Long Way Home

by Wendy Markham and Wendy Corsi Staub

New in the Friends romance seriesWhen it comes to matters of the heart, you can always trust your friends...Cira Valentino came to America with her best friend Lucia, eager to build a new life--and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515124400
• ISBN13: 9780515124408
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Jove Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A Gentle Story

Ciro Valentino was ready to start her new life in America with her family when due to a mistake, she is turned away at Ellis Island and forced to return to Europe.While trying to find her best friend, Lucia, she runs into trouble and is rescued by Thatcher Montgomery, an American who is traveling in Europe. She finds Lucia but then when she and Lucia are ready to go to America, Thatcher rescues her again. Lucia has a steerage ticket but Ciro has no money and is going to go as a stowaway. Thatcher finds out and pays for a first class ticket for her.Ciro, Lucia and Thatcher travel on the same ship to New York. Thatcher and Ciro fall in love but he is forced by family obligations to deny it to himself. Then Ciro finds her life taking a totally new direction and she too has to deny her true feelings.This is a gentle story for a quiet day while two lovers find their way to each other.

Very entertaining historical romance

She knows that her heart will never heal as Cira Valentino accompanies her family to America. Her beloved Renzo Passerella remains behind in Fiorenza, Italy. Across the vast ocean, Cira constantly cried. On Ellis Island, the immigration officer looked at Cira's red eyes and concluded she suffered from a contagious disease and refuses to allow her entry into the country. Instead, the customs official deports Cira back to Italy. In Italy, wealthy American traveler Thatcher Montgomery rescues Cira from the unwanted advances of another individual. He escorts her back to her village where he plans to pick up a sculpture. At home, she finds one can never return as Renzo sleeps with another woman and no one else offers her help except the American. As the pair begins to fall in love, they sail the Atlantic back to America. However, he is upper class and she is a simple peasant, making a permanent relationship impossible. LONG WAY HOME is a warm historical romance that brings to life an era when class distinction still permeated most of western society. The story line is enjoyable as readers gain a taste of Ellis Island from a different perspective and observe an Italy from the lower class point of view. Cira and Thatcher make a beautiful star-crossed duo whose love seems very strong but still not powerful enough (or is it?) to overcome their backgrounds. Wendy Corsi Staub's story cleverly centers on a twist to Tom Wolfe's saying "you can never go home again" unless one recognizes that their true home is inside the heart.Harriet Klausner