20 June 2008

The House in Amalfi, Elizabeth Adler

While I enjoyed this book, it had a lot of false moments for me.

Basic story is two years after her husband's death Lamour is still in mourning. Her best friend decides its time to tell her that hubby darling was having an affair and planning to leave her when he died. This triggers a reaction in Lamour to find out how her father died in Italy some 20 years previously. This was the first false note for me - I didn't get the connection. She heads off to Italy to the house her father lived in, which has been completely untouched since his death. This was the 2nd false note - 20 years later and his papers and diary and the even the house itself are actually still in tact? The story then follows her attempts to find out the truth.

It was an afternoon lost in Italy, but it wasn't a great story, in my opinion. I think author's often understate the impact of time. Twenty years is a LONG time. Yet Lamour can find her way all over the country side without any trouble, which she appears to only have visited for a couple of months as a 7 year old; people she knew over 20 years ago are still handily about; her memories are crystal clear. Maybe its just me, but I'm pushing to remember anything from 20 years ago; let alone people's names that I met only once or twice.

I'd give this book about a four.

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