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1943. Wartime Italy.Casa Maria sits at the heart of the small Umbrian town of Amatino, famous for its food, wine and the di Luca and Capaldi families who run it. But now Italy is consumed by war and everything must change.
For talented cook Sophia di Luca, the discovery her father has left the trattoria not to her, but to the volatile and charismatic Giorgio Capaldi, is a bitter disappointment. Still grieving the sudden death of his wife, and in no mood to compromise, Giorgio's return to Amatino threatens everything Sophia has struggled to achieve.
As Mussolini falls and the Germans march in, the two families find themselves in conflict not only with a terrifying new enemy, but also with each other.
Annabelle Thorpe's gripping novel does for wartime Italy what Victoria Hislop does for Greece.'A joyous read, which really spoke to me about the indomitability of the human spirit. A wonderful book.'
Elizabeth Enfield, author of Ivy and AbePraise for Annabelle Thorpe: 'Unputdownable!'
Claire Dyer, author of The Last Day 'A pacy, engaging tale of human weakness and of passion so overwhelming it can make fools of us all'
Daily Express
About the author
Annabelle Thorpe has been a travel and features journalist for over twenty years, spending six years on The Times Travel desk, before becoming deputy travel editor for Express Newspapers, and then taking the same role at the Observer. She was named one of the top 50 travel writers in the UK and has visited almost sixty countries, including crossing China by train, driving solo across the Omani desert, and nearly getting run over in Tripoli. Her first novel, The People We Were Before, was set in the Croatian civil war of the 1990s, her second, What Lies Within, is set in Marrakech. She has also written two travel books. Home is rural Sussex, with her husband and cat, although she remains a Londoner at heart.
Summary
A family divided over the future of its famous restaurant is plunged into turmoil as Italy fallsto the Germans in 1943.
Foreword
A family divided over the future of its famous restaurant is plunged into turmoil as Italy falls
to the Germans in 1943.
Additional text
An evocative, beautifully written tale of love and community. The perfect immersive holiday read
