It Happened in Tuscany by Gail Mencini
Book Details:
Book Title: It Happened in Tuscany by Gail Mencini
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 408 pages
Genre: Mainstream Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Capriole Group
Release date: Feb 18 2020
Content Rating: PG-13. The novel includes violence in war scenes and non-explicit sex scenes, but not f-words, religious profanities, or crude terms as described.
Book Description:
From
the multiple-award-winning author of To Tuscany with Love comes a captivating story of the epic tug of war between honor and duty, the irrepressible power of love, and the concept of family.
In 1945, Will Mills and his fellow soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division scaled Italy’s treacherous Riva Ridge in the frigid night to break through the
nearly impenetrable German line of defense. Severely wounded, Will was rescued by Italian partisans and one, a beautiful girl, tended his injuries until he had the strength to rejoin the U.S. troops.
Tormented and haunted by his decisions and actions during wartime, Will knows he has unfinished missions in Italy to complete. The passage of time and
years of carrying this unfulfilled need have molded Will into a bitter, angry man.
Seventy-five years later, Will’s spunky thirty-two-year-old neighbor, Sophie Sparke, faces disaster in her life. Everything is going wrong—her job, her love life, even her dog. Part of the problem is that confident and fiercely independent Sophie lets her
quick mouth get her into trouble.
Grouchy, mean-spirited Will finagles Sophie into traveling with him to Tuscany to find the partisan who saved his life. Will also secretly hopes to confront the demons his wartime actions created. Sophie and Will comb enchanting Tuscan hill towns on an improbable and unfolding mission with few clues to aid them. Will’s passionate tenacity drives their quest and in the process exposes their darkest secrets. The journey alters the course of their lives, and Will and Sophie find more than they had imagined in the hills of Tuscany.
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Also about how the same events can be seen differently by various people through their experiences.
The book opens amidst detailed battle scenes in Italy. Graphic and intense, we wonder if and how anyone could survive.
Then we jump three quarters of a century later, where one man who did survive and came home to live a full live, is now saying goodbye to his wife for the final time. Out of respect, his much younger apartment neighbor goes to the funeral.
Sophie's own life is suffering losses in the moment. Her dog is old and facing life ending challenges, her love life has stalemated, and her job become impossible.
So when elderly Will comes up with the implausible idea of running off to Italy to find a woman he loved during the great war, somehow Sophie gets caught up in it and is convinced she must go along.
Their time in Italy is very much like a travelogue, full of beautiful scenery, history and food.
They meet interesting people, but can they find the woman they are seeking? Is she even still alive?
Where does one begin to search?
It all seems futile and Will's age and health are working against them.
Will is also not giving up all of his secrets and information about his history, making their search more difficult.
As they travel Sophie comes to better understand her neighbor and learns insights about her own life.
The ending was quite a surprise to me. It was very emotional, and both sad and positive.
The writing is beautifully descriptive. It made me want to learn more about the history of my own home area and see the world around me with fresh eyes. Food appreciating readers will love this book.
The secondary characters are equally as interesting as our main protagonists.
A satisfying yet surprising book overall.
Gail Mencini is the acclaimed author of It Happened in Tuscany and To Tuscany with Love, both of which are Denver Post #1 bestsellers and award winners. Gail grew up in DeWitt, Nebraska, graduated from Wartburg College with a BA in Accounting and Economics, and earned a master of taxation degree from the University of Denver. A frequent visitor to Tuscany and a homegrown gourmet cook, Gail has toured Italy by car, train, bus, Vespa, and foot. She lives in Colorado with her husband.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads
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