What drew me to this book was the cover. It looks like the perfect summer read, but look can be deceiving, and although it is a perfect summer read, it also requires tissues and some chocolate. I expected a summer read with sea, sand, sun, and family, and although we do get that, we also get tears, and sadness.
Within the first few pages of One Italian Summer I knew it would be a book that made me cry, but it also had the crazy family moments, the sisterly teasing, and seeing how a family copes after losing a member. Milly, Elyse, and Leonie have lost thier Dad, but they also feel like this mum has gone too, with all the extra hours in work she is never home, and even when she is home she's not really there. Milly has taken it the hardest, and she is a shadow of her former self, she now worries if someone isn't home on time, she worries if they are out. Elyse and Leonie are trying to get life back to normal, and with the upcoming holiday to Italy they are hoping thier family can find it's spark again.
One Italian Summer is a book that really resonated with me, like Milly I remember the exact details of my Dad passing, random moments from several days beforehand, but every single detail of the day. When Milly mentions not being able to watch TV shows I related to this, I have a perfectly paused game of Minecraft that I've not touched for years, because my Dad helped me build the houses and craft items and make pens for animals. I've not been able to touch it since scared I would ruin something.
Is it strange to say I liked reading the struggles of the family, knowing that I'm not crazy for things I do/think of. But seeing how they overcome so much really made me smile. They are most definitely not a perfect family, but they felt real. Their time spent in Italy was something they really needed, to get away from it all and be surrounded by family and friends in a new environment with memories that can be shared with laughter and love.
Within the first few pages of One Italian Summer I knew it would be a book that made me cry, but it also had the crazy family moments, the sisterly teasing, and seeing how a family copes after losing a member. Milly, Elyse, and Leonie have lost thier Dad, but they also feel like this mum has gone too, with all the extra hours in work she is never home, and even when she is home she's not really there. Milly has taken it the hardest, and she is a shadow of her former self, she now worries if someone isn't home on time, she worries if they are out. Elyse and Leonie are trying to get life back to normal, and with the upcoming holiday to Italy they are hoping thier family can find it's spark again.
One Italian Summer is a book that really resonated with me, like Milly I remember the exact details of my Dad passing, random moments from several days beforehand, but every single detail of the day. When Milly mentions not being able to watch TV shows I related to this, I have a perfectly paused game of Minecraft that I've not touched for years, because my Dad helped me build the houses and craft items and make pens for animals. I've not been able to touch it since scared I would ruin something.
Is it strange to say I liked reading the struggles of the family, knowing that I'm not crazy for things I do/think of. But seeing how they overcome so much really made me smile. They are most definitely not a perfect family, but they felt real. Their time spent in Italy was something they really needed, to get away from it all and be surrounded by family and friends in a new environment with memories that can be shared with laughter and love.