Scan barcode
sage5357's review
4.0
3.5 stars. I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I LOVED IT, LOVED ITALY, felt like I was living vicariously, I want to buy it for my mom and Grammie to read etc.
On the other hand, 2 of the 3 main characters (Francesca and Allegra) really annoyed the shit out of me, honestly. Firstly, Francesca and her bullshit priorities and general workaholic everything. HATED that. Very irritating. I felt like Ron in Harry Potter: “she needs to sort out her priorities!” Allegra didn’t annoy me as much, but still, the way she talked to her mother sometimes was just....my parents wouldn’t stand for any of that nonsense! And also, SHE WAS SO BUTT HURT ABOUT GOING TO ITALY IN THE FIRST PLACE. Can you believe. Like, girl, you just got ARRESTED and instead of your mom grounding you for the rest of your life, you’re going on a once in a lifetime trip to freaking ITALY. Be more grateful, ffs!!!
I did love the general storyline though, the three generations of women, healing their broken relationships through a magical trip to Italy. Especially in these times, when international travel (or travel of any kind) seems very far away, I was genuinely grateful to live vicariously through this book. Also THANK GOD re: Sophia at the end, I was FREAKING OUT thinking she was going to die!!!! Girl, go to Paris with Milton!!!
This line really resonated with me: “Even though the bus rides were endless, and we’d packed and repacked a million times, and the heat sank into our skin like a slow burn, bringing bone-weary exhaustion that staggered me, Italy charmed, seduced, and demanded to be loved back. And I did.”
I also especially liked this book because it brought back memories of my own Italian tour with my mother, grandmother, and sister, when my sister and I were 13. My Grammie had started saving when my siblings and I were born, and once my mom realized she was actually serious about taking my sister and I, she invited herself because “my teenagers aren’t going to Italy before I do!” And much like this book, it was absolute MAGIC. We went to Rome and Venice, like in the book, and had a crazy dinner party in Florence (too much dancing = slightly injured Grammie!) and were allowed to have a sip of wine and limoncello. It was a great walk down memory lane, as much as I wish my memories were crisper and it wasn’t (literally) half a lifetime away.
On the other hand, 2 of the 3 main characters (Francesca and Allegra) really annoyed the shit out of me, honestly. Firstly, Francesca and her bullshit priorities and general workaholic everything. HATED that. Very irritating. I felt like Ron in Harry Potter: “she needs to sort out her priorities!” Allegra didn’t annoy me as much, but still, the way she talked to her mother sometimes was just....my parents wouldn’t stand for any of that nonsense! And also, SHE WAS SO BUTT HURT ABOUT GOING TO ITALY IN THE FIRST PLACE. Can you believe. Like, girl, you just got ARRESTED and instead of your mom grounding you for the rest of your life, you’re going on a once in a lifetime trip to freaking ITALY. Be more grateful, ffs!!!
I did love the general storyline though, the three generations of women, healing their broken relationships through a magical trip to Italy. Especially in these times, when international travel (or travel of any kind) seems very far away, I was genuinely grateful to live vicariously through this book. Also THANK GOD re: Sophia at the end, I was FREAKING OUT thinking she was going to die!!!! Girl, go to Paris with Milton!!!
This line really resonated with me: “Even though the bus rides were endless, and we’d packed and repacked a million times, and the heat sank into our skin like a slow burn, bringing bone-weary exhaustion that staggered me, Italy charmed, seduced, and demanded to be loved back. And I did.”
I also especially liked this book because it brought back memories of my own Italian tour with my mother, grandmother, and sister, when my sister and I were 13. My Grammie had started saving when my siblings and I were born, and once my mom realized she was actually serious about taking my sister and I, she invited herself because “my teenagers aren’t going to Italy before I do!” And much like this book, it was absolute MAGIC. We went to Rome and Venice, like in the book, and had a crazy dinner party in Florence (too much dancing = slightly injured Grammie!) and were allowed to have a sip of wine and limoncello. It was a great walk down memory lane, as much as I wish my memories were crisper and it wasn’t (literally) half a lifetime away.
jessreadlit's review
5.0
This story was so beautiful to read, following the 3 generations of the Ferrari women, each with their own issues and their struggle to form positive relationships with each other. It was also so lovely to 'travel' around Italy through the characters in this book (something that I'm incredibly missing right now!)
nlalbert's review
3.0
3.5 stars. The premise of this book really resonated with me, but it was a bit of a disappointment. I loved the plot, but I found some of the main characters annoying. Recommend the print version over the audiobook.
jenjens31's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest in the series.
bduchette's review
4.0
I just loved this book. It was an easy to listen to book about 3 generations of women. They each have some going on in their lives and finally the grandmother insists that they go on a trip to Italy together. I loved the information on traveling to Italy as well as the endearing story.
gabroh4's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lynnannwalsh's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookbryn's review
4.0
This was a really enjoyable read! I think books about like a vacation to Europe can be super hit or miss, and this was an overall hit. Great beach read, I actually read this on the beach!! The descriptions/imagery were well done and really made you feel like you were there. That was probably my favorite part. The character plot was interesting enough and I liked that it wasn’t overly easy/happy/conflictless but also not overly sad/tragic for the “complex beach read” points. My biggest frustration in this book was that the dialogue was SO unrealistic. Like it was clear the author was reallyyyyy trying to “show not tell” and some pieces of dialogue would just be like a fully coherent, informative contribution to the background. It was just so noticeably jarring and weird. The teenage daughter would be like “sustainable cooking is really important, mom. grass fed beef, ethical farming practices, and local produce are essential to both good taste and health in food.” i’m not even exaggerating, this is a near quote. also i rail
about this a lot and it’s just a pet peeve but when authors write stuff like “she ducked her head” or “she stuck out her tongue”, i.e. literary signals of a feeling or vibe that don’t actually happen in real life. but yeah the author was a big offender. so overall, a really enjoyable read that had me very engaged, but not necessarily top notch literary work.
about this a lot and it’s just a pet peeve but when authors write stuff like “she ducked her head” or “she stuck out her tongue”, i.e. literary signals of a feeling or vibe that don’t actually happen in real life. but yeah the author was a big offender. so overall, a really enjoyable read that had me very engaged, but not necessarily top notch literary work.
mandrea's review against another edition
2.0
I'm glad other people like this book but it was not for me. Lots of showing and not telling, repetitive, and the dialogue was strange and cringey in some spots, particularly for the teenager. Also it was weirdly conservative in ways I didn't expect and wasn't into. I think it could definitely have been shorter, too. I mostly picked it up for the descriptions of Italy and the food, which were fine.