About the Book: A nearly abandoned Italian village, the family that stayed, and long-buried secrets from World War II. On a hilltop in Umbria sits Valetto. Once a thriving village-and a hub of resistance and refuge during World War II-centuries of earthquakes, landslides and the lure of a better life have left it neglected. Only … Continue reading Book Review: Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith
Italy
Book Review: The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
Translated by Ann Goldstein About the Book: The Story of the Lost Child is the concluding volume in the dazzling saga of two women — the brilliant, bookish Elena, and the fiery, uncontainable Lila. Both are now adults, with husbands, lovers, aging parents, and children. Their friendship has been the gravitational center of their lives. Both … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
About the Book: Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its treasures and observing its clandestine workings. But when her older sister dies on the eve of marriage to Alfonso d'Este, ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into … Continue reading Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
#BlogTour #BookReview: Echoes of War by Tania Blanchard
About the Book: Set in Mussolini’s Italy amid great upheaval, this is the story of one woman’s determination to find her place in a world that men are threatening to tear apart. Another heart-rending novel inspired by a true story from Australia's bestselling author of The Girl from Munich. Calabria, Italy, 1936 In a remote … Continue reading #BlogTour #BookReview: Echoes of War by Tania Blanchard
Book Review: Still Life by Sarah Winman
About the Book: 1944, in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, as bombs fall around them, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening. Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner is a sexagenarian art historian and possible spy. She has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the wreckage and … Continue reading Book Review: Still Life by Sarah Winman
Book Review: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay... Translated by Ann Goldstein About the Book: Since the publication of the acclaimed My Brilliant Friend and The Story of A New Name, Elena Ferrante’s reputation has grown enormously. Her novels about the friendship between Lila and Elena, about the mysteries of human relationships, are utterly compelling. In … Continue reading Book Review: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
Book Review: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
The Story of a New Name... Translated by Ann Goldstein About the Book: The Story of a New Name is an extraordinary novel about two young women, Lila and Elena, growing up in Naples in the early 1960s. At sixteen Lila marries the shopkeeper Stefano. She is filled with pleasure at her new wealth, and … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
Book Review: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend... Translated by Ann Goldstein About the Book: My Brilliant Friend is the gripping first volume in Elena Ferrante's widely acclaimed Neapolitan Novels. This exquisitely written quartet creates an unsentimental portrait of female experience, rivalry and friendship never before seen in literature. The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in … Continue reading Book Review: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Book Review: The Sweet Hills Of Florence by Jan Wallace Dickinson
The Sweet Hills Of Florence... About the Book: 1941. Florence, city of strife. It is Hitler’s state visit to Florence and the last of the good times for Mussolini. From now on, he and his lover Clara will cling more closely together, ever more dependent upon each other as their country spirals into civil war … Continue reading Book Review: The Sweet Hills Of Florence by Jan Wallace Dickinson
Book Review: The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence by Alyssa Palombo
The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence... About the Book: In 15th Century Italy, a girl as beautiful as Simonetta Cattaneo never wants for marriage proposals. When Marco Vespucci - a handsome young man, highly favoured by the Medici in Florence - asks for her hand, she eagerly accepts. Even before her wedding is set, Simonetta … Continue reading Book Review: The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence by Alyssa Palombo
Theresa Smith Writes 