HarperCollins The Villa in Italy: Escape to the Italian Sun with This Captivating, Page-Turning Mystery

uno dei più bei libri che abbia letto negli ultimi anni, non riuscivo a metterlo giù

Set in the 1950s ‘The Villa in Italy’ focuses on four main protagonists: Delia, a professional opera singer who is having doubts about her career; Lucius, an American banker who’d rather be an artist; George, a scientist, part of a team that created the atom bomb and now suffering from intense guilt about his involvement after the destruction caused by its use; and Marjorie, a writer of murder mystery stories who is suffering from writer’s block - all four of whom do not know each other and all four of whom have been summoned to the Villa Dante at the request of the late Beatrice Malaspina , a very wealthy and rather mysterious woman, unknown to any of them. Aware that it would be in their interests to comply with Beatrice’s request, the four of them arrive in Italy and take up residence at the Villa Dante, Beatrice's beautiful house overlooking the sea, where they are informed by Beatrice’s solicitor that they will each receive a bequest providing they find the codicil to her will within thirty days. Why there should be a codicil and why the four have to discover it for themselves is not revealed to our legatees, but during the following days and weeks - in which each of them undergo some sort of catharsis - they learn why Beatrice chose to act in this unusual manner. An easy and pleasant story with some interesting characters and some interesting dilemmas for them to solve, but I have to say that although there were some darker aspects to this story, I didn't feel the author looked at these deeply enough; I also felt that parts of the story - especially towards the end where a surprising number of unexpected characters arrive at the villa and reveal all sorts of secrets and previously unknown information - rather unconvincing and almost comically overdone in places. That said, if not taken too seriously, there is quite a lot to enjoy here - especially the author’s descriptions of the villa with its medieval tower and its fountains and frescoes, and for an undemanding summertime read this worked rather well; I read it during the current heatwave in the garden under an umbrella - which, apart from being in Italy itself, was just the place to read it. 3 Stars.

The magical effect on four strangers brought together for a month in Italy is a theme previously explored by Elizabeth von Arnim in `The Enchanted April'. The reasons for their being in Italy differ, but the spell cast, and the effect on troubled lives, is similar. In `The Villa in Italy', the contrast with post-war austerity makes the month in the villa all the more magical. Whilst I first read `The Enchanted April' many years ago and have since re-read it, I would not bother to re-read `The Villa in Italy'. Even so, it is not without merit. It is an intriguing puzzle that revolves around the will of the late Beatrice Malaspina who, strong-minded while living, dominates the story even from the grave. The legatees hail from disparate backgrounds. They had never met their benefactress and had no idea why they were named in her will. Apart from loose hints and a tenuous link with George, an atomic physicist who knew Beatrice Malaspina's daughter, there are few clues as to why they have been selected or how the old lady knew so much about them. Then all is revealed in a rush in the final pages. At times the story felt far-fetched and unreal, but what spoilt it for me was the style. Much of the dialogue seemed unnatural (it would sound worse, no doubt, if read aloud), and elsewhere the text was awkward and stilted. The language needed tightening to remove superfluous words and unnecessary adjectives. For all that, it's a pleasant enough read if you fancy something light and unchallenging, but you're not missing much if you give it a miss.

Having read The Frozen Lake I was keen to read another of Elizabeth Edmondson's novels and have not been disappointed. Four strangers collect at the Italian home of the late Beatrice Malaspina, drawn there by a legacy to each of them which they can only claim if they can find a codicil to her will. None of them knew the deceased, and their gradual discovery, first about their own lives, and then about how they are connected with her, is a fascinating and wonderfully written tale. Ms Edmonson perfectly captures the sense of peace and calm that they all find at the villa, and I found it hard to put down. Little of the outcome can be guessed at, and if I have a tiny complaint it is that so much is unravelled in the final few pages, and I wanted a few more to find out how they all settled after discovering the truth. Though perhaps it was just that I didn't want the book to end. I am a big fan of her writing style and look forward to reading more by her. Many books I purchase get passed on or given to the charity bins, but this is one to put back on the shelf to be enjoyed again sometime. Highly recommended if you like Rosamund Pilcher, Michelle Pavey.

This was onother book that sat on my bookshelf for a couple of months, because I bought it to fill an order to get free P&P (when free P&P was £15) and thought it would be a romantic type book aimed at women. In a way it is, but that would not be to say that men shouldn't read it too. Four people who do not know each other are invited to a villa in Italy by someone they have never heard of, in order to find out if they have benefited from the last will & testament left by the person who invited them. To go any further would spoil the plot, sufficed to say it is a very engrossing read and one that only took me two days to finish. This is one of those novels that you will keep remembering and if, like me, you give your books away after you have read them, you will find yourself buying another copy so that you can read it again. I, for one, would be really interested in a sequel which told of their lives in Italy after the first book ended. Other books I would recommend are: The Time Traveler's Wife The Secret Life of Bees The Forgotten Garden The Savage Garden Crow Lake