“The kind of place one could not love without effort, and yet, she understood now, the only place on the face of the whole earth that she herself loved.”
A beautiful story of family, love, pain, and miracles. The story takes through three generations. From an abandoned child to his children and grandchildren and the people that they loved.
There was not one minute that I wasn’t interested in Amedeo Esposito, his family, and their life on Castellamare, a five-mile island off the coast of Sicily, so small that your neighbors know things about you before you do.
Amedeo was an orphan, a foundling who was helped along the way in Florence by a caring doctor. He comes to the island in 1914 when he is 40 years old to take the position of island Doctor, but seeking a place he could call home and the life he has longed for. He finds that home and that life when he marries Pina and together they build a family and a business in the cafe/bar The House at the Edge of the Night. But life on the island is not always idyllic. People are not perfect and it is Amedeo himself who creates some scandal on the island. There are wonderful characters you will love, with a couple of exceptions among the inhabitants of Castellamare. A place isolated from the modern world, immune to most of what happened outside of, but not the changing tides in Italy. The outside world creeps in as the sons are called to war.
Because it takes place over several generations, the island is touched by war, famine, and general political unrest but there’s also a bit of magic in the way certain things fall into place for the citizens that make the book a pleasure rather than a harrowing experience.
For a book that includes so many characters and events and such an enormous shift in time, Catherine Banner does an exemplary job of developing everything and not leaving the reader feel like anything was untangled or left unexamined. Because the book is so vast, the reader does not have time to “live with” one main character, but the richness of the story makes up for that.
Delightful, captivating, and decidedly romantic, I loved reading about the life of the Esposito family, as well as the other inhabitants of Castellamara, with its intrigue, feuds, and perpetual gossip.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 3:50 PM
Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart by Marci Jefferson
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 9:59 AM
Set between 1661 and 1688, at the height of the Restoration in Great Britain, the rule of Charles II, the novel is narrated by English noblewoman Frances Stuart. Frances is part of a group of exiled English royalists holed up in France, serving the Queen Mother there while hoping for an invitation to join the court in England. When her great beauty attracts the attention of King Louis XIV, she becomes a pawn in a greater political struggle for power, as both Louis and the Queen Mother essentially ordered her to become mistress to Charles II.
I loved Frances. Though she is subject to the demands of her family and of her king, she is no simpering milksop. She is so poised, so strong, so prescient in her ability to see through any situation to the core that it seems as if she really must have been as Ms. Jefferson portrays her to have been able to capture and hold the estimation of not only her king but her fellow countrymen as well. And since we are privy to her inner thoughts, we get to witness her struggle with balancing the demands on her; we get to witness those private moments when her poise and graciousness fall away, where she’s simply a daughter desperate to protect her family, simply a woman in love caught in a web of political maneuvering that never allows her to throw caution to the wind and reach for her happiness.
The writing and prose are outstanding- no one would ever guess this is Marci Jefferson’s first novel. Events are timely and developed with care and well-researched historical points- plus, the story is so entertaining. There’s no dragging here to get to the essence of what’s going to happen. The story moves flawlessly and keeps you hooked until the very end. I was touched by several parts of this book and particularly enjoyed the fresh take on the characters of some of the other well-known historical figures.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 9:10 AM
Envy by Anna Godbersen
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:48 AM
“He was a mystery to her, and every time she tried to solve him it caused her a little more pain. But when she tired to give him up he pursued her in her thoughts, stronger each time.”
Envy, the third book in Anna Godbersen’s Luxe series, picks up just a couple of months after Book Two left off: Penelope has snagged Henry, Elizabeth is mourning the loss of the love of her life, and Diana’s determined to go on with her own life now that Henry’s unavailable. Mix in former maid Carolina, and several misunderstandings, and you’ve got the stage for intrigue, gossip, and backstabbing that makes this series so wonderful.
Her characters still sit at the top of the world but are now living with the consequences of their choices. Hope for love and personal happiness is swiftly vanishing, along with the cash they all require to continue living their lavish lives. I rooted for Diana and Elizabeth to find happiness in their lives and I felt the anguish at their circumstances. There was so much deception by all the characters and they all eventually suffered the consequences of those deceptions and of their choices. Through the lies, secrets, and scandals, you just want to keep reading and reading!
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:14 AM
Book Wrap Up July
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:39 AM
Lust for Life by Sean-Paul Thomas (✶✶✶✶✶)
A dark, humorous tale of sex, violence, the male psyche, and an unstoppable whirlwind adventure of finding love in the least likely location. The writing is spot on and everything flows so well; I enjoyed every minute. I highly recommend it.
Conclave by Robert Harris (✶✶✶✶)
A work of fiction that gives you a fascinating glimpse into the workings of the Vatican and the politics of choosing a new Pope. Robert Harris is a writer who keeps you turning pages as he weaves his story.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (✶✶✶✶)
An amazing story of a very difficult actual life situation that clearly illustrates how challenging being a parent can be. How the entire family suffers in different ways when they experience a member with a serious illness. Very well-written page-turner which brings its characters to life.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (✶✶✶)
The book tells a tale of a small town in Sweden where hockey is everything, and how a crime committed by a hockey player changes everything for the townspeople. Some might find this fascinating stuff, but I didn't, and I only finished the book to see how it all turned out. I found the book slow to come to its conclusion and painfully redundant.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (✶✶✶)
Grossman can write, and the world he created was intricate and awe-inspiring. But the plot structure was loose and the pacing painful. The descriptions were quality, but there were too many that didn’t move the plot.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
by
Natasa Djordjevic
- 10:13 AM
