This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I found it a pleasant holiday read: light, enjoyable and an effortless way of savouring Rome and Naples without having to endure the scorching heat of high summer! Having been on a few small group holidays over the years, I thought that the author captured the experience beautifully: the different alliances formed, secrets shared, problems aired. The characters are immediately recognisable: the cheery and over-enthusiastic tour guide, the predators (both male and female), the know-alls, the show-offs, the fun-lovers, the insecure. The Italian setting is perfect too: one feels that the author really knows the country well. The book could almost be used as a guide: the “must see” locations (and some of the “maybe don’t bother” ones) described in vivid detail.
Spoiler alert - As for Sandy, I found her very likeable and wanted things to turn out well for her. Her sadness over the loss of her husband, death of her mother, uncertainty about her new relationship, her work and family concerns, all were sympathetically and realistically portrayed. I enjoyed the storyline too, even if it did all come together rather too neatly for me in the end.
My question for the author: I found the attention to detail quite impeccable and should like to ask about the nature and extent of your research, beyond the “relentless fortnight” referred to in the Acknowledgements!
Thanks to Fanny Blake for a good read and to Gransnet for introducing me to this author