-read and a wonderful debut for Georgina Guthrie. It may sound trite, but I was hooked from the first sentence. And the book has yet to let go; even after reading the final page. While The Weight of Words has elicited comparisons to Sylvain Reynard’s brilliant trilogy, Gabriel’s Inferno, make no mistake, Guthrie has an idiosyncratic voice that is distinctly her own. I fell in love with Aubrey and Daniel, and you will too. Audrey is, quite literally, a contradiction in terms. One moment she might be throwing out words like dude, deets, or the occasional F-bomb. The next she is reciting Shakespeare with ease. Guthrie has a knack for channeling the way college students talk, as well as an extensive knowledge of the Bard. In Aubrey, she has created a brilliant, witty, feisty to the core, fiercely independent, young woman. How can you not love that? As for Daniel, move over Mr. Darcy. Gabriel, get thee behind. You gentlemen have some new swooning competition. Daniel is handsome, worldly, a bit of a brooder, but equally as sharp and witty as Aubrey. The chemistry between the two leaps off the pages (Holy, hotness, moly).

The book provides all the passion, angst, humor and sexual tension that any lover of romantic fiction could want. The cast of characters is hilarious and lively. A particular favorite of mine is Penny (Daniel’s brother’s English fiancée). She is ballsy, has no filter, and will leave you in stitches. She’ll teach you some colorful colloquialisms too- cheeky git that she is.

Guthrie also presents Shakespeare in a fun and entertaining way. The reader can’t help but feel the author’s love and appreciation for the Bard. If ole Shakey were alive today, Guthrie’s novel would surely make him even more smitten with the “weight of words”. Who knows, perhaps he had a prophetic vision of her book when he was writing Sonnet 18 😉 Could his beloved have been a novel? Okay, maybe not. But let’s go with it, shall we? I leave you with the Bard words and encourage you to purchase The Weight of Words. Georgina Guthrie is a masterful storyteller with an observant eye, a witty writer that will make you laugh out loud, and an author with a finely tuned sense of emotion and romance. I can’t wait for the next installment in the ongoing romantic adventures and hardships of Daniel and Aubrey.

SONNET 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

You can find Georgina Guthrie on the web at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Georgina-Guthrie/133334970209975
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19139026-the-weight-of-words