The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman – 400 pages
ARC from Berkley and Netgalley for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
Since the day Filomena Fontana cast a curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not one second-born Fontana daughter has found lasting love. Some, like second-born Emilia, the happily-single baker at her grandfather’s Brooklyn deli, claim it’s an odd coincidence. Others, like her sexy, desperate-for-love cousin Lucy, insist it’s a true hex. But both are bewildered when their great-aunt calls with an astounding proposition: If they accompany her to her homeland of Italy, Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all.
My Review: 4 stars
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was the perfect escape when the lockdown was just about to tip me into madness. Not only did I get to revisit Tuscany through lush description and rich detail, but I also got a story of hope. Had the world been in a more positive status, I may not have reacted as favorably, as this is not my usual type of book. Often predictable, yet never disappointing. Note, the review is being posted now as the release date was significantly delayed due to the pandemic.
When a legendary “curse” on middle daughters is passed down from generation to generation, it’s hard to not bend into the prophecy. Emilia would like to believe it’s as fake as faux but still hasn’t found “the guy” while her cousin, also a middle child, thinks it’s written in stone. So much of how they react to the idea of the curse is based on how they grew up and their individual family situations. When the black sheep of the family, Aunt Poppy, begs to take the girls to Venice, they go against their families wishes as well they should. Seriously, who passes up an all expensed paid trip to Italy.
It’s here that the girls find their true selves through experience, communication and listening to the stories from their beloved Aunt Poppy. She’s a bucketful of wisdom after suffering her own drama and heartbreak. Family, marriage, LGTBQ+, curses, spite, guilt and forgiveness are at the heart of this story.
Quotes I liked:
(From an ARC, and may be altered in finished copy.)
Love in all its forms makes the difference whether life is a gloomy black and white drawing or a colorful oil painting.”
“My sister added love like a possession. To me, Iove is more like a lending library. To keep it, we must continually renew it. Otherwise we pay a hefty fine.”
“For me, love is like books in a library. They don’t belong to us and we have to be careful with them. If we don’t, we’ll pay a high fee.”
“Being lost is where the beauty lies. Lost in a book. Lost in someone’s eyes. Lost in a symphony so sweet it brings you to tears.” She smiles. “Lost in a beautiful floating city on a starry night. This is magical, yes? It’s being found that’s the disappointment.”
“Each time you love—be it a man or a child, a cat or a horse—you add color to this world. When you fail to love, you erase color.”
