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The Italian Villa
- An Emotional and Absolutely Gripping WW2 Historical Romance
- Narrated by: Lisa Rost-Welling
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
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The Italian Villa
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Summary
Inspired by true events, and for fans of The Beekeeper’s Promise and The Tuscan Child, comes a passionate, heartbreaking and absolutely pause-resisting story of two remarkable women, separated by history, finding the courage to look for light in the darkest places.
As she staggers through the woods towards the smoky remains of her village, she sees the wounded, all those familiar faces covered in blood and ashes, and remembers she isn’t just a woman; she is a doctor, and she is needed...
1938 - A young Italian couple cling to each other in the shadow of the Montevino mountains, Mussolini’s call to war ringing in their ears. They vow to stay together, no matter what, and hatch a plan to wed in secret before fleeing to the woods to join the resistance.
Present Day - Callie Di Giacomo, a waitress from Texas, is still reeling from the discovery that she is adopted when she arrives in Montevino in search of answers - the keys to the stunning hillside villa she just inherited clutched tightly in her hand. In her birth mother’s wardrobe grief-stricken Callie finds a diary belonging to a woman named Elisa Stella, one of Italy’s first ever female students of medicine, wrapped in pale blue ribbon.
Page by page, Callie unravels the story of a passionate young doctor who risked everything to marry her sweetheart, who was betrayed by her own people, and forced into hiding as Montevino was invaded. Elisa knew she must survive against all odds to see her loved ones again. But history had other plans…
As the diary ends, a startling revelation about who Elisa was offers a chance for Callie to heal past wounds and spark a new future. But is she brave enough to take it?
This unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience by the author of million-copy Amazon number one best seller, Watch Over Me, is perfect for anyone who loved The Letter, The Tattooist of Auschwitz or The Dressmaker’s Gift.
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What listeners say about The Italian Villa
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hattie Dent
- 05-08-21
captivating
really nice good. really good story, I think it did come to a very abrupt end but i was lovely didn't want it to end
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Book Worm!
- 15-03-20
Gripping.
Loved every minute, thank goodness for Audible that opens the world of wonder ful author's,stories, & narrators.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bethany Gordon
- 15-03-20
Easy listen
A dual time frame novel set during the 1930's and the present. Callie living in Texas discovers her past is not what she thought and travels to Italy to discover the truth. With a diary belonging to the mysterious Elisa can she discover the truth and will the locals tell her what they know.
The writing brought to life the town and villa, painting a picture of the setting and some of the food (which sounded delicious). A story of secrets, heartbreak and romance it was an easy listen which swept you along with the story.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Arkgirl
- 01-03-20
Dual time period story with romance and mystery
This is a story set with two time periods and follows the stories of Callie, an orphaned young woman from Texas who discovers her family roots in Italy, and Elisa with a story told through her diary and set in the late 1930's as Mussolini's power set Italians against each other.
There was much to enjoy in this tale with romance and family secrets but I think I might have enjoyed it more without the slightly jarring Italian 'sing song' accent from the narrator - having stayed in Italy many times I found it unconvincing and I think I would have preferred it without the accents.
It has some touching moments and is an easy listen - a good book for your holiday case as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Margo
- 02-02-21
Couldn't put it down
This was a book I couldn't put down. The characters all had their own secrets from the past that they had to come to terms with. Really enjoyed it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- BarbaraM
- 05-08-20
A good read
This is a bit of a nagging reminder that many Americans long for a European, preferably French or Italian romantic connection. It’s a pleasant story and the writing is similarly pleasant, but it doesn’t sparkle or have terribly much depth.
Nevertheless, I did listen to the end and found the book to be pleasant and undemanding.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Weegie
- 08-09-20
Good story.
The narrator was good. Loved the Italian accents. Enjoyable story. Going back in the family to the present day makes it entertaining.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C.Brent
- 24-09-23
Great story
The accents ruined this book for me
I couldn't believe how awful they were !
The story was brilliant
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- SandraL
- 13-03-20
Easy, light listen
The Italian Villa is told in dual time frames – the present and during the Second World War (using diary entries). It is a tale of romance and family secrets and I loved the descriptions of the glorious Italian countryside, the village of Montevino and life in an Italian village. This was an entertaining, light and easy listen, though perhaps a bit too much romance for me!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Terrence Bramble
- 29-10-21
terrible
An awful book and I so hate the fake Italian accents. I live in Italy so this is clcouod not be so unlike whsyvi know of living here.
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1 person found this helpful