⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. The eloquent writing created evocative images of Italy, Lillian, and the Italians that crossed paths with her.

It is 1966 and newly widowed Lillian Rutherford sets out on a trip to Venice to look for her wayward son, Andrew. Along the way she uncovers secrets that Andrew has been keeping from her, meets an Italian prince and falls in love, and discovers that her life is so much bigger than before.

MY THOUGHTS

First off, this isn’t a true romance novel. But love is very much present in its different ways. Mostly it is about a mother’s love that takes many knocks, but keeps on going.

Lillian’s world is upside down. She misses her husband. Her daughter and her family live very far away. And she realizes that she doesn’t know her son as well as the thought she did. When Lillian sets out to find Andrew, she is thrown into a world that she is completely unprepared for. But she handles everything with grace and aplomb. Lillian is a truly amazing character. It is also very refreshing to read a story from the viewpoint of a fifty-something woman. All the characters are very well-defined and each one brings something different to the story.

It’s a bit slow and long-winded in some spots, but despite this I was intrigued and wanted to know what was going to happen next. The book highlights the attitudes that used to exist about homosexuality (and probably still do to a lesser extent), but it is presented in a very matter-of-fact way and the reader is left to form their own opinion about the situation. I think Lillian’s struggle with this aspect of her son’s life was handled very well.

This quote from the book best describes Lillian’s feelings towards Massimo: “Against all her upbringing and her best instincts she was enjoying his company more than that of anyone she could think of in Hastings.”

The detailed descriptions of Venice interspersed with Lillian’s memories of her honeymoon there brought the city to life. The ending was unexpected, but completely true to the nature of the characters.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Sensuality Rating: Subtle