6 January 2016

Review #312: The Italian Girl by Lucinda Riley




My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“We accept the love we think we deserve.”


----Stephen Chbosky



Lucinda Riley, the New York Times best-selling author, has penned an enchanting tale of love and betrayal in her book, The Italian Girl , that unfolds the story of a young girl falling in love in the backdrop of Naples surrounded by beautiful music and opera that runs through a decade to show the readers how the lovers are torn up as well as brought together by destiny and lies.







Synopsis:

Rosanna Menici is just eleven years old when she meets Roberto Rossini, the man who will change her life forever. In the years to come, their destinies are bound together by their extraordinary talents as opera singers and by their enduring but obsessive love for each other - a love that will ultimately affect the lives of all those closest to them. For, as Rosanna slowly discovers, their union is haunted by powerful secrets from the past .


Rosanna Menici, an 11-year old Italian girl, living in a picturesque town in Naples along with her family who ran a small café, fell hard in love with Roberto Rossini, a native opera student. They fall for each other in the first sight. Soon Rosanna's talent for music gets accredited when she wins a scholarship to the music school, La Scala in Milan, thus opening the door to the world of opera where she along with Roberto performs in some of the world's prestigious opera stages. But their love story is not only connected by fate but is also dominated by betrayal, family past-secrets and lies. Can they keep their love and passion for music as well as for one another alive over challenges on their way?

This book was previously published as Aria in 1996 under author's pen name, Lucinda Edmonds, and has now been re-written and re-published as The Italian Girl. Having previously read Riley's book, The Seven Sisters, I'm quite a fan of her writing style which is exquisite. Her carefully chosen words as well as her pouring emotions made the story passionate and completely romantic, so if you've have fallen recently in love, then this book will sync as per your emotions. The story pulls the readers into it's very depth right from the very beginning, and won't allow to look away from it till the very end.

The main character is very well-developed who is constantly evolving through out the story. Rosanna, driven by passion for opera, at a tender age, is seen embracing her success as well as nurturing her career while performing all over the world. But when Roberto re-enters her life, she is seen making sacrifices for her love and how she gets entangled in the obsessive nature of her love for Roberto thus making her weak as an ambitious woman. The supporting cast is also quiet well-developed and are in perfect tune with the story.

What really took my breath away from this story is the setting which is sprawled across a vast horizon of Naples, to a quaint English village to the shimmering opera stages around the world. This book, in short, is not only entertaining but also poignant. And if you're a big romantic stories fan, then this book is perfect for you which will not only bring a tear in your eyes but will also blossom your heart.

Verdict: A perfect contemporary book for the summers.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Lucinda Riley, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her book.

Read the review of Riley's The Seven Sisters here
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Author Info:
Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and during her childhood traveled extensively abroad, particularly to the Far East to visit her father.

Moving to London she became an actress working in film, theatre and television. Five years ago she designed and built a house on the island of Koh Chang in Thailand, where her father had purchased land many years before. Her passion for history combined with her love of travel, and Thailand in particular, inspired her to write her novel Hothouse Flower, published by Penguin in November 2010.

She currently lives in Norfolk and France with her husband and four children.  

Visit her here


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