Scan barcode
emmacr2024's review
3.0
The Lost Gift to the Italian Island is the book second in the Sisters at War series by Barbara Josselsohn. The previous story was the first book that I had read by this author and I was very impressed. Therefore, I was glad there wasn’t too much of a wait for the second instalment. It’s similar in vein in terms of how the plot goes and it does continue on from where the past element of the story previously left off. That doesn’t mean to say that this couldn’t be read as a standalone. It could easily could be but to get the full flavour of the premise and how important Parissi Island is to the sisters I would recommend starting with book one if at all possible.
Again, the story is structured in the dual timeline format which I adore in historical fiction books. The plot moved seamlessly back and forth between Tori in the present and Giulia in the later years of the war. I enjoyed both strands of the story but being truthful I would have loved even more of Giulia’s perspective as I felt at times too much focus was given to Tori and her quest in the present but that’s just my personal opinion and it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and excitement at continuing on the story of Giulia and her family.
May 2019 and we are introduced to Tori who lives in New York state with her daughter Molly and her grandmother Marilene. Tori is a manager of a homestore but designs and bridal wear on the side. Her longterm ambition is to open her own designer shop but money is tight and her aspirations are on hold. She has been in a relationship with musician Jeremy for the last five years and things are serious with Jeremy proposing but not definitely not receiving the reaction or answer she he had hoped for. Tori is a complex character who having been brought up by Marilene since the death of her parents, has had an awful lot to deal with and still does.
When it comes to relationships, she fails to completely put her trust in anyone else and this has prevented her from moving forward to the next stage with Jeremy. He is gutted and thinks then they are better off without each other. I couldn’t fathom how Tori loved Jeremy so deeply but her fears, anxieties and personal issues made her refuse to commit to something which would be brilliant for both herself and Molly who I could see longed for a permeant father figure in her life given the absence of her biological father. Tori can’t give into Jeremy and it wasn’t actually a case that he was demanding but it was frustrating she couldn’t see past her barriers and envisage what a good thing she had going.
Tori receives a postcard from a client who has been visiting Italy. It shows a wedding dress in a museum on Parissi Island and when Marilene sees it her reaction is very neagtive.This spurs on Tori to find out why her grandmother reacted in the way she did. I began to think would Tori regret asking Marilene so many questions when it is revealed that her mother was in fact adopted and therefore Tri has a family that she has known nothing about. Somehow it is all connected back to Parissi Island. There is something wrong, not in the medical sense, but more on the emotional front in how Tori, Marilene and Molly all deal with change. They don’t speak about things that have affected them or things that matter, the more important the event the more crucial it seemed to stay quiet. They are people who don’t have it within them to confront issues and personal problems. But now with this news of her family Tori may just have to do the very thing she has feared the most in her life.
Tori wants answers and she wants to know what happened to the owner of the dress, Giulia who turns out to be her biological grandmother. I’m not giving anything away by saying this as it this is revealed within the first few chapters and therefore the quest to discover the truth forms the basis of the remainder of the book. Tori needs clarity in order to navigate her future and also she hopes that if she learns the truth it will enable her to understand her mother more. She was a woman who was tormented throughout her life but what were the exact reasons for this? A message board on the Parissi museums website provides another astonishing revelation and one which means Tori can’t linger around. She boards a flight to Italy hoping to that the feeling of being lost and not knowing who she is will abate but what she learns how will it affect and will it change her life for the better or worse? As she navigates her way to the island and meets Emilio, the owner of the hotel where she is staying who is also a security guard at the museum, the tension is heightened as he tries to help her find some conclusive answers as to what happened to Giulia.Tori needs the answers but I felt even more so did Marilene. After all she made so many sacrifices and was admirable for doing so and surely she deserved to know exactly what happened all those years back in time in Italy?
September 1943 and Giulia washes ashore on an island not far from the one she has left as the Nazi’s invaded. Parissi had been her home for five glorious weeks alongside her sisters Analisa and Emilia. But their ideal has been shattered and the fate of her sisters and her uncle remains unknown. The descriptions of the island and the surrounding Italian landscape are fantastic and really help the story come to life. Giulia is determined to reunite with her sisters in America as planned but the residents of the new island she has found herself on known that times are dangerous and the wishes of Giulia may not be granted. Marilene’s father Pietro works for the Italian resistance and he knows that for Giulia to leave would be dangerous. She is a wanted woman as she knows so much about the comings and goings on Parissi island.
War, genocide and brutality rage on around them and Giulia fears that she will never see her family again. As she recovers from a wound sustained on her journey a visitor to the island, catches her attention but yet there is someone else who has a firm place in her heart. Can they be reunited or has fate already dealt them a cruel blow? When Pietro gives Giulia no choice but to help with resistance work she is torn whether to aid him or dealing with the other long term plans on her mind. Does she wish to remain on the island or should she move on and when a surprising event occurs this throws her decision into even more doubt. As I have previously mentioned, I felt there wasn’t enough from Giulia’s perspective and it was left to Tori to fill in the blanks of her story. I wanted more detail from Giulia’s chapters as at times events were glossed over and it was only in the present that sufficient explanation was given. But apart from this, I loved Giulia’s story and it filled in the gaps from what we had previously learned from Annalisa in book one.
The Lost Gift to the Italian Island was a worthy follow up to Secrets of the Italian Island. Yes, the ending may have been just that bit too perfect and I felt it was all dealt with very quickly and I wanted that little bit more. Given the time that had gone into Tori’s journey and investigations I wanted some more in-depth analysis and explanation as to what happened exactly in the later part of the war that eventually led to Tori discovering a whole new side to her family. So in my mind the ending was slightly rushed and given this ended a bit after the 90% mark (I was reading this on my Kindle), I definitely think there was room for more at the end even though things were wrapped up neatly that point of specific revelation I wanted some more. But look, that makes things sound negative and I don’t mean it to at all. I really enjoyed this story and was fully invested in Giulia’s story more so than Tori’s and I think that’s because I really enjoying reading about the past. What I really want to know now is what happened to sister number three, Emilia. So I hope the author is hard at work writing book number three as I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series which so far has been engaging and emotional with such vivid imagery and lots of life lessons learnt.
Again, the story is structured in the dual timeline format which I adore in historical fiction books. The plot moved seamlessly back and forth between Tori in the present and Giulia in the later years of the war. I enjoyed both strands of the story but being truthful I would have loved even more of Giulia’s perspective as I felt at times too much focus was given to Tori and her quest in the present but that’s just my personal opinion and it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment and excitement at continuing on the story of Giulia and her family.
May 2019 and we are introduced to Tori who lives in New York state with her daughter Molly and her grandmother Marilene. Tori is a manager of a homestore but designs and bridal wear on the side. Her longterm ambition is to open her own designer shop but money is tight and her aspirations are on hold. She has been in a relationship with musician Jeremy for the last five years and things are serious with Jeremy proposing but not definitely not receiving the reaction or answer she he had hoped for. Tori is a complex character who having been brought up by Marilene since the death of her parents, has had an awful lot to deal with and still does.
When it comes to relationships, she fails to completely put her trust in anyone else and this has prevented her from moving forward to the next stage with Jeremy. He is gutted and thinks then they are better off without each other. I couldn’t fathom how Tori loved Jeremy so deeply but her fears, anxieties and personal issues made her refuse to commit to something which would be brilliant for both herself and Molly who I could see longed for a permeant father figure in her life given the absence of her biological father. Tori can’t give into Jeremy and it wasn’t actually a case that he was demanding but it was frustrating she couldn’t see past her barriers and envisage what a good thing she had going.
Tori receives a postcard from a client who has been visiting Italy. It shows a wedding dress in a museum on Parissi Island and when Marilene sees it her reaction is very neagtive.This spurs on Tori to find out why her grandmother reacted in the way she did. I began to think would Tori regret asking Marilene so many questions when it is revealed that her mother was in fact adopted and therefore Tri has a family that she has known nothing about. Somehow it is all connected back to Parissi Island. There is something wrong, not in the medical sense, but more on the emotional front in how Tori, Marilene and Molly all deal with change. They don’t speak about things that have affected them or things that matter, the more important the event the more crucial it seemed to stay quiet. They are people who don’t have it within them to confront issues and personal problems. But now with this news of her family Tori may just have to do the very thing she has feared the most in her life.
Tori wants answers and she wants to know what happened to the owner of the dress, Giulia who turns out to be her biological grandmother. I’m not giving anything away by saying this as it this is revealed within the first few chapters and therefore the quest to discover the truth forms the basis of the remainder of the book. Tori needs clarity in order to navigate her future and also she hopes that if she learns the truth it will enable her to understand her mother more. She was a woman who was tormented throughout her life but what were the exact reasons for this? A message board on the Parissi museums website provides another astonishing revelation and one which means Tori can’t linger around. She boards a flight to Italy hoping to that the feeling of being lost and not knowing who she is will abate but what she learns how will it affect and will it change her life for the better or worse? As she navigates her way to the island and meets Emilio, the owner of the hotel where she is staying who is also a security guard at the museum, the tension is heightened as he tries to help her find some conclusive answers as to what happened to Giulia.Tori needs the answers but I felt even more so did Marilene. After all she made so many sacrifices and was admirable for doing so and surely she deserved to know exactly what happened all those years back in time in Italy?
September 1943 and Giulia washes ashore on an island not far from the one she has left as the Nazi’s invaded. Parissi had been her home for five glorious weeks alongside her sisters Analisa and Emilia. But their ideal has been shattered and the fate of her sisters and her uncle remains unknown. The descriptions of the island and the surrounding Italian landscape are fantastic and really help the story come to life. Giulia is determined to reunite with her sisters in America as planned but the residents of the new island she has found herself on known that times are dangerous and the wishes of Giulia may not be granted. Marilene’s father Pietro works for the Italian resistance and he knows that for Giulia to leave would be dangerous. She is a wanted woman as she knows so much about the comings and goings on Parissi island.
War, genocide and brutality rage on around them and Giulia fears that she will never see her family again. As she recovers from a wound sustained on her journey a visitor to the island, catches her attention but yet there is someone else who has a firm place in her heart. Can they be reunited or has fate already dealt them a cruel blow? When Pietro gives Giulia no choice but to help with resistance work she is torn whether to aid him or dealing with the other long term plans on her mind. Does she wish to remain on the island or should she move on and when a surprising event occurs this throws her decision into even more doubt. As I have previously mentioned, I felt there wasn’t enough from Giulia’s perspective and it was left to Tori to fill in the blanks of her story. I wanted more detail from Giulia’s chapters as at times events were glossed over and it was only in the present that sufficient explanation was given. But apart from this, I loved Giulia’s story and it filled in the gaps from what we had previously learned from Annalisa in book one.
The Lost Gift to the Italian Island was a worthy follow up to Secrets of the Italian Island. Yes, the ending may have been just that bit too perfect and I felt it was all dealt with very quickly and I wanted that little bit more. Given the time that had gone into Tori’s journey and investigations I wanted some more in-depth analysis and explanation as to what happened exactly in the later part of the war that eventually led to Tori discovering a whole new side to her family. So in my mind the ending was slightly rushed and given this ended a bit after the 90% mark (I was reading this on my Kindle), I definitely think there was room for more at the end even though things were wrapped up neatly that point of specific revelation I wanted some more. But look, that makes things sound negative and I don’t mean it to at all. I really enjoyed this story and was fully invested in Giulia’s story more so than Tori’s and I think that’s because I really enjoying reading about the past. What I really want to know now is what happened to sister number three, Emilia. So I hope the author is hard at work writing book number three as I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series which so far has been engaging and emotional with such vivid imagery and lots of life lessons learnt.
insatiablewanderlust's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I absolutely enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the next in the series, I definitely didn't enjoy this much as the first one. I found Tori to be very whiny and intolerable and felt that she was deserving of a reality check when it came to some of the people in her life. I really can't say much more than that without leaving spoilers. I did love Giulia's parts of the book and have high hopes for the next one in the series!
readwithjackalope's review
4.0
This is the 2nd book in a series that focuses on the lives of 3 sisters during WWII. They left for Parissi Island, an island of dreamers and thinkers to find a cure for their father. This is a dual-timeline story that tells the story of Guilia, the middle sister, and what happened to her after she escaped Parissi Island, once the Nazis invaded it. Also, Tori in 2019, after a shocking discovery heads to Italy to uncover the truths about her family history.
I enjoyed the second installment of this story and the mystery behind Giulia's life. I did find Tori to be a bit annoying, even though I understood why she was that way. I didn't care as much about her life. I would have loved to learn more about Guilia, her time on Parissi Island, and what happened afterward. Overall it was an intriguing read with romance, intrigue, secrets, and a mysterious Italian Island during WWII. Definitely a good read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series
I enjoyed the second installment of this story and the mystery behind Giulia's life. I did find Tori to be a bit annoying, even though I understood why she was that way. I didn't care as much about her life. I would have loved to learn more about Guilia, her time on Parissi Island, and what happened afterward. Overall it was an intriguing read with romance, intrigue, secrets, and a mysterious Italian Island during WWII. Definitely a good read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series
leona_omahony's review
5.0
This is the second book in the Sisters of War series, the first book is titled Secrets of the Italian Island. Oh my goodness this was an absolutely wonderful read and it completely and utterly gripped me right from the very start. It’s another dual timeline story , each chapter alternating between 1943 and 2019. Admittedly I did enjoy the past timeline a little bit more but that’s because I really enjoy reading historical fiction. Reading about Giulia and all she went through make for a heartbreaking read at times. This is quite an emotional read in parts and the descriptions of the past on the island are really brought to life by the author. As I was reading I could literally close my eyes and imagine being Giulia all those years ago. I would recommend reading the first book in the series as it paves the way for this second book. Another historical fiction read that I highly recommend.
More...