Long-simmering resentments and buried secrets permeate The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany, a romantic, beautifully rendered, sweepingly complex family saga.
Emilia Antonelli, 29, of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, is a
second-generation Italian American. She lives a simple, manageable life,
resigned to remaining single forever, working in the family delicatessen and
bakery, while also secretly pursuing a "little writing hobby." Emilia
lives under the shadow of a family curse that goes back 200 years: all
second-born daughters are cursed to live a life without love. After their
mother died, Emilia and her older sister, Daria, were raised by their
mild-mannered father and the domineering Nonna Rosa, their mother's mother and
the surly, infinitely controlling backbone of the family. Nonna Rosa favors
Daria, the first-born granddaughter, and belittles Emilia.
Emilia's life takes a drastic turn when she receives a
letter from Paolina Fontana, her long-lost great-aunt, who lives in
Philadelphia. "Aunt Poppy" is flamboyant, artsy and colorful. She is
Nonna Rosa's younger sister, shunned by the family decades earlier. But Poppy
writes to Emilia and Luciana, another second-born cousin, offering to treat
them both to an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to celebrate Poppy's 80th
birthday. At the cathedral in the town of Ravello, Poppy intends to reunite
with her one true love, with the intention of also breaking the family curse.
What ensues is an exciting excursion through Italy--its
culture and fineries; romance and history--for the three women. Aunt Poppy
proves warm, charming and wise. Lori Nelson Spielman (Sweet Forgiveness)
provides first-rate storytelling and nuanced, clearly defined characters that
will captivate readers right up to the surprising finale.
The Star-Crossed Sistersof Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
Berkley-Penguin, $16.00 Paperback, 9781984803160, 400 pages
Publication
Date: November 27, 2020
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NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with the permission
of Shelf
Awareness. To read this review on Shelf Awareness: Reader's Edition (November 27, 2020), link HERE
To read the longer form of this
review as published on Shelf Awareness for the Book
Trade (October 23,
2020), link HERE