Summer of the Villa Rosa

by Nicky Pellegrino

Book Overview

Raffaella Moretti, by far the most beautiful girl in the southern Italian town of Triento, is about to marry the only boy she has ever loved. It seems that nothing but happiness lies in store for her. Yet, just one year later, she is a widow, and has taken a job as housekeeper in the Villa Rosa, working for a young American.

As Raffaella struggles to recapture her lost happiness she starts looking for ways to help those around her to do...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 075289322X
• ISBN13: 9780752893228
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Orion
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A bittersweet story

"Summer at the Villa Rosa" is a bittersweet tale about life and love in a small coastal village in the south of Italy. Raffaella Moretti's life turns tragic when her beloved husband of one year dies of cancer. Her in-laws all blame her and the town gossip is that she slowly killed him. In the meantime, the village priests want to erect a gigantic statue of Christ on the mountain behind the town and Raffaella's father and his fellow fishermen are against the plan. Her life becomes even more complicated when she is hired as a housekeeper at the Villa Rosa estate for the American engineer hired to erect the statue. I enjoyed everything about this book; the settings, the interplay between the characters and the fact that it didn't just have a fairy tale ending. It even offers you a little insight into life in general. Whether you're having a day at the beach or an evening in front of a fireplace, it's an easy and enjoyable read.

Totally Delicious

I loved Nicky Pellegrino's first book, Delicious, and so approached this one with a certain amount of trepidation (second book syndrome and all). But it is FABULOUS. Even better, dare I day it, than Delicious. Nicky has obviously spent a lot of time in Southern Italy as the sights, sounds and above all scents and tastes of the region fill every page. It is a sensory delight and I dare you not to read it without your mouth watering... But - quite apart from that - it is a sensitive and intriguing read, filled with loss, romance, passion and intrigue. Given the covers of her books, you could be lured into thinking they are mere chick-lit - far from it. There is so much to keep you guessing all the way through, but it is never contrived. The ending, also, is imaginative and not remotely cliched. Nicky Pellegrino is an author to savour -and to watch. I can't wait for her next book.