Natalie Jenner’s "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a poignant and richly textured novel that transports readers to the vibrant world of 1950s Rome, where personal and historical dramas intertwine against a backdrop of cinematic glamour. This engaging story earns a solid four stars for its evocative setting, compelling characters, and deft exploration of themes like trauma, hope, and renewal.

The narrative follows Vivien Lowry, a playwright whose career is abruptly halted by scathing reviews, despite the enthusiastic reception of her latest play by audiences. Faced with the demise of her dreams in London, Vivien accepts her friend Peggy Guggenheim’s advice to work as a script doctor at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. Jenner beautifully captures Vivien’s transition from the bleak aftermath of a failed career to the dynamic, colorful world of Italian cinema.

Rome in the 1950s is brought to life with vivid detail, reflecting a country at a crossroads between its war-torn past and a future brimming with potential. Jenner’s descriptions of the film industry, with its rising stars, renowned directors, and the omnipresent influence of the Catholic Church, create a rich tapestry that adds depth to Vivien’s journey.

Vivien’s character is intricately developed, her struggles and resilience resonating deeply. As she navigates the complexities of her new role, Vivien must also confront the unresolved trauma of her fiancé’s mysterious death during World War II. This personal quest for truth adds an emotional layer to the narrative, making her story not just one of professional reinvention but also of profound personal healing.

The novel excels in its portrayal of real and fictional characters, blending historical figures like Peggy Guggenheim with Jenner’s own creations. This blend enriches the story, grounding it in reality while allowing creative liberties that enhance the plot’s intrigue and emotional impact.

However, the pacing occasionally falters, particularly in the middle sections where the narrative can feel a bit meandering. Some subplots, while interesting, do not always contribute directly to the main storyline, which can momentarily divert the reader's focus.

Despite these minor shortcomings, "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a captivating read. Jenner’s talent for creating immersive settings and emotionally resonant characters shines through, offering readers a tale that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. This novel is a testament to the human spirit's capacity for renewal and the enduring power of hope, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and character-driven stories.

Natalie Jenner has once again crafted a narrative that charms and moves, solidifying her reputation as a master storyteller. "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a memorable journey through the shadows of the past into the light of new beginnings.

St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City casts a golden glow over Rome and its many visitors. Viviene Lowry may sense her script writing is more in its shadow than its glow. Natalie Jenner sinks readers into the complexities of Italian political, economic, and cultural life in the 1940s and 1950s. Her dual timeline alternates between La Scolaretta, the resistance fighter in 1943 and Viviene, the London playwright in 1954-1956.
Jenner’s novel is a standalone, laced with characters her readers will recognize from The Bloomsbury Girls, though Jenner provides excellent background and details to support them in the plot. How we atone or make reparations is a theme rooted in Viviene’s realization that she has been operating out of fear and anger. Through Viviene’s new relationships Jenner also explores mother-child dynamics. The characters, motivated by many different circumstances, experience surprising twists which provide ample topics for discussion.
Every Time We Say Goodbye shines a light on the absolute power and prevailing influence of the Vatican on the movie industry in the mid-20th century. Through Cardinal Marchetti and Viviene’s script writing experience the tangled threads of the Church, the police, the state, and movie studios are unraveled. Jenner also highlights the power of cinema to eventually create a new reality.
Discovering the true nature of friends and family, which may be heartbreaking or uplifting, is another theme. Jenner’s characters represent the invisible damages of war- using acts of goodness as a shield or as an emotional cocoon. My favorite, Sir Alfred Knox, the British industrialist, and philanthropist, is a wonderful homage to all those who risked their own lives to save others, helping hundreds of Jewish children escape.
Risk, relationships, renewal-wrapped in an Italian love story.

“Every Time We Say Goodbye,’ international bestselling author Natalie Jenner’s third novel, is set in post-World War II Rome. In 1955, Vivien Lowry, a main character from Jenner’s second novel, “Bloomsbury Girls,” is a bookseller turned playwright. But devastating reviews shut down her London play. Her friend Peggy Guggenheim suggests she go to Rome and take a job as a script doctor.

“One doesn’t go to Italy to escape the past, but to acquire one.”—Chapter 1

Once in Rome, Vivien discovers a thriving film industry with renowned directors and glamorous actors—and everyone seems to have a secret. Multi-layered characters are introduced in nearly every scene, adding more pieces to the puzzle.

“Our secrets are who we really are.”—Chapter 14

In a beautiful city with a new career and a charming lover, Vivien is determined to start fresh even as she investigates the mysterious disappearance of her fiancé, who was a soldier and vanished in Italy during the war.

Amidst the complexities of post-war cinema, a brave era of artistic liberties arises, paving the way for creative and cultural expression. However, the Catholic Church's power in Italy halts production.

“…their choices as artists, as craftsmen, would always be subject to his sensibilità and that of the church.”—Chapter 27

Jenner takes her time developing the characters and setting out the pieces, and about halfway through, the story gains traction. I adore Jenner’s well-researched, richly colored, thoughtful novels and admit that I loved “Every Time We Say Goodbye” even more on a second read, understanding how all the characters and storylines fit.

Although, as in Natalie Jenner’s previous novels, there is a satisfying happily-ever-after, the haunting last pages left me melancholy.

 “Saying goodbye is the hardest thing in the world, save for one, and that is being cheated of it.”—Chapter 40

 A nuanced and heartbreaking tale indeed.

Vivian needs a bit of a change. Her play has been panned by critics, though her friends are supportive of her. At the recommendation of one of her friends, she sets off to Italy to become a part of the film scene there. There she joins escapees of McCarthyism from Hollywood. She faces challenges of writing not because of the men she works with, but the influence of the Vatican looms large.

I loved this story that challenged everything that Vivian knew about herself and the world around her. This trip to Italy opened up opportunities for introspection and discovery of secrets that WWII was only just giving up. Through her journey, she may be able to come to peace with her past and with her future.

This story included many side characters who also had their own growth journeys, offering the perspective that not all travel the same past, but all need a sense of healing.

The writing was well done and set in the fifties. The history stayed true to what was. This book also offers a sense of the healing that Italy itself needed after WWII. Interlaced through this story was the story of young female resistance fighter who fought for her country and worked at the same studio prior to the war. The writing was strong and the perspective, unique.

I received an early copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This was my first Jane Austen Society book. I was a little worried about starting with #3 in the series but read that the books do a good job standing alone. I did feel like I was missing some of the parts and pieces of some of the English side characters. I could definitely follow the storylines set in 1950's Italian film industry and the historical parts of the storyline were very interesting. I am always surprised to learn more aspects of post-WWII and this was something I have never even thought about. I did struggle with some of the character development and keeping my interest in the different stories. In the end, I found it intriguing and the last 20% of the book went by quickly but the first 80% I had trouble focusing on. Vivian was an interesting character but I had trouble with the storylines about her love affair (and her lover's ex-wife) and then the switch to her missing fiancé to flashbacks of the past. Overall, I would like to pick up the first book in the series and see where that takes me. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie Jenner books are always so full of history and places and beautiful people and her latest book is just as much fun.

When Vivienne moves to Italy to work in the film industry she comes across the Hollywood Elite and begins to see her life and her past in a different way.

The writing takes you to all of the fabulous places in Italy and brings the characters to life.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the chance to read and review this book.

I wanted to love this story as I have love Natalie Jenner’s other two, but I was never really that invested in Vivian or her character. I hated John from the start and wasn’t surprised by his plot line at all. I wish I could have connected with this story more, but it was a slog to get through.

I have read the other two novels centered around the Jane Austen Book Club and it took me a minute to place Vivian in that world. Vivian is one of the co-owners of Sunwise Turn, the bookstore introduced in The Bloomsbury Girls. She is a writer but her latest play effort has been met with dismal reviews. On the suggestion of Peggy Guggenheim, Vivian takes off to help an American screen producer with his latest script. At the same time she receives word about her lost fiancée, who fought in WWII. Vivian's journey to Italy and all that happens as a result is rich and well described. There are many threads that are pulled together in the end and a cast of very dynamic characters.

This is not my favorite of Jenner's books but it was a solid read. Vivian didn't resonate with me and that made it hard to continue. But I wanted to know about the mysteries so I kept at it. I'll be curious to see if the JABC characters return again or if this was it....

Atmospheric and well-researched, Jenner vividly portrays two timelines with incredible detail in this immersive page-turner. It was fascinating to learn how the glamour of the era and the burgeoning Italian film-making community rubbed up against the censorship of the Vatican and other factors that shaped Italy as it was recovering from the tragedy of war. Hardship and loss are examined, but the moving story is ultimately hopeful. Vivien is a resilient and strong FMC, and reading the continuation of her journey after Bloomsbury Girls and witnessing the emotions and growth she shows was a treat. Some scandal and fun celebrity cameos round things out. Historical fiction lovers will want to add this well-written book to their tbr!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this ARC

This book really fell flat for me. I think it was the subject matter. I enjoyed the previous books by this author that centered around Jane Austen and book stores. McCarthy era movie making and movie stars just isn't my jam. I will definitely check out other books by this author, but this one was a miss.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Every Time We Say Goodbye follows Vivien Lowery who readers first met in Bloomsbury Girls. After her latest London play receives negative reviews, Vivien travels to Rome to find both a new start and a closure for old heartbreaks. This novel is set during the film heyday that Italy enjoyed in the 1950s. American screenwriters, directors, and actors enjoyed a kind of freedom not found during the McCarthy-era witch hunts in Hollywood. But with this “freedom” comes a new kind of censorship from the Catholic church. I found this thread of the novel interesting, and real-life Hollywood stars make their appearances, giving the novel a touch of glitz and glamour. But it is the second plot line that I found the most intriguing. The reader is introduced to the Italian resistance fighters of WWII. I found the fabricated fairytale lives of those in the film making industry an insightful backdrop to the selflessness of those who sacrificed so much. There is so much contradiction — those wanting to forget or tidy up the past and those who want to expose it in all its harsh reality. In the end the novel is one of finding purpose and truth in a world that seems only to want a perfect storybook ending.

Fans of Jenner’s earlier novels and those who love historical fiction set in the mid-20th century will not want to miss this book!

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a super quick read. I ended up reading it in about an hour on my lunch at work. I liked the characters and the plot a lot. I thought the book was well written and very engaging for the most part. I did find myself being pulled out of the story a few times and lost in my own thoughts instead but I think that was more of a me thing. I also didn’t realize that this was the third in the series, so not sure how much that affected anything, but I like to read books in order. I’ll definitely check out the other books in this series because I did enjoy this one!

I enjoyed reading Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Every Time We Say Goodbye weaves in quite a bit, and Natalie Jenner intersects characters and themes as deftly as she has done in previous books. Like before, here there is a mixture of real historical figures walking alongside fully fictional characters, adding to the realism and timeline of the story.

In Bloomsbury Girls, Vivien Lowry was a complicated, prickly, ambitious woman with a tragic past. Here we get to see more of her past and her ambition, even if her edges are starting to soften. Going into Every Time We Say Goodbye, I was expecting the story to largely center on Vivien’s search for the truth regarding her late fiancé’s final months in Italy. However, while that goal does first inspire Vivien to relocate to Rome, it hovers in the background for much of the book, waiting until the end to put the pieces together.

Instead, much of this book is more about the Italian film industry in the 1950s. Working as a script doctor at the eminent Cinecittà Studios, Vivien not only gets to spend time with famous actors and directors alike, she also gets a firsthand look at how the Catholic Church exerts such control over the films being produced there. The Catholic Church has a ton of power over Italy at this time, and that extends to the movies that can be made or shown there. But their neutral position during WWII means that some stories may make them look bad, further incentivizing them to put a stop to certain stories that our characters want to tell.

If you’re a fan of classic movies and stars of the 1950s, this is a fun book to immerse yourself in. There are many recognizable faces, plus fascinating insight into the Italian filmmaking industry of the time. However, this is also a thought-provoking look at religion as an institution and as a source of immense power. I also liked getting to know Vivien specifically, and her lack of trust in religion. As she points out later in the novel, how can she have faith in the aftermath of such atrocities as those committed in WWII?

There are numerous interconnecting stories here. On the one hand, Vivien starts seeing a man named John Lassiter, and his relationship with his wife Anita Pacelli and their adopted daughter Margarita is complicated. Later revelations mirror the information another character, Tabitha Knight, is working to uncover about her own past as an orphan of WWII. And then there’s the story we’re waiting to see wrapped up: What really happened to David? There are prominent themes of loss and survival, of children and babies, orphans and adoption, and more, and it all comes together beautifully by the end.

Every Time We Say Goodbye mostly focuses on Vivien Lowry’s life in 1955, but there are also snapshots of an anonymous woman known as La Scolaretta in 1943. How does her story connect with everything else?

Another one of my favorite (and rather meta) themes here is the recurring discussion of what constitutes the truth. Filmmakers, writers, photographers, painters—who is to say what is real and what is pure fiction? How much of the truth is made? When outside powers (like the Catholic Church) censor or prohibit scenes or entire movies, how can people judge what is real? As a creator, these are fascinating questions. And as part of a novel themselves, and a novel about creators, no less, these are important themes to keep considering.

Every Time We Say Goodbye is a thoughtful, melancholy, yet hopeful novel of post-WWII Italy and England. It has the dazzle brought by the film industry and famous stars present throughout, but it also has the harsh realities of war and its aftermath. I was happy to get to know Vivien Lowry more, from her unfinished past to the future she can finally forge for herself.

I was excited to hear that Natalie Jenner was moving the setting of her Jane Austen Society series from England to Italy post-WWII. The moviemaking scene in Italy was a perfect backdrop for Vivien, a scriptwriter and one of the Bloomsbury Girls (Jane Austen Society #2), and many guest appearances too. I had just recently finished reading Beneath a Scarlet Sky about WWII Italy and so this was a fitting and serendipitous “flight pick”.

I never realized how big the Italian movie industry was in those days and how many Americans flocked there to avoid the McCarthyism in the U.S. I thought the book was so good at delving into how people were recovering from all the trauma and losses of WWII while trying to move on with their lives. I love how Natalie Jenner writes her characters - I quickly feel like I’ve known them all along, including name-drops of many well-knowns of that time. I’ll continue looking forward to future books in this series.

Many thanks to #StMartinsPress who is so generous in providing me an early copy in exchange for my honest review! This novel dropped on Tuesday. I highly recommend it to historical fiction lovers, especially those who have read the first two of the series, although it can definitely be read as a standalone.

My links:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5898490573?book_show_action=false
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6_f1NDLeMG/

Compelling!

Jenner continues exploring the lives of various of characters we’ve met in the “Austen Society” and “Bloomsbury Girls.” This time the action is mostly set in post World War II Rome. Vivien Lowrey is a playwright. Through her works she tries to capture the truth of things. Having been savaged by theatre critics for her latest production she comes to Rome to work as a script doctor for “When All Else Fails” a Douglas Curtis film being produced in Italy.
Joseph McCarthy has started his witch hunts for communist and socialists in the film industry and many have fled here. Mussolini had built a huge studio complex in Rome specifically for propaganda. Now, in 1955, Cinecittà Studios is being well used by the Italian and other film makers, including the Americans.
Vivien catches up with others of the Austen and Bloomsbury women who flit in and out of the story, including Peggy Guggenheim.
The names! I’m starry eyed! Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, Orson Wells, Eartha Kitt!
The story is complex. Layers upon layers build up a picture of Vivian and those around her. Vivien had been engaged to David St. Vincent, heir to an earldom. David had been captured in North Africa, then sent to Italy, escaped and then disappeared. Vivian had always believed he was dead. When she finds out he’d lived, she has hope. That’s part of her reason for coming to Italy.
In Rome she learns the story of many in the Italian underground, particularly the women. One was La Scolaretta, girlfriend of underground leader Prince Nino Tremonti, now filmmaker. La Scolaretta became an assassin. She was helped by an Italian nun, Sister Justina. Their reasons for helping are different, but their bravery and resistance is awe inspiring.
A film is to be made about Scolaretta. The Vatican shuts it down!
The Vatican comes under fire. Where were they during the time when the country was occupied by the Nazis. Did they seek to hold onto power at any cost?
Meanwhile the search for news of David and for others comes to the fore for Vivien. During her search Vivien faces facts about her own life.
As she and her friend Gabriella Giacometti discuss when Claudia (a reporter for Life Magazine) moves onto a new life, “Our secrets are who we really are.”
A deeply moving story of loss and gain, of power abused, and of a time in history that has stained generations.

A St. Martins Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Dual POV with great 1950s film industry insight! Strong female characters but left me wishing for more connection with characters. Would have liked more time with some of the smaller storylines. Overall another good read from Natalie Jenner but not my favorite of hers.

3.5 Italian heartbreaking stars

Set mostly in post-WWII Italy, this is a heartbreaking tale of grief and recovery after the war. I didn’t realize that Rome was a huge filming city, and it was fun to read about famous actresses like Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. The church also played a heavy part, censoring things that were deemed negative to the church or sinful.

There were also some alternating chapters featuring a heroine of the Italian resistance. I don’t think I’ve read many books about that, but it makes sense that there would be an underground movement in Italy.

If you’ve read the earlier books by this author, some characters are the same. However, I think this one would work as a stand-alone. The earlier books have a very different British feel.

Vivien Lowry is an author who is escaping negative reviews in London, so she heads to Rome to help edit a script. She also has a side project of trying to find out what happened to her fiancée near the end of the war.

Italy is trying to heal after the war, but there is a long way to go. As Vivien gets to know some Romans, she finds healing eventually as well. I liked that her character ends up growing and finding some happiness.

Natalie Jenner's EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE was historical fiction at its best, sharing the story of Vivien, would-be playwright fleeing terrible reviews to assist with a movie set in Italy. I loved the time period, the settings, and stories interwoven throughout of WWII, art, the Resistance, and the dialogue between well-drawn characters. I felt totally immersed in a time and place -- a wonderful escape so well-written and structured so that I was tempted to read just one more chapter instead of going to bed, getting to work, doing anything but leaving a vivid, wonderfully realized story.

Post-WWII Italy is back to making films, and Vivien becomes a script doctor and living la dolce vita, while dealing with the Catholic Church censors versus films made with the passion of the moment. 

A parallel story from the war is told about the Resistance and its ties to a convent still maintaining secrets, while Vivien tries to find out what happened to her fiance during the war. When she discovers the truth, she finds peace and has decisions to make about her future.

The backdrop of Rome makes the perfect setting for Vivien's story, her life, her love, and her writing. The reader is transported to this vibrant time and mesmerized by the story, the characters, and the country, even in the face of obstacles.

A beautiful story told with heart.