The Italian Island - Daniela Sacerdoti

 My darling girl, don’t make the same mistakes as I did. Now that my life is coming to an end, take
your grandmother’s bracelet, unlock the secret of our family history, and discover who you are…

As the hazy sun sets on golden sand, twenty-year-old Annie arrives on the stunning Sicilian island of Galatea, her father’s final wish playing heavy on her heart: she must solve the mystery of her grandmother who disappeared during World War Two. Her only clues are the delicate gold band around her wrist and directions to Villa Onda - House of the Waves - where her grandmother once lived.

As she climbs the winding road up to the cliffside villa, Annie’s path collides with handsome local fisherman, Salvo. His sea-blue eyes sparkle with recognition at her bracelet, and Annie can’t tell if it’s his warm touch or the sun-kissed villa’s vine-covered splendour that takes her breath away. Swept into the warm arms of Salvo’s family, it’s not long before she finds herself dancing the night away in the cobbled piazza and finally beginning to heal.

But one afternoon she finds an antique gramophone hidden beneath a dusty sheet in her grandmother’s bedroom. Setting the needle, she unlocks a long-buried secret… And, through Salvo’s mother, starts to unravel the truth about the bracelet and her grandmother’s heart-shattering wartime sacrifice.

With Salvo’s first kiss lingering on her lips, Annie knows she must dig deeper into the scars that haunt this beautiful island. But can her fragile new-found love with Salvo survive uncovering the truth? Will she ever be able to move on with her life until she does?

An absolutely heart-wrenching page-turner about how the catastrophic consequences of war can echo through generations, and the power that true love has to save us all. From the author of million-copy bestseller, Watch Over Me, and Amazon Number 1. bestseller, The Italian Villa, this is the perfect one-sitting read for anyone who adores Fiona Valpy, Victoria Hislop, or The Letter by Kathryn Hughes.

Author Bio:

Daniela Sacerdoti is the author of the bestselling Glen Avich series which has sold over one million copies in ebook to date, Sacerdoti’s debut novel Watch Over Me was named the eighth bestselling Kindle book of all time in 2015, when she was also ranked as the eleventh top-selling Kindle author. She lives in a small village in the middle of nowhere, with her Scottish husband, two children, a Cocker spaniel and a foundling kitten (who was definitely a witch in a past life).

https://www.danielasacerdoti.com/

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDanielaSacerdoti/

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3qOuXK2

Apple: https://apple.co/2ZMSAsT

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3jR4okv

Google: https://bit.ly/3w1MbG5

My Review

The Italian Island is a book set both in the modern-day and during the war. Annie has recently lost her father and at his request, travels to the island of Galatea off Italy to find out more about his mother who died in childbirth and he never knew much about. As soon as she arrives she feels that the island has a story to tell her and she begins to have visions of what happened in the past.
This is a bit of a paranormal story with people able to see that past as well as the idea that the women of the island have a special spirituality that allows them skills such as diving for the shellfish that they turn into thread.
Although it's quite unusual in the way that it's told, it doesn't detract from how you are drawn into Annie or Mira's world and what they have experienced. This is a story that takes the idea of the actions of the past having an influence on what happens to the descendants of these people. And although Annie wants to find out what's happened, there's an idea that there is an inevitability to her being there and finding out what happens.
I don't really want to say much more about what happens, as I don't want to give away spoilers. It is a great read and I really enjoyed following Annie and Mira's life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.