The Lost Village- Book Review

 The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti

Publication Date: 16th Nov 2020
Genre: Historical fiction, Women’s fiction

3.9 Stars

“An emotional World War Two historical romance set in Italy”- this is the tagline of the book.

The story deals with Luce (pronounced Lu- Chay), a 43-year-old woman, who goes to Bosconero, a small village in Italy, to trace her roots. With her mother refusing to answer her questions, her 19-year-old son away at Photography School. Separated from her husband for three years, Luce is determined to know why her mother has erased her past.

She meets Matilde on the internet and flies to Italy (from Seattle) to meet her and connect with her Nonna and Uncle. A disastrous earthquake destroys most of the village and the nearby hamlets. There are tragedies and trauma everywhere. Luce is fighting her instincts (and her family) to not run away to safety. Ethan’s sudden entry surprises her in many ways. She needs to know what happened.

What she uncovers has a much bigger effect than she realizes, but can there possibly be a happy ending, even if it bittersweet? What about her future with Ethan? Is there one?

The cover, the blurb, and the setting made the decision for me. I had to read this book. To a great extent, I’m glad I did. The descriptions, the imagery, and details of the setting were vivid and wonderful. Watching David Rocco’s shows explore Italy, I’ve been fascinated by its countryside. I could picturize the villages, the houses, the people, and streets as I read the book.

Some of the characters are well-etched, especially Luce (she is also the narrator), Matilde, Massimo, Angelina (Luce’s mom), and Nonna. Nonna takes the cake for the number of layers she has. Until the end, we are surprised by the turns in her character. She is the core of the plot. She holds it all together, and in a strange way (no spoilers).

Other characters like Carlo and Ethan had more scope, but being women’s fiction, I suppose the focus was more on the ladies. The story goes into flashbacks in between (easy to follow) and gives us more information.

What I liked was the portrayal of Luce after the earthquake. It’s realistic without being dramatic and overwhelming. She simply doesn’t decide she wants to stay. That doesn’t happen, does it? Her internal conflict, her confusion, her anguish, and her desperation are human and true.

The story is paced well but became a bit too rushed towards the end. The actual reveal was immediately followed by another incident that soon flows into the conclusion and an epilogue. I wish this was paced better. As a reader, I’ve been invested in their lives (the writing is very good and flows beautifully) and wanted to let each incident sink into my memory.

A little more breathing space at that place, and I’d have happily given the story a 4.2 or maybe even more. I had high hopes by then. This is the first book by the author I’ve read, but I’ll be reading more for sure. I like the writing style. Luce has a lot of thoughts; she does express them but doesn’t ramble on and on.

There isn’t much about WW II, though it does play its role in the story. The story focuses on the characters, and the effects of war are just one aspect. It’s the humans who make decisions, and that’s the basis of the story.

Being an uncorrected copy, it had a few typos. Nothing that hindered my reading.

Overall, this is a beautiful book, one that touches various topics and ultimately leaves us with a soft smile.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture.

#TheLostVillage #NetGalley

The Open House- Book Review

The Open House by Sam Carrington

Publication Date: 10th Dec 2020
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

3.5 stars

The blurb talks about the open house event (an attempt by the heroine, Amber) to sell the house our heroine, Amber, and her two kids live in. She is separating from Nick, her husband, and plans to relocate to another city to live with her boyfriend, Richard.

So thirteen people enter the house during the event, and only 12 go out. What happens to the 13th person? Are they responsible for the strange occurrences in the house? Are they the same person who will do anything to make sure that the house doesn’t get sold?

Isn’t that an interesting premise? Coupled with the cover picture, I requested the ARC of the book immediately.

Three people narrate the story, with Amber having the maximum share. The other is Barb, her MIL, and the third person is a stranger/ killer(?).

What I Like:

The character development is good. Even if I don’t relate to any of them, I can visualize the characters enact their roles. The author sets up layer after layer of suspense, building it high and high. The narration is steady (even if not seems to be happening at times). There are too many characters. But somehow, all of them contribute in one way or another. I could deduce some and was surprised by others, so that’s balanced.

The chapters are short, which made it a relatively easy read. It’s 384 pages, after all (and no, I wasn’t aware of the page count until later). For me, to touch 100 pages in 70-80 minutes means that the book is a fast-read.

What I Felt Lacking:

The climax wasn’t as impactful as it should be. It ended up more as an info-dump about the past rather than create any lasting effect on the reader. Too much was withheld until the last 20%, where it was unleashed on the reader in rapid succession.

Amber blabbers quite a lot. Yes, she is stressed and under a lot of pressure, but we could do with a little less rambling.

There are a lot of subplots. They are solved and interlinked, but not in a satisfactory manner. The biggest issue is, of course, the ending. It fell flat after all the high hopes. Talking more about it would reveal the story, so no more.

Overall, this is a decent thriller that could have been paced better (in terms of sharing information with the readers). A must-read? Nope.

I got an ARC from NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

#NetGalley #TheOpenHouse

Fatal Intent- Book Review

 Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano

Publication Date: 02nd March 2021
Genre: Medical Thriller/ Suspense

3.9 Stars

Anesthesiologist, Dr. Kate Downey has enough issues to deal with. When the elderly patients who were under the care start to die, she worries how it would affect her already troubled career. As more deaths occur, and Christian, the son of one of the dead man wants to check if there was something sinister, Kate agrees to check the reports with him.

The incidents at the hospital, the hostility from the Chief of Staff, a surgeon, and a medical student begin to push her into a corner. Kate knows she needs to get to the bottom of the issue. Together with Christian, Aunt Erm, and a few others, she starts collecting information. 

She gets threats, has to take a leave of absence, and almost loses her life. With her husband, Greg, lying in a coma for a year with no signs of improvement, Kate has a lot to lose. How she gathers evidence, fights the killer, and finally comes to terms with some things in her life forms the story.

The book starts on a slow note, and with so many characters being introduced, it gets hard to keep track. But the story picks up speed, and it gets easier to remember the characters. Not all of them are important, so it’s easy once we get into the story.

The narration slows down and picks up at the appropriate places, making the story quite intriguing and engaging. While the readers know who the killer is and even probably why the way the climax was handled was very good. There is action, enough of it to keep us reading page after page without taking a break.

Some of the characters felt unidimensional as if that’s all they could do. It did bring down the interest a little. However, Aunt Irm gets our attention. The way her mind works, and how she expresses it makes her a strong and sensible character. While Kate is hesitant, cautious, and wondering, Aunt Irm doesn’t hesitate or stall. She is straightforward and better at connecting the dots.

The theme deals with Religion and God, but the author handled it deftly without overemphasizing, taking sides, or preaching. This balance works well for the book.

Overall, the story needs some patience and determination to read the first 20%. But stick around, and you’ll enjoy a good medical thriller (even if some of it is too complex for non-medics to understand).

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing. 

#FatalIntent #NetGalley