Alba has lived her life splitting time between London and Tuscany, until she retreats after her long-term boyfriend is killed and she is in need of healing, time away and a way to offload her guilt. Returning to the family home, she’s morose and everyone is worried for her. But, with time away, there is a sense of healing and opportunity – and she heads out to walk in the hills surrounding the home. Strange moments and feelings, like someone is watching her brings Alba to asking questions, some of Massimo, a local who has been invited to dinner and with his abrupt departure, has grief from the war years buried within.

Slowly but surely, Massimo sees that Alba is also grieving, and is looking for connection and to ease her grief. When she discovers a box of buried treasure, her first questions are for him. He was there during the war, he’s got stories to share and maybe more about the girl Lucia. Slowly but surely they uncover the history and share their tales, as Alba learns of the terrors and tragedies during the war, and Massimo is able to share his life and stories, and perhaps find some healing within it all.

Not a happy-go-lucky story by any measure, the mysteries and the discoveries come fast and furiously: leaving the reader often gasping for breath as Alba was, in learning of the struggles, the dangers and the retributions during the war. Slowly Massimo is able to unpack his own story and burdens, and Alba finds a sort of ‘peace’ in both his story and his survival: never quite forgetting, but the ability to put the guilt aside as the story unfolds and his place in history is shown. A lovely read that allows the reader to engage with stories from the past, told through a new form, and letting the struggles and strife of a life during war finding new hope after it all ends.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aDk /”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

A beautifully written novel. Great plot with believable characters. Loved this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This was a really good story but it was a little disjointed and could be really well served by a better editor to clean up the way the timeline is presented and some inconsistencies. I love WW2 Historical Fiction a lot and this was really good but just barely missed being really great.

Very powerful and heartbreaking story about love and loss going between England 1943, Tuscany 1945 and present day Tuscany. Alba Starnucci is living in London with her boyfriend James when he is killed in an accident. Alba blames herself and returns to her father and step-mother's home in Tuscany to recover. When Alba meets 90 year old Massimo things get very interesting as hidden secrets are revealed. This is a very well researched and well written story about Tuscany during World War II. I felt the characters were well-developed and likeable for the most part. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very riveting book that I really enjoyed.

This historical fiction novel was wonderful! It had depth and the characters were so alive. The story was so touching and I couldn't put it down. There were a few spots that the pacing slowed down so that was kind of disappointing but overall this was one story that I could see reading again and again.

This book was addicting. You wanted to continue reading even long after it was over. The characters felt so real and relatable, and the story was so original.

This is a lovely and captivating story. I was swept away from the beginning to the end of this poignant story.

The Tuscan girl. What an overall sweet story. This is one of those stories that jumps between present day and WWII.
Alba has been through a traumatic event in her life and moves home to grieve and recover.
Massimo is an older gentleman who lives in a group home as he has no family to care for him, but it's only his physical limitations that keep him from his home.
Lucia is the love of Massimo's life. She is young and spunky and completely sporadic and fun.

All three of these individuals come and go in this story. I loved Massimo's character. I wish we could have followed him throughout the whole book. I loved that Alba came to care for Massimo and wanted the best for him. I felt it was believable, as I have friends who would do the same.

I liked this story. It wasn't my favorite historical fiction, as at times I wasn't fully invested in these characters. Again- I wish we spent more time with Massimo, as I felt his character was the most believable and endearing. It is a tragic story of love and loss, but also of redemption and love. Overall a great book. I would probably do 3 1/2 stars, but will round up to 4.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for and ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

I don’t even know where to begin. I suppose a brief summary of this book is a good start. It alternates between present day and the early 1940’s in Tuscany. Present day Alba returns home to Italy after tragically losing her boyfriend in a motor accident. There she meets Massimo, an elderly former WWII POW. Together, they help each other heal. Massimo has been bottling up his wartime experiences and Alba blames herself for her boyfriends death. They instantly feel a connection and for the first time, Massimo feels comfortable enough to tell his story. His story helps Alba heal and find her way again. There is so much more to this beautiful story but I want you to discover that for yourself.

I absolutely adored this book. I suppose it’s best if I start by saying how connected I personally feel to one of the main, present day, characters...Alba. I’m often drawn to the WWII generation and they are extremely comfortable with me. It was extremely easy for me to slip into Alba’s shoes as she befriends Massimo. There is so much that generation can teach us, we just have to be willing to listen. And for many of that generation, they’ve held in their stories until the right now. As that generation slowly disappears, these stories are precious and should be heard as well as learned from.

The picture that the author paints is both beautiful and devastating. What I love even more is that the descriptions are so detailed, I could actually picture it in my mind and those are my favorite kind of stories...ones that I can completely immerse my imagination into. While liberties were taken throughout the story, much of the historical events were very real. I encourage you read the authors notes to give you more detail on the historical aspect. Too little is known about the Italian resistance during WWII and this story sheds some light on that.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Angela Petch for the privilege of reading this story early

Alba is devastated and plagued with guilt when her fiancé is killed in an accident. She thinks she will be able to regroup by heading to her childhood home in a very small village in the Tuscan valley. When she discovers a box filled with silverware, near the ruins of a house abandoned after the second World War, she finds direction. She wants to find the owners of the silverware.

One of the people she meets is an elderly man named Massimo. When Alba is speaking with him, the pain and sadness is evident in his face. Alba cannot let go, however, and speaks to Massimo yet again. The two find make a connection in their grief. More and more Massimo trusts Alba and he begins to tell her of a young girl he knew during the war named Lucia. This is where the story often switches to the past. Lucia was a brave young woman and changed Massimo's life forever.

What a mystery to be solved. However, it is heartbreaking. As the horrors of the war grew close to Lucia and Massimo they were not happy-go-lucky young lovers. Their love was fraught with heartbreak and danger. Alba finds ways to help Massimo to recount these memories, although it is clear his life cycle is nearing its end. I do love the decisions each of the main characters made throughout the story, but especially Alba.

The Tuscan Girl is a touching story that touches on yet a different aspect of the war. It never ceases to surprise me as I continue to read historical fiction novels on how many ways lives were affected and forever changed. I did read The Tuscan Secret previously by Angela Petch and I fell in love with Tuscany then. She did another fantastic job of making the characters and the settings feel real to me. I enjoy her writing and look forward to reading much more as time goes on.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Tuscan Girl
I love historical fiction and especially stories about WWII and the lives of those living in the desperate times of Nazi invasion and the heroic partisan fighters. This book did not disappoint. It is well written and well researched. The lives of Italian men, women and children living through the war is heart breaking. Young men being enlisted to fight and ending up as prisoners of war. The partisan fighters and their strength of will. The fear of people living with war on their doorstep. The wonderful descriptions of the beautiful Italian countryside.
There are so many parts to this book. The love story of Lucia and her German captain Florian; Lucia’s childhood friend Massimo and his life abroad and then his return to his childhood village. Alba and the loss of her fiancé in London and her return home to Italy to recover and her befriending Massimo and learning of his and Lucia history. The story is spun through a mix of timelines which is beautifully done.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review.
Highly recommend reading this title. 5/5

Ever since the popular book and movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Tuscany invokes in me the feeling of getting away and starting a new life filled with peace and tranquility in the midst of timeless history. Author Angela Petch is up to the challenge of portraying her vision of the Tuscan countryside in an equally evocative and inspiring book that showcases the foods, homes, families and culture of Tuscany. Who hasn’t dreamed of taking a chance and starting anew in Tuscany?

The Tuscan Girl is a stand-alone companion to the author’s first Tuscan valentine, The Tuscan Secret. As we have come to expect from a book by Angela Petch, the characters and settings are the main course of this Italian feast. We get to know and deeply care about the characters from the World War II part of the story, Lucia and Florian, Salvo, Molly, the Spinks. The characters from the present are equally compelling, Alba, Alfi, and Lodovica. Massimo is the heart of the book and he appears in both the World War II story and the present. I found myself rereading a quote or description because it was filled with joy, humor, or wisdom.

The descriptions of Tuscany are reason enough to read the book. Many of the views of Tuscany are seen through Alba’s keen artist eyes. I know many readers may be used to skipping over descriptions of scenery or food, but don’t- you won’t want to miss a word. The characters love their world and share it with us from their views of trout in a stream to the unfolding of mountains and valleys. The scenes would bring joy to an Italian Renaissance painter.

There are two Tuscan girls in the story- Lucia in World War II and Alba in the present. The story of Italy’s travails during World War II are horrific and should not be forgotten.

So, why did I give this lovely book 4 stars? Mainly because there is too much. Too many changes in time which take away from the puzzles and mysteries by revealing too much, too many characters, and too many individual stories. On the other hand, many readers may find this story to be just what they wanted. Overall, this is a lovely poem to Tuscany and all that she has endured and given to the world. Recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a review copy. This is my honest review.

This was a lovely story. I love historical fiction and this did not disappoint. One criticism of the book that I would give is that it was hard to like the characters at first. There was no one character that I could connect with or relate to. I found it to be well-written and sophisticated. Good job!

I thought the mix of times worked quite well. The depiction of life in Italy during the war was hard and that came across well.
I knew there had been a lot of Italian prisoners of war in the UK and I also knew that a lot worked on the farms, they were needed as so many men had gone to fight. Also a lot of the work they did like clearing streams and rivers hasn't been done since.
Horrific how Lucia and her parents were treated by the neighbours and I'm sure that happened. It was very poignant the relationship between Massimo and Lucia and that their troubles wasn't sanitised.
Maybe there is another book in which we find out more about Beatrice and Alfi, it was all left open there.
Slight continuity error. When Alba phones Alfi, Beatrice says she is just going to fetch him from hospital. Virtually the next page Alba is saying that she hasn't got time to go and visit him in hospital.
Some of the time lines seemed a bit short. Broken legs take weeks to heal and then an equal if longer time for physion. Alfi seemed to recover from his remarkably quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Loved it!!! Beautiful description of the landscape. It wasn't until the end that I realized that Anna and Francesco were the same people from "The Tuscan Secret" (which I loved!!!!) My favorite part of the book was reading about Massimo and Lucia. I didn't realized how many Italians were kept as POWs in England during the war. I found it very interesting reading about Massimo and Salvo's time with the Spinks. I hated how Lucia's neighbor's treated her. The scene with her in the town square and what happens to her house and family were heartbreaking. I'm not sure how Lucia survived before Massimo finally returned home. Massmo was such a sweet man. I loved the relationship he had with Lucia, Alba and I can't forget Lupino. He was such a sweet and loving man. So glad Alfi and Alba were able to reconnect as friends after so many years. They were able to help each other with the James and Beatrice situations. Beatrice is one scary lady. I would always keep my doors and windows locked. The ending of the book was perfect.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved everything about it- the story, characters and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Tuscan Girl is an fascinating story about a modern day Italian woman, Alba, whose find of a box of old silverware tied to WWII sends her on a quest to learn more about the period. She eventually connects with Massimo, an old man who’d survived. The story moves back and forth between the present and the past, which focuses on the ordinary Italian citizens struggle to survive and one German who questions his assignment. No spoilers! This new to me British author does a good job describing her scenes and giving life to her characters. While this reader found the book a bit slow to grab my attention in the beginning, I became hooked once Massimo began to tell his story. Fans of WWII stories should find this book time well spent.