Romance

A quick undemanding read. While I found the historical parts of the story interesting I din't like the modern day parts, I didn't care about any of the characters in the modern part of the story. ( )

On reading some of the reviews below, I asked myself did we read the same book?. As one of the American Supreme Court Justices once said, “I can’t define pornography, but I know it when I see it”. So it is with House of Wind. I can’t define why it’s so bad but it really is. Maybe because it was an audio version that had such bad accents that I cringed when the reader changed into one of the many characters or just that I could not care about any of the characters that were so unbelievably false and clichéd.
This is a really awful book, read it at your peril ( )

The House of the Wind by Titania Hardie is definitely not a fluffy beach-read. It is a book that demands to be savored slowly and thoughtfully with its lushly-written descriptions and gradually-evolving plot. Neither is it a book that can be fully appreciated the first time it is read. The reader may even feel a little frustrated with how slowly the plot progresses but when you get to the end, you want to read it again in order to appreciate all the nuances and subtle hints that were missed in the first reading.

The book begins with Maddie in California, waiting for her fiance to arrive from England until she is told that he has died in a car accident. She grieves for him and for the marriage that will never take place. She continues to work and live her life but feels isolated and lonely until her Italian grandmother sends her to Tuscany. In Tuscany she begins to feel alive again and becomes interested in the story of a centuries-old villa.
Interspersed with the story of Maddie is another story that takes place in 14th century Tuscany. It tells the story of the inhabitants of the villa that Maddie finds so intriguing, although it isn't until well into the book that the connection is made. It is about Mia, a mute young woman who lives with her aunt Jacquetta in 1347 Tuscany. She has reason to grieve as well as do some of the patrons of the wayside inn run by her aunt.
It is while staying in Tuscany and discovering the history of the villa that Maddie is able to make peace with the empty space in her life that was supposed to be her first year of marriage. She is able to find her life again and fill it with other people and interests. Her visit to Italy has become a pilgimage where she feels the lines blurring between the ancient and modern worlds and where she can imagine a better and happier life for herself, one in which she can be whole. "Something was allowing her to be touched by the world around her again" when before she "felt emotionally torn between two worlds." The weather figures in the story in a mystical sort of way, as do birds. There is also a sort of mysticism and a feeling of destiny in Maddie's life. All in all, it is an interesting book that lingers with you when you finish it so that you have to go back and read bits and pieces again and again. ( )

I have to say the writing was beautiful. This author definitely has a way with words. Although I enjoyed the story, which is actually told in two different time periods, I felt the story moved very slowly. That did not stop me from continuing on my reading journey.

The story starts out in the 1300’s with a young girl held prisoner in her own home for refusing to enter the convent. Instead she wants to marry a man she loves. The times dictate she must do as her parents say. On her last night of freedom she is walking in her garden when a violent wind wipes out her home and all within. She is left alive and must flee with the man she loves. Later on we meet Mia, a young girl who lives with her aunt and runs place where traveler stop to rest.

We then meet Maddie, a lawyer who is preparing for her fiance’s arrival in America. He is a doctor in England. As her mother and sister arrive she receives a phone call from her future mother-in-law. Her beloved has been killed in an accident. She goes back to work at her law firm. She goes through the motions. Her grandmother sends her to Italy to dig into her past in hopes that she will find herself.

The connection between Maddie and Mia becomes evident when Maddie travels to Italy. The changes she makes in her life and in those she tried to help back home becomes evident as the story progresses. I would recommend this book with the understanding that this is not a story with a quick pace. However, it was one I had trouble putting down. ( )