Author: Rhys Bowen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: February 20, 2018
About the Book:
From New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father’s hidden past to discover his secrets…
“Pass the bread, the olives, and the wine. Oh, and a copy of The Tuscan Child to savor with them.” —NPR
In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.
Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.
Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history—and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now…
My Review:
As I was sitting and planning my trip to Italy, I came across this book that looked quite intriguing. Of course I had to order The Tuscan Child! And I must say that once I started it, I could not put it down.
The story starts out with a British bomber pilot being shot down in Italy in WWII, reading from his perspective, and feeling the anxiety he would have experienced being fearful of being discovered by the German soldiers as he parachuted down.
Then the story skips back and forth from Hugo Langley in 1944 and his daughter Joanna in 1973. Normally I don't care for stories that skip back and forth in time that way, but Rhys Bowen was masterful in building the mystery and suspense and allowing the reader to find the answers little by little.
The Tuscan Child was one of the better historical fiction books I've read in quite some time. This author made me feel like I was right there in Tuscany, drinking the wine and tasting the olives.
The story starts out with a British bomber pilot being shot down in Italy in WWII, reading from his perspective, and feeling the anxiety he would have experienced being fearful of being discovered by the German soldiers as he parachuted down.
Then the story skips back and forth from Hugo Langley in 1944 and his daughter Joanna in 1973. Normally I don't care for stories that skip back and forth in time that way, but Rhys Bowen was masterful in building the mystery and suspense and allowing the reader to find the answers little by little.
The Tuscan Child was one of the better historical fiction books I've read in quite some time. This author made me feel like I was right there in Tuscany, drinking the wine and tasting the olives.
About the Author:
In Farleigh Field was nominated for the Edgar Award, won the Agatha award for best historical mystery as well as the Bruce Alexander Memorial Award.
Rhys was born in Bath, England and educated at London University but now divides her time between California and Arizona. Her books have been nominated for every major mystery award and she has won fourteen of them to date.
She currently writes two historical mystery series, each very different in tone. The Molly Murphy mysteries feature an Irish immigrant woman in turn-of-the-century New York City. These books are multi-layered, complex stories with a strong sense of time and place and have won many awards including Agatha and Anthony. There are 17 books so far in this series plus three Kindle stories, The Amersham Rubies, Through the Window and The Face in the Mirror--a great way to introduce new readers to Molly's spunky personality.
Then there is Lady Georgie, Rhys's latest,and very popular, heroine. She's 35th in line to the throne of England, but she's flat broke and struggling to survive in the Great Depression. These books are lighter and funnier than Molly's adventures. They poke gentle fun at the British class system--about which Rhys knows a lot, having married into an upper class family rather like Georgie's, with cousins with silly nicknames,family ghosts and stately homes. The twelfth book in the series, Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding, will be published August 2018. Two books in the series have won the Agatha award for best historical mystery.
The series received the Readers Choice Award for favorite mystery series and Rhys was nominated for career achievement. It was also voted one of Goodreads top 10 cozy mysteries. The books have been translated into many languages and brought Rhys fans from around the world.
Her most recent achievement has been the big World War 2 stand-alone novels, In Farleigh Field and The Tuscan Child. They have enjoyed impressive sales world-wide and brought Rhys many new readers.
As a child Rhys spent time with relatives in Wales. Those childhood experiences colored her first mystery series, about Constable Evans in the mountains of Snowdonia. 10 books including the Edgar nominee Evan's Gate. She has lived in Austria, Germany and Australia, but has called California her home for many years. She now escapes to a condo in Arizona during those cold California winters. When she's not writing she loves to travel, sing, hike, paint and play the Celtic harp.
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