Cover Image: The Little Theatre by the Sea

The Little Theatre by the Sea

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Member Reviews

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

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A nice pleasant tale in the sunshine of Sardinia following the story of Faye and a run down village theatre. A spot of intrigue, a blossoming romance and some heartache along the way. This would make a perfect holiday read. My first book by this author but I will be reading more.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for review consideration. Unfortunately I found that it wasn't for me and as such I won't be formally reviewing it.

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Before I say anything else I have to share with you that I loved everything about this novel. The Little Theatre by the Sea is a story that has a lot of depth and more than one storyline which I found totally engaging.

Faye in Deriu who is not only working with the Rinaldis for the restoration of the theatre but also trying to work out the intrigue that's very apparent within the community (not to mention trying to block the attraction she's feeling towards Alessandro) while her parents back home in Dorset have their own emotional journey to make. I was just as much involved with Ade and Molly as the main storyline. That's not all. A missing young women and a childhood sweetheart all bring conflict to the story.

Rosanna Ley had me emotionally involved with this Sardinian community from beginning to end. Their lifestyle, the history and where their future might lead all became important to me. The restoration was fascinating too. I loved the way this made me think about a building - its true purpose and how to achieve it. A living and breathing entity. I wanted to be an interior designer too! and felt envious of Faye going on to study theatre restoration. 'Il Piccolo Teatro' is steeped in history and has a firm place in the communities memories and lives. No wonder it is an emotive subject for the people who live there. The way this storyline unwound was perfectly paced (as were all the plots) and just when I had thought I had it sussed there was one more twist. This author certainly pulled a veil across one character that I hadn't seen through! Such a shock! Did it change the way I thought about them? In all honesty not really. My sadness and empathy just went that little bit deeper.

I didn't have a favourite character. I enjoyed the heat of Enrico Volti's anger, the arrogance of Alessandro Rinaldi, the independence of Faye and the richness of finding something new from something old.

I have a couple of favourite scenes. One for its fear and the tension it brought, one for the perfection and made the world brighter.

The Little Theatre by the Sea is a story of mystery and intrigue, of people growing apart and coming together, life and death, love and hate. It's a story that has lodged in my heart.

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I loved this beautifully written book. Ley is such a descriptive writer that I felt like I was walking the streets and smelling the smells and feeling the breeze on my face. The book has rich characters, mixed in with a touch of romance and you have the perfect book. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. The thoughts are my own.

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This is a perfect summer read, gorgeous scenery and food, romance, intrigue, what more could you want. I thought I might be skimming it a bit but in actual fact I really enjoyed the whole book. The theatre design gave added interest and there were plenty of characters to find out about. As usual I wondered why people don't just talk to each other, save all these misunderstandings, but I could forgive the book as it was such a pleasant read but never boring. I will certainly read another Rosanna Ley in the future.

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A beautifully close to life story. The characters go through joy and pain in life only in more scenic, beautiful locations with great food and beaches.

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I haven't read any of Rosanna Ley's books before but my mother loves everything she has written so I thought it was time to leap into to her storytelling. It was no disappointment - Ms Ley has a strong clear voice which creates quite vibrant characters and brings places to life.

Faye has just finished a degree as an interior designer as an adult student and feels she needs to quickly make her way in the world to prove this change of direction was all worth while - especially to her mother. Before she makes any real decisions about what to do next her old friend, Charlotte, contacts her and invites her to Sardinia to house sit and perhaps help with a project restoring an old theatre in the village.

It gets very interesting very quickly for Faye as she finds not everyone is on board with Marissa and Alessandro, the owners of the theatre, restoring it in any way. The village seems to have its own way of dealing with things and there is a element of darkness laying beneath the daily life of the people. Secrets have been hidden for a very long time. It becomes even more complicated when Faye realises she is quite attracted to Alessandro, something that appears to be a two way street.

Back home in England another story is playing out as Faye's parents find themselves separating and wanting very different things from life. Faye is not quite sure what situation to deal with first - life has become quite complicated.

There were certainly some interesting twists and turns in this book - I would just work out how I felt about a particular character and then something would happen within one page and I would have to completely rethink my opinion. Rosanna Ley is a very clever writer with a keen imagination who draws you into the world she is creating. I found myself looking up Sardinia so intrigued by the country unfolding in the book.

Absolutely going out to find the rest of her books - some reading for the Easter holidays.

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I've been a huge fan of Rosanna Ley's work since the publication of her debut novel The Villa over five years ago. I think she was one of those authors whom at the time I stumbled across her book quite by accident on Amazon and liked the sound of it, so took a chance and have never really looked back. I have enjoyed everything this author has written, some more than others I'll admit but I do always get that warm,inviting feeling when I pick up one of her new books in which there is always such an evocative sense of time and place. The author clearly always does such impeccable research into whatever topic she may be covering and I love how with each book the reader is transported to a new country and more or less instantaneously is made to feel like they are right there with the character experiencing all the sights, sounds and smells.

The Little Theatre by the Sea is Rosanna's sixth novel and months ago when I spotted the beautiful cover on the net with a most intriguing title I knew I wanted to read this new story as soon as I could lay my hands on a copy. This time we are transported to the warm and sunny climes of the island of Sardinia. Truthfully it's a place I would have given scant previous thought to but similar to the author's other books I soon felt right at home in the setting and the areas, countryside and history of the island being described made me feel like I had already visited the island. In fact by the time I finished the book even though I had not once left the comfort of my armchair I believed I had been right there with Faye as she does her best to renovate and rejuvenate the little theatre whilst at the same battling some of her own inner personal demons.

Faye Forrester receives a call from her good friend Charlotte who is now married to a successful hotel owner and living on the beautiful island of Sardina. She has an offer for Faye one which will be hard to refuse seen as Faye has spent the last months working flat out to complete her interior designer degree. This phone call is fate, serendipity or simply meant to be. Call it what you will Faye knows she needs the break and the time to acclimatise to the fact she has reached her goal of gaining the degree but the next step for her is unknown and that scares her ever so slightly. I think when we first met Faye she like so many other characters in books is at a crossroads in her life and is keenly aware the next major decision she makes is one which will have far reaching consequences for the rest of her life. She doesn't want to be hasty or brash but yet at the same time she wishes to prove to both herself and her family that the years spent working to achieve her degree and giving up a high powered job to do so were not wasted ones and that she can become successful given the right time scale and job opportunity. On a romantic level I felt Faye was still hurting ever so slightly that former boyfriend Julian had left her and maybe with this new opportunity more than just a new career may open for her. Faye readily accepts Charlotte's offer of minding her house while she is away and the same time an opportunity to look at renovating a special little theatre presents itself? Can Faye afford to let this pass her by even if things may become quite challenging with opposition and obstacles placed in her path?

The story did move along at a lovely steady pace and in a way the rhythm of the story matched that of life on the island - periods of calm, peace and tranquillity interspersed with some small periods of unrest or disquiet. I think that's what I liked about this book at times everything seemed to be OK and Faye was maturing and making some decisions and then at others there were a few twists thrown in that I had never seen coming but were essential to upset the flow of things and bring added elements to the story to make it the very good read it proved to be.

The colours on the cover of this book may lead one to think this read will be all sweetness and light but I found this to be the opposite and at times there were some dark or sinister tones making themselves known. There was an overwhelming feeling of things being hidden and left unsaid and that Faye had to fill in the gaps or read between the lines of characters to truly ascertain what exactly was going on in what at first appears to be a quiet, sleepy village but dig a little deeper like everywhere I suppose and there is more bubbling beneath the surface than at first meets the eye. The theatre owners brother and sister Alessandro and Marisa Rinaldo were not my favourite of those characters we met. I felt Alessandro blew very hot and cold for the majority of the novel at some stages he was open and willing to talk to Faye re some of her ideas connected to the renovation and then at other periods just like Faye herself he surprised me with some of his actions or words. I never felt I really warmed to him and as for Marisa she was the nicer of the two but still there was a slightly aloof feeling she seemed to be giving off.

Pasquele was the other character that featured on the island, to be honest I really didn't know what to make of him. Early on it mentioned that he was in his 70's and then later he said he lived with his mother and I was left wondering had I read his age correctly given what age his mother must be. At times I think his character, who spends his days reliving memories of the theatre in its heyday and the times he spent acting on the stage, read like he was younger than he was. Pasquele seemed to have this aura about him of other worldliness, someone who was always there in the periphery of each scene or popping up when something was developing. I felt for him in some ways and in others he was like the proverbial bad penny that becomes increasingly difficult to get rid of.

As well as the story unfolding surrounding the theatre the book did move back to England and to the problems unfolding in the marriage of Ade and Molly (Faye's parents). I did question for the majority of the book why was the focus shifting back here every so often surely Sardina and Faye should have been the direct focus? But I think that's where Rosanna Ley excels every element of the story does eventually prove to be essential and though you may gloss over something or read through a chapter or two quite quickly, come the climax of the novel you think ah right that's why such and such a thing was included. I enjoy having the wool pulled over my eyes and being lead down the entirely wrong path and with The Little Theatre by the Sea this is exactly what happened to me. There was certainly a false sense of security and then boom all your suspicions were blown out of the water and the reader (well in my case) was proved to very wrong in their assumptions. Hints and clues and events from the past regarding Ade and Molly were there and I just couldn't fully grasp what the author was trying to suggest until the big reveal came and I was glad I had not guessed the outcome of this book.

The Little Theatre by the Sea was another good read from Rosanna Ley. Although it's not my favourite of her six books I still did very much enjoy it. Faye was a likeable character whom the reader can see needed the experience of living on the island and trying to put forward her plans to renovate the theatre on both a professional and personal level. This book wasn't simply about bringing a crumbling theatre back to life it explored the characters feelings and situations in great depth and allowed hidden secrets and emotions to come to the surface with some very surprising revelations coming to the fore. I was definitely lulled into a false sense of security regarding a character and almost felt slighted in a way as to how they turned out given my feelings towards them for the majority of the story.

Rosanna Ley for me is up there with Lucinda Riley and Lesley Pearse as one of my favourite authors and even though this wasn't my favourite read of hers, I think The Villa will always be mine, I would still highly recommenced a few hours getting lost in Faye's story and I look forward to where Rosanna will take us next.

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In The Little Theatre by the Sea - or Il Piccolo Teatro which sounds so much more romantic somehow - we follow Faye as she is invited by her friend to stay for a few weeks in Sardinia and work on the restoration of the small village of Deriu's theatre. Faye is a newly qualified interior designer and this sounds like a dream job. However, it isn't as straightforward as it seems. There is a long-standing feud between some of the villagers who believe it should be owned by the community and the rather gorgeous Alessandro Rinaldi and his sister Marisa who are the actual owners. Then there is Pasquale who used to act in the theatre with their mother, Sofia Rinaldi. He clings to his memories and does not want the theatre changed. Faye also faces the challenge of problems in her parents marriage surfacing when she is so many miles away.

Rosanna Ley is brilliant at depicting her setting. As soon as I started reading her descriptions of the Sardinian landscape, the little village and the sea I wanted to go to visit! She really captures the colours of the village, the sea and sunsets and the scents of the flowers and food in a very visual way. She is equally good at describing the beauty of Dorset where Faye's parents live with its clifftop walks and long beaches. Her food descriptions were also mouth-watering. The pastas, breads and wines had me longing for a visit to an Italian restaurant preferably by the sea in Italy or Sardinia. I did skim over some of the seafood meal descriptions though as I'm not a fan of food with shells or tentacles!

Rosanna Ley has created characters who have more layers than it appears at first. I changed my opinions of many of them as I read, as did Faye. So many long held secrets made the characters behave in a way to protect their pasts and like actors on the stage, I was never quite sure who I could believe and what was the truth. I did find the secrets a little slow in coming out and found myself frustrated at times by the pace of the story, finding it a rather more gentle-paced novel that I expected. Events which happened nearer the end of the novel lifted the storyline for me though and had me keen to find out how it would all end.

The Little Theatre by the Sea was an enjoyable read though I must admit to enjoying the author's last book, Last Dance in Havana, so much more. It would make a perfect summer read or a great book to read while dreaming of warmer weather and perhaps planning your next sunshine break.

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4.5 Stars


I'm not entirely sure whether I fell for the town of Deriu in Sardinia first, or the Little Theatre By The Sea, for within the very early part of the book both found their way into my heart to stay.

I found so much to love in this book, from the various secrets that were being hidden, to the various villagers in Deriu, to all of the Italian food being consumed that sounded delicious, and just the overall story as it was unfolding.

It has been many years since I last read a book by Rosanna Ley, so really wasn't sure what to expect with this one, and was pleasantly surprised by just how much I was enjoying it. The theatre that is at the heart of the book has a certain charm to it, and the aim is for it to be renovated back into working condition and to become the heart of the community.

However not everyone likes the Rinaldis, Alessandro and Marissa who own the theatre, and they determined to stop the project from going ahead. Faye is persuaded to visit Sardinia, primarily as a holiday but also to offer her thoughts on the theatre project, as she had recently qualified as an interior designer.

In amongst the main story of Faye, the Rinaldis and the theatre, we occasionally have chapters where the focus changes to the story of Molly and Ade. They are Faye's parents are are going through a rough patch. Mainly we see things from Ade's point of view, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him in places, he is just a man that doesn't really know what he wants.

I think this may be the first time I have visited Sardinia, either in real life or fiction, and I feel as though I now have a great feel for at least some of the island, as well as the way of life, and some of the history of the place. Keep you eyes out for a bit of local history, set in the second World War that tells of a courageous man.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book as well as the story as a whole. I read the first 20% or so before bed one night and spent most of the night when I was meant to be sleeping, wondering what was going to happen next, and in awe of the first views of the little theatre by the sea, which to me is the sign of a good book.

For me The Little Theatre By The Sea was a brilliant reintroduction to Rosanna Ley, so now I just need to work out why I haven't read as many of her books as perhaps I should, or at the very least keep an eye out for future releases.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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Having thoroughly enjoyed Ley's The Saffron Trail, I was delighted to be offered a galley of her latest novel, Little Theatre by the Sea in return for an honest review. Having just completed it in a mammoth burst over the last three days, I can wholeheartedly say it is just as good, if not better. I love the way Ley gets to grips with the far flung places she writes about and her style of writing evokes the scenery, smells and tastes of the lovely island of Sardinia so well. I visited there last summer and am returning this year. It is a lovely island with a population fiercely proud of the heritage and roots. The novel appealingly portrays this well , interweaving with family drama, mystery, relationships and a few thrills as well.
Faye, recently qualified as an interior designer is drawn to the island of Sardinia by her ex pat friend Charlotte, married to a Sardinian. Agreeing to house sit comes with strings attached in the form of a request to provide advice to the Rinaldi brother and sister team in relation to a derelict theatre left to them by their deceased father. And so, Faye's adventure with the island and its people begins.
Meanwhile, her mother and father back home in Dorset are coming to terms with change as Abe, Faye's father is offered early retirement. The threat of ensuing change opens old wounds between the couple bringing about changes Faye could never have anticipated.
I do not want to give away any more of this well written and lovely story suffice to say, if you enjoy books about relationships, good and bad, then this is for you. Ley is in tune with her characters and their feelings and writes in a believable and honest way.
I will be eagerly awaiting her next novel.

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