A lovely read. An enjoyable escape. I liked the characters and the plot was believable. Will read this author again. Recommended.

Review: This book got me very excited from reading the blurb as it was set around a writer retreat something I have always wanted to do. However, on starting this book it was rather confusing as it moves around a lot and has many characters. The characters are great and once you get to know who is who and where everything is heading it becomes a book that you cannot put down and leaves you wanting more. It is a great plot. Defiantly one to try when on holiday and have time to take it in.

I think this is probably going to be a short review because I really enjoyed it and don’t want to spoil it for anyone. In fact you should all just ignore the rest of this review and go buy yourself a copy to read instead.

I will start with two things. The descriptions of the food in this book were amazing and left me really hankering for some Italian food, specifically a big bowl of pasta with a glass of wine on the side. If you can, those would be the perfect things to have whilst reading One Summer In Tuscany.

And as much as I really found the creative writing tutor to be a bit of a “love to hate him” character some of the things he said about writing in the book made me think and made me want to pick up my own long neglected novel attempts.

One Summer In Tuscany was the perfect book to lose track of time with on a warm summer day in the garden. If, like me, you aren’t getting away this summer it’s the next best thing to an actual trip to Italy and I highly recommend it.

Patricia, an English woman in her 40s, is divorced and living in the sprawling Castello trying to make the place pay for itself, whilst working out where it went wrong with her teenage son Matt. One of the ways to bring in money is to hold a 2 week writers retreat in the middle of summer and this book is about the mix of people who sign up and attend. There's Jeremy, the tutor, who wrote a best seller 20 years ago, and has been crippled with doubt ever since.  There's Sam, who has quit a good job in the city in order to write a best seller in a bit of a pique - if only he didn't lose interest in which ever story he starts.  There's JP, the Frenchman who hates Italian Wine (but not enough to shun it completely when it suits); Cat the ‘yummy mummy’ who is confident that she has written the next best seller; Cat's best friend Anne; Mary, the elderly spinster who has spent the best part of 30 years writing her crime novel with no expectations of it ever being published.

Some characters get more attention than others, some dying off near the end as focus is put on others and "what happened next" is only detailed in a very short epilogue, some of which could have done with a little more explaining.

I found some of the structure to be very similar to The Enchanted April in it's set up but De Rosa seems to be aware of this as the related movie is to be put on as entertainment one evening.

Patricia's money problems are solved with the help of a very unexpected source. Dorothy's stories re her childhood of woe is thrown into doubt when her delightful mother turns up, and Cat's perfect life and delightful children is shown to be just one side of the story, when her husband and children turn up in the second week.  Everyone staying at the villa gets some surprise and insight into their life - for better or for worse - and for some it is life changing (even if it means things stay the same, it's by active choice).

So, In summary: A nice Summer read, to remind you of the Italian countryside, with great food, lovely scenery, and a little bit of drama thrown in.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the story of seven aspiring authors on a creative writing course in a beautiful castle high on a hill in Tuscany - I liked the mix of characters, all different ages and backgrounds, all with emotional baggage. I really loved the character of Aldo the chef and would love to be in Tuscany enjoying his food!

I enjoyed the descriptions of the beautiful countryside and excursions enjoyed by the writers and the details of the tasks set on the creative writing course which all bring the story to life. A story of crises, personal discovery and emotions.

A light summer read with twists and turns and a happy ending! Perfect for a beach read or an afternoon in the garden.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Patricia owns and 18th century home in the Tuscan hills but in order to make it pay she has to let rooms and run courses. This summer she is running a writing course for would be authors and has Jeremy, who once had a bestselling book, running it. Opening up her home is not easy for her as she struggles to make small talk and join in but she has good staff - especially Aldo the chef who's dishes will make your mouth water - and so she can keep in the background as much as possible.

The course attendees are a very mixed bag - I loved Mary who is in her seventies and has spent 30 years writing a crime novel that she doesn't expect to publish but is happy to join in with everything.....especially Aldo! The course also includes trips to Rome and Florence and a local vineyard and so you really get the true local flavour.

A lovely book - great summer read - interesting set of characters and how they react to each other and definitely takes me back to some summer holidays in Tuscany!

This is the first book I have read by this author although I previously liked the sound of some of her other titles. Generally speaking, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the Italian setting, as I am a big fan of Italy. I thought certain characters were particularly well drawn. I think my favourite was Aldo, the chef. There was a great cast of characters of all different ages and personalities. There were a few incidents I thought unlikely and out of kilter with the rest of the flow of the book, but that would not discourage me from trying another book by this author. I think she describes Italy well and the relationship many foreigners have with Italy and Italians. I loved reading about Ferragosto and the various trips that Patricia, the owner of the castello where the writing retreat took place arranged for the 7 writers. There was plenty of romance for all ages, a bit of rivalry, an egotistical tutor and an estranged ex-husband. Will definitely consider checking out Domenica's other books as I felt her characters were overall well drawn and imaginable, although Dorothy's storyline was a little farfetched for my liking. All in all a good read.

The Blurb :
Love, rivalry, and writing in a Tuscan paradise . . . Welcome to the Castello de Luna.
High on a hill in the Tuscan countryside stands a castle of golden stone, home to Patricia O’Hara’s writers’ retreat – a serene hideaway where you can polish your prose by the pool, gain inspiration from your peers and eat the best melanzane in Italy, courtesy of chef Aldo. But, while the splendour of their surroundings never fails to wow the guests, huge maintenance bills and bad news from the bank threaten to close Patricia down. It’s make or break time for the Castello de Luna.
This August each of her seven aspiring authors arrives with emotional baggage alongside their manuscripts. But something is different. It may be just the prosecco, but soon lifelong spinster Mary is riding on the back of Aldo’s Vespa, and smouldering odd-job man Fabio has set more than one heart racing.
As temperatures rise, the writers gossip, flirt and gently polish their prose by the pool. But with some unexpected visitors to contend with, one thing’s for sure: neither the Castello, nor Patricia, has ever seen a summer like this.

My Thoughts :
I have to start with saying about the front cover, its beautiful amd with a title of spending a summer in Tuscany, it will tempt anyone to pick it up and have a read.
I enjoyed the concept around this story that seven inspiring writers go on a retreat in Tuscany, all different ages and all different personalities.
As they get to know one another and delve into the charactors we are treated to a fortnight of sightseeing the Tuscan countryside, lazy days by the pool, lots of eating by Aldo the chef, who cooks up a storm of mouthwatering foods and just a general feel of being in a whole different world from their everyday lives. This is a lovely easy read that will transport you a million miles away. My only gripe with this was, I felt there was a lot of charactors to keep track of and at times I was confused as to who I was reading about and had to flip back a few pages. Here would of been a case of less is more. But overall a great read.

When I was offered the opportunity to review One Summer in Tuscany and invited to take part in the blog tour I didn’t have to think twice. I adore Italy and almost any book set there will be on my TBR before long. However, I must make one thing clear in case anyone else makes the same mistake as me. It was only after I had read the book and was looking on Amazon for the book blurb to add to my review that I realised the book had previously been published in 2008 as ‘Summer School’. I have a few books by Domenica de Rosa on my bookshelves and sure enough, when I checked my Goodreads list, I have Summer School hiding somewhere in my book collection. Oh well, that’s one more book that I can now delete from the ‘to be read’ list!

Anyway back to the story. Set in the idyllic Tuscan hills, Patricia Wilson’s 18th century home earns its keep (or tries to) by playing host to guests on a residential creative writing course. The two week course includes tuition from author Jeremy Bullen and features sightseeing trips into Rome and Florence as well as the chance to explore the local landscape. For the guests it is a chance to hone their writing skills and to have their writing critiqued by a well-known author however for Patricia, facing the worry of bankruptcy, it is make or break time for her business. Add into the equation, a rebellious and moody teenage son and her Tuscan idyll doesn’t sound quite so perfect.

If the idea of a writing retreat sounds inviting, the diverse mix of guests and the conflict of personalities could scupper the chance of a relaxing time. Not everybody gets along, alliances are formed, and there are hopes of romantic attachments. With guests ranging from a young female ‘yummy mummy’ who is confident that she has written the next best seller, to an elderly spinster who has spent the best part of 30 years writing her crime novel and who has no expectations of it ever being published, the tutor Jeremy begins to despair of seeing a half decent novel or idea from many of his pupils. He was once (and it was only the once!) a best-selling author however in the 20 years since then he has written nothing else and lives off his previous claim to fame.

This is a very easy read and that is meant as a compliment. It is written with a lighter touch however as the story progresses, we learn more about the lives of the characters and their hopes and dreams and there are a few surprises along the way. For my own personal tastes I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to the characters but it was still very enjoyable. The descriptions of the surrounding landscape and countryside are captivating whilst the food prepared by Aldo the chef will make your mouth water.

Over the course of the 2 weeks, the guests spent their time sightseeing, relaxing by the pool, eating and sleeping during the hot afternoons. There doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of writing going on but by the time they return home however, they will have learnt a lot about themselves. Some will realise that their dream of publication is just that, a dream, whilst others will have had a life changing experience.

One Summer in Tuscany would make for a perfect summery read, with a glass of something chilled at hand!

At the time of writing this post, One Summer in Tuscany can be downloaded from Amazon UK for just 99p.

My thanks to Olivia at Quercus for the Netgalley copy to review and for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A really enjoyable read with great characters and a lovely ending.

A visit to Tuscany would be amazing in itself but heading to that region of Italy to attend a creative writing course? Well, that would be the dream.

No wonder I was immediately taken with Domenica de Rosa’s book, One Summer in Tuscany, which not only features both of those things but also takes place in a rustic-sounding castle (sign me up!).

There is much to love about this book even though it’s quite slow to start and, for the sleep addled among us, it's quite hard getting all the different voices, who take turns narrating, straight at first.

It reminded me of being on a rollercoaster where it builds and builds towards a dramatic and actually rather thrilling finish.

The story is skilfully told and not only offers great insight into Italian life but also the creative writing process. I was especially entertained reading the course participants’ efforts at the various writing exercises.

Of course the setting plays a hugely important role in the book and the vivid descriptions of not just the castello but the places they visit on different excursions really helped to bring the story to life.

All the characters are well developed. There were some I liked more than others but the one I loved the most was Mary. Without spoiling anything it was fantastic to see a more mature character come into her own.

While the ending left me with a huge smile on my face, I did feel, however satisfying it might be, that it was just a tiny bit too perfect with everything sewn up so happily. I would have liked to have seen Patricia, in particular, taken on a different route. Having said all that, it was an enjoyable read that only strengthened my love of Italy (and creative writing).

Format: Kindle.
Price: 99p.
My rating: Four stars.

With thanks to Quercus Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC in return for an honest review.

An enjoyable read - beautiful setting, a cast of interesting characters, nothing too traumatic and a happy ending. Sometimes all you need from a book is the equivalent of a hug, a bit of reassurance that good things can happen in the world and a few ideas for your next holiday.

The tale revolves around a writers' retreat in Tuscany. The writers range in age and talent providing a series of love interests, personal crises and self discovery. Sit back, pour yourself an Italian white and enjoy!

I read this book a few years ago when it was titled Summer School. I don't re read books unless they are the classics so I can't leave a review for this book. I know I did enjoy it though.

What a delightfully wonderful book. Set in the idyllic setting of Tuscany, in the Castello. The description made me want to pack up and head there. Its the perfect summer read. Full of different characters. At first I was getting lost when so many character names were thrown at me at once. But once I settle into the story it was fine. Each individual character brought something different to the book, Lots of laughs, tears and happy endings make for a perfect read.