Ebook: 396, pages Kindle edition
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction,
Publisher: October 2024 by Bookouture
Source: My Kindle Library via NetGalley
First Sentences: The woman entered the bedroom and pushed open the shutters, welcoming the view of the Tuscan hills.
Setting: Italy
Review Quote: ‘I loved this beautiful book… Glorious… So many emotions!’ Goodreads Reviewer,
My Opinion:
Just last year Anita Chapman had her debut novel The Venice Secret. published. In July of this year The Florence Letter was published and now just a few months later her third 'The Tuscan Diary'
A dual timeline story starting in 1942 and 1993, with the settings in Italy and Yorkshire. The narrative follows the main female protagonists Eleanor and her granddaughter Jessica as they wrestle with love and loss. It is the discovery of a wartime diary that sets Jessica's search for the truth about the past in motion.
In short period of time Anita Chapman has established herself place on my favourite authors list with her delightful stories in Italian settings. Very atmospheric and obviously well researched, this is perfect for Italophiles that enjoy contemporary blended with historical and a story to get immersed in.
It is with thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Anita Chapman that this title was made available for me to read and review.
Previous Reviews: The Venice Secret. The Florence Letter
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
As she gazes at the lights of Siena glowing in the dusk, Jessica flips through the yellowing pages of the diary that led her here. Written by her grandfather during the war, it holds the answers to a family secret that might just change everything…
When Jessica’s grandfather left for war, he promised to keep a record of each day he was apart from her grandmother. The diary was lost along with him – until now, when a mysterious, handsome Italian man named Alessandro shows up at Jessica’s door with the diary in hand.
Immediately enchanted by her grandfather’s accounts of Italy’s glittering golden hours, Jess decides to spend a summer in Tuscany before she’s due to take over at her family’s farm. She hopes she can visit the places her grandfather once did – and finally find out what really happened the night he died…
In the historic city of Siena, she finds a job as companion to the glamorous Sofia – Alessandro’s grandmother – whose stories of Italy during the war are captivating. And as Jess spends more time with Alessandro, she begins to fall for him with each lingering look into his deep-brown eyes.
Together, Jess and Alessandro visit her grandfather’s resting place. But the more Jess learns about her grandfather’s time in Italy, the more she’s forced to question whether everything about her family’s past is a lie…
Jess came to Italy in search of answers, but time is running out. She can’t shake the feeling that the diary that has stolen her imagination is merely a work of fiction. And if it is, will the truth about her family inspire her to turn away from the path she thought she was destined for, and towards the life she truly wants?
Author Profile:
Courtesy of Amazon Profile
Anita Chapman enjoyed writing stories from a young age, and won a local writing competition when she was nine years old. Encouraged by this, she typed up a series of stories about a mouse on her mum’s typewriter and sent them to Ladybird. She received a polite rejection letter, her first.
Many of Anita’s summers growing up were spent with her family driving to Italy, and she went on to study French and Italian at university. As part of her degree, Anita lived in Siena for several months where she studied and au paired, and she spent a lot of time travelling around Italy in her twenties.
Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child.
Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:
Twitter Profile. Anita Chapman - Facebook Profile. Author - Official Website
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