I fell in love with the writing style from the moment I picked up the book. The writer uses an artistic and elegant vocabulary that really conveys the beauty of Italy throughout the volume. The semantic field of historic sophistication of art, gardening and architecture is one of my favourite things about this book, and you can really envision what Italy would've looked like in the 70s just from the writing.
As for the plot, it took me a little bit to get accustomed to the more complex vocabulary in the beginning, but this loosened as I continued, and I was able to appreciate what was happening - the story follows two women living in entirely different time periods. Nina, a landscaper who was alive in the 1970s and mysteriously murdered, and present-day Lottie, a newly employed archivist at the Espatriati, who becomes obsessed and diligent to unveil Nina's story after finding and sorting through her records.
The jumps between timelines were achieved very well, it wasn't too much to handle at once, and the storyline flowed with ease. If you like thrillers with a touch of history, romance and religion, this is the book for you.
As for the plot, it took me a little bit to get accustomed to the more complex vocabulary in the beginning, but this loosened as I continued, and I was able to appreciate what was happening - the story follows two women living in entirely different time periods. Nina, a landscaper who was alive in the 1970s and mysteriously murdered, and present-day Lottie, a newly employed archivist at the Espatriati, who becomes obsessed and diligent to unveil Nina's story after finding and sorting through her records.
The jumps between timelines were achieved very well, it wasn't too much to handle at once, and the storyline flowed with ease. If you like thrillers with a touch of history, romance and religion, this is the book for you.