The Italian Matchmaker

by Santa Montefiore

Book Overview

Gianluca has to admit his life is empty. His marriage is over and he barely knows his young daughters. In search of serenity and a deeper purpose to his existence, he flees to Italy, to the magical... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1471133680
• ISBN13: 9781471133688
• Release Date: January 2015
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Romance, ghosts and ripe fruit in Italy

Luca, a half-Italian, rich banker has been through a painful divorce and has decided to take stock of his life. He decides to leave the City behind and, at the suggestion of a friend (and, inevitably, ex-lover) he decides to take off for the summer to visit his parents who have, fortuitously, recently renovated an old palazzo in the sadly fictitious Incantellaria on the Amalfi coast. Here, his parents live with a rich assortment of eccentric friends in residence, including a pet pig. Before we go on, there are some things I have forgotten to tell you about Luca - not only is he rich, but he is `devilishly handsome'. Oh, and he has a long-suppressed ability to see spirits (the ghostly kind, not the gin variety). This comes in handy since the palazzo is reputedly haunted and he soon falls under the spell of a Latin beauty in mourning for her drowned son, whose spirit only Luca can see. Yes, we are in the world of romantic fiction full of ruggedly handsome men and Latin ladies who are 'as voluptuous as a ripe peach`. It's fabulous escapism and `'The Italian Matchmaker'` is well-written enough with a story that cracks on at a terrific pace, which it's best just to relax into and enjoy the ride. OK, so the characters are thinner than a slice of Palma Ham, and the story isn't the most likely you will come across, but Santa Montefiore knows how to create exotic atmosphere and how to keep the reader wanting more. What makes this book stand out from the crowd of romantic novels is the added spice of the supernatural. The author claims to have seen spirits `on and off' throughout her life - but whether you believe in ghosts or not, there's no doubt that it adds spice and mystery to the story and it's a largely successful combination as Luca discovers the secrets of the palazzo and gets closer to what he really wants in life. The palazzo was formerly the home of an Italian Marchese who, during the war, had a relationship with a young girl of the town(Valentina) and spent romantic nights with her in a folly which he had built in the grounds - which the new owners have not disturbed. When he discovered that the girl was having other affairs and threatening to run off to London to get married, he murdered her. The family, in good Italian style, subsequently took their lethal revenge on the Marchese. Various generations of the family of the unfortunate girl (including Luca's love interest) still run the local trattoria and stories abound in the town as to whether the palazzo is haunted. And who continually disturbs the bedding, Goldilocks-style, in the folly? Fans of Santa Montefiore may recognise many of the characters from her earlier book `'Last Voyage of the Valentina'`, which deals with some of the back-story. I had not read that earlier book and this in no way detracted from my enjoyment of `'The Italian Matchmaker'`, although when I discovered this in hindsight, it did make me think that maybe some of the characters mentioned may mean more to readers