I really enjoyed this adventure of a novel! I felt like I travelled through Italy with Emilia and Poppy! I felt like I could relate to Emilia, what with her being from Brooklyn. I have always wanted to go to Italy, and so I really appreciated the descriptive writing of Spielman. I was able to picture Italy’s lush landscape and could almost smell the wonderful smells of freshly baked bread and pasta. This novel also had a twist at the end, which I did not expect! I would love to see this turned into a movie!
The synopsis of the book is that the Fontana family has a “second daughter curse”, meaning all second daughters in the family are doomed and will never find love. It seemed to be true throughout the years. Emilia seems to be content with the curse. She embraces single life and works in her family’s bakery. She has a simple life in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and likes the stability it gives her. Her flirty cousin, Lucy, on the other hand, is always searching for love. She is also a second daughter and to her, the curse is the worst thing that could ever happen. Emilia lost her mother when she was very young, and so she was raised by her nonna, Rosa. Rosa is a very strict, stern woman who never really gave Emilia the love of a mother that she so desperately craved. Emilia was okay with not receiving love from a man, but what she really wanted was a mother’s love.
Out of the blue, her aunt Poppy calls her and invites her to go to Italy with her, on the promise that she will break the curse on her 80th birthday. Emilia is shocked. For one, she doesn’t really know her aunt that well, as Rosa basically shunned Poppy from the family. Also, she simply cannot up & leave the family bakery, when her nonna depends on her. Eventually, she does give in & both her & Lucy are jetting off to Italy with her aunt, Poppy.
Thus begins the whirlwind adventure in Italy. Starting off in Venice, they make their way through Tuscany and finally to their final destination: the Amalfi coast. It is there where Poppy says she will be reunited with her love from many years ago, her Rico. Rico’s real name is Erich and he is from Germany. Poppy and Rico have not seen each other in years, as he was stuck in Germany once the Berlin wall was built to prevent escapees. Despite this, Poppy is determined she will be reunited with her true love. All the while, she has brain cancer and her once colorful personally is shriveling up, as the disease takes control over her body.
I don’t want to give too much away, but this was a wonderful, moving story about the importance of love and family. And how sometimes, it’s okay to go against your family if it means standing up for yourself and what’s best for you. I loved this Italian adventure! I would recommend to anyone who is looking for an escape set in a beautiful place!
FINAL RATING: 4/5 stars
Until next time bookworms,
xoxo
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