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
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