Although it could have been stereotypical-- more girl is disappointed with first love...Girl runs away to "be alone" and "discover herself"...Girl meets boy and boy's father...Girl is looking for her father...Girl looks for happiness in the land (and house) of her childhood...Girl falls in love--Adler manages to avoid the hackneyed and gives us a character with some depth, and a love story with a bit of mystery.
Lamour Harrington, a recent widow and certified landscape architect returns to the house where she grew up with her less than orthodox and now dead father, a famous author. She intends to restore the old house and find happiness being independent. She also wants to find out "the rest of the story" surrounding the meager facts she has been given about her father's death. Was his death an accident? Was he murdered? What really happened and why won't anybody talk about it?
She doesn't figure on Italian men, and their perception that "independent woman" is an oxymoron. Her romanticized memories of the past are not meshing with the realities of today, and her struggles to achieve her dreams provide the reader with a lovely warm and fuzzy read when something not too heavy is called for.
Adler's descriptions of the Amalfi coast area and her discussion of Italian cuisine always rate high with me, and her portrayal of the emotional roller-coaster ride of the main character is equally satisfying. The audio version is well-done by Carrington MacDuffie. I was able to follow the book easily as I sat outside in the beautiful Maine summer working on my needlework. As I said, a wonderful way to start the summer wrap-up.
Author: Elizabeth Adler
Publisher-Format: BBC Audio Books America, 2006, 9 hrs
Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie
Subject: Finding love in one's roots
Setting: Amalfi Coast of Italy
Genre: Chick-lit, romance
Source: Public library audio download
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Hopefully, in October, I will actually get to see the Amalfi coast. Perhaps I need to listen to this one first..to get me in the right mood...
ReplyDeleteoh Caite, I so envy you....it will be a perfect time of the year to visit paradise on earth.
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