The Italian Party

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher.*

This book makes for good escapism - centered around a newlywed American couple with plenty of secrets as they set up their life in Siena, Italy, in 1956. Unknown to his wife, Michael is not only homosexual, but he's also a CIA agent tasked with ensuring the right outcomes in the local elections. His wife Scottie possesses a few secrets of her own - including the identity of the father of the child she's carrying. Overall, this is a fun romp through 1950s Italy, complete with plenty of pasta, fast horses, and handsome Italian men. The history isn't bad either, but read this one for the escape as much as for the history.

A newly married American couple move to Siena in 1956, ostensibly so he can sell Ford tractors to the farmers in the area recovering from the war. Both carry secrets with them as they negotiate the values, mores, and fashion of the 1950s as well as Sienese culture.

Told from the points of view of both the husband and wife, this was a fast paced entertaining read. The book features complex character development, a good story, and insight into the politics of the Italian government in that era as well as the historical significance of life in siena, emphasizing the Palio and, of course, the food.

I thought the author perfectly captured the time and place. For me, the experience of getting a car stuck in the ancient, narrow, Tuscan streets show more in the opening chapter was all too real and amusing, having had a similar experience in the nearby town of Montalcino! Anyone who has visited or would like to visit Siena will be charmed by this book. show less

The Italian Party begins in 1956, with Michael and Scottie driving to their new home in Siena. Newlywed Americans, with their big Ford Fairlane, they are quickly confounded by the confusing streets and end up stuck, their car wedged into a too-tight street, waiting to be rescued by an ox.This metaphor of American progress running headlong into Italian tradition is the story in a nutshell. In many ways,

The Italian Party is more easily defined by what it isn’t than what it is. It is not an espionage thriller, but there is spy vs. spy intrigue. It is not a mystery, but there is a missing boy and a possible murder or two or three. What it is, though, is funny, fascination, and delightful.

Michael is opening a Ford tractor dealership in show more Siena. He and his new wife have shipped all of the most modern American appliances and furnishings so they need not buy anything Italian. For a first-generation Italian-American, Michael has a surprising antipathy to all things Italian. Unfortunately for their marriage, their baggage includes some big secrets. Michael is gay and Scottie is pregnant and Michael is not the father. To complicate matters, Michael works for the CIA and is on assignment to ensure that the Communists do not take over in Italy.

Sure enough, they will rush headlong, get stuck, and hope some ox will rescue them.

It is amazing how quickly The Italian Party moves. We are fully in on their secrets right from the beginning. There are these serious subjects, Italy recovering from World War II, the devastation and damage, the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States for spheres of influence around the world, the oppression of gays and how easily they can be extorted, infidelity, espionage, and so much more. Yet, the story is told with humor and a light tough. There are times where we see the action from Scottie’s perspective and then Michael’s, the same events, so differently perceived, and it is hilarious.

I enjoyed this book. It tackles some serious ideas with humor, but still manages to highlight the conflict between ideals and actions, between our values and our foreign policy. There is a lot to think about in The Italian Party, in between the humor, goodwill, and the lovely story of a very different sort of marriage.

The Italian Party will be released March 20, 2018. I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher through a Shelf Awareness drawing.

The Italian Party at St. Martin’s Press
Christina Lynch author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/9781250147837/ show less

Whiffs of Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn romantic comedy) float throughout this book, and that's a good thing if you're looking for something quick and pleasant to read. What made this book more than just a nice little 3 star for me was the author's inspired decision to write in the 3rd person, and situate this voice inside the heads of the main characters, Scottie and Michael. The story alternates between their perspectives, not chapter by chapter, but in short sections within chapters, which kept the pacing lively. I am a curmudgeon when it comes to quirky, lively, pretty heroines (so trite) but Scottie managed to be just that, but in a genuine way that wasn't at all tiresome to me. The book started to feel a little over long towards show more the end - even though I was enjoying it, I was ready for it to end about 30 pages earlier. show less

Thank you the publishers and the author for the chance to read this book in advance.

What a whimsical, charmingly Italian ride. I felt like I was watching a black and white film from the 1950s and I so enjoyed every moment. I could see Scottie and Michael with the roof of their car down, zipping down the winding dirt roads of Siena. Getting stuck between the tiny alleyways. Little Robertino running this way and that, always looking to make some connection, some money.

I loved Scottie's and Michael's relationship. Pure in its own way. Two pure, good people who are just doing what they think is the right thing and mean no harm. I loved their willingness to forgive and to move on and to grow together, even with all the roadblocks in their show more way. Italy broke them apart and glued them together in so many ways. The secrets and the lies and the mistakes were not enough to break their bond, and I adored that.

I would love a sequel...The Brazilian Party. Yes/yes? show less

This book is a fun little spy romp in Italy post-WWII. It’s quirky and comedic. Like a Roman Holiday-esque plot. And, the lush descriptions of the Italian countryside are to die for. The book follows a young couple as they relocate to Italy – one is a secret CIA agent, the other ends up being the better spy.

It’s cute and mysterious but I had higher hopes for Scottie – the lonely wife who goes off on her own adventure to find her missing Italian-language tutor. Her conclusion didn’t do her any justice.

Scottie and Michael meet, marry and arrive in Siena, Italy to start their lives together before they really know each other. It's 1956, and Michael has come to open a Ford tractor dealership in the small Tuscan city. Both think they've got the better part of the deal because both are concealing secrets from the other. Along with their own secrets, there are plenty of others, especially since Michael's real job is with the CIA, which considers Siena to be the dark center of communism in Italy.

Christina Lynch's debut novel, ended up being a lot of fun. It was a rocky start, though, with a few problems that threatened to derail my enjoyment, the most glaring of which was a pregnant woman worried about how much she was starting to show in show more the first chapters, but by two months later was only three months along. Despite hiccups like that, both Lynch's ample research and understanding of her setting as well as the madcap pace of the novel were more than adequate to redeem this fun, summertime book. show less