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Loading... One Italian Summer: A Novel (original 2022; edition 2022)by Rebecca Serle (Author)
Work InformationOne Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (2022)
   Books Read in 2023 (3,113) Indie Next Picks (137) No current Talk conversations about this book.  Chrissylou62 | Apr 11, 2024 |   To enjoy this novel, you need to let go of a part of your logic and reasoning. Similar to [b:In Five Years|50093704|In Five Years|Rebecca Serle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586399012l/50093704._SY75_.jpg|71431652], this book has a supernatural twist that is the key to the story. It wasn't incorporated perfectly, but I didn't mind. I liked the other big twist that happened in that part of the plot and didn't see it coming. The weakest part for me was the whole Adam subplot, which wasn't very satisfying and felt a little redundant/unfinished to me. This book is mostly about the narratives we create about people we love and the fact that we never really know the whole truth. The truth may, after all, not even be more important than love. I didn't expect this novel to go in that direction and for that, I give this 4 stars. I enjoyed being mentally transported to the Amalfi coast, that is the biggest value of this book. (  ) ZeljanaMaricFerli | Mar 4, 2024 |  ) hobbitprincess | Feb 11, 2024 | jessiewinterspring | Jan 30, 2024 | I was fine with this story at the outset, though I thought Katy was very immature for a woman who is thirty. She acted so much like a teenager, voicing a desire to be independent and make her own decisions, but still reliant on her mother to cook, clean, furnish the house, give her permission to go somewhere, etc. But the tale took a decidedly odd turn about two-thirds of the way through when It held my attention, and it was a relatively fast read. But I’m not sure I’d recommend it. (  ) BookConcierge | Jan 19, 2024 | no reviews | add a review
Notable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Romance.
HTML:INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "[A] magical trip worth taking." ??Associated Press "Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms." ??Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author The New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast. When Katy's mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn't just Katy's mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy's father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone. But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother's spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life. And then Carol appears??in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn't understand what is happening, or how??all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue. Rebecca Serle's next great love story is here, and this time it's between a mother and a daughter. With her signature "heartbreaking, redemptive, and authentic" (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Serle has crafted a transcendent novel about how we move on after loss, and how the people we love never tru No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.51)
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Wikipedia in English
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(“When you’re just a reflection, what happens when the image vanishes?” p. 201)
The point is finding herself in her mother's youth. Katy should learn to become more herself. Great lesson through an annoying, name-dropping, and whining character!
What Katy does learn is that her mother was not the perfect person Katy imagined her to be. She does learn to be "present"... and appreciate her life as is now.
Although I rated it 3 out of 5 stars, members of our book club gave it either ranged between 3 and 4 stars. We had a lively discussion about parenting, "adulting", and change. Several members chose the same quote to discuss:
“What got you here won’t get you there… the same set of circumstances, beliefs, actions that got you to a moment won't get you to what comes next. ..if you want a different outcome, you have to behave differently.” p. 116
I also found myself referring to this quote in a conversation with my own family! (