Book Blurb:
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered. Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and prove her birthright. Flashing back to the past, we meet Serafina, a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly it isn’t long before a woman challenging the status quo finds herself in danger.
As Sara discovers more about Serafina, she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother.
My Review: 4 stars
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza was a great audio listen and I was happily transported into Sicily. The main protagonist is on a quest to understand what really happened to her beloved great-grandmother.
Not only is this book entertaining with moments of Piazza’s wit, but it also shares some historical accuracy based on the author’s family. Sicilian readers have claimed that the story seems entirely realistic which is frightening as there are many people out to keep secrets long buried at any cost.
Often, with dual timeline novels, I fall deeper into one timeline rather than the other. In this one, I definitely preferred the past, from the 1900s. It was a constant reminder at how day to day life is now – dishwashers, cell phones, laundry, etc. I also really appreciated that this one featured women that supported one another. Quick read that I read on release day, eight months ago, yet I just realized I never reviewed it. Sorry, Jo!
Quotes I liked:
It is on friends that one depends to get along in life.”
“It is more a way of life, a spirit, a story we pass down, a way of reminding ourselves that the only way for a woman to survive in this world is to help other women.”
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