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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quirky characters. Found family. Sweeping saga of art and music. And a love letter to Firenze . I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, separated into chronological titled vignettes with threads of the characters deftly woven throughout. Evelyn meets Darnley and Ulysses in a tuscan villa during WWII and this random connection frames a lifelong friendship. The characters were deftly drawn, their relationships realistic and ultimately hopeful and loving, albeit often not traditional.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rating 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed the characters and the writing in this book. I wanted to be "family" with everyone in the story. It wasn't a 5 star book only because I thought there were some chapters that went on too long and sometimes the descriptions of places and art made me skim the paragraphs. Great complex characters though.
I really enjoyed the characters and the writing in this book. I wanted to be "family" with everyone in the story. It wasn't a 5 star book only because I thought there were some chapters that went on too long and sometimes the descriptions of places and art made me skim the paragraphs. Great complex characters though.
Sprawling over decades, the novel explores the families you chose and explores love in many forms. I loved the characters; Claude the parrot who might be the reincarnation of Shakespeare, Ulysses the globe maker, Alice, his adopted daughter who is wise and sassy beyond her years, an art historian, and Cressy, who communes with a cherry tree, and many more. I also loved the various settings, including the island of Giglio, which delighted me when I had the pleasure of staying at decades ago during my travels in Italy. It is historical fiction, and learned about the flooding of Florence in 1968, and many art history details. I listened to the audiobook, the narrator was outstanding.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Second favorite book of the year. Cried so much, especially at the end. First favorite is Tin Man by Sarah Winman 💛💛💛