I was so excited to start this book after reading great reviews on Netgalley but after multiiple tries to start this story, I was just unable to get into it and was unable to finish it. This has nothing to do with the writer/writing themselves, as the prose was interesting and the cast of characters showed promise, it just wasn't for me.

This book was such an unexpected delight! I have not read anything by Kira Jane Buxton before, so I was not expecting a lighthearted, extremely funny read. This is a cozy, sweet, and uplifting story about a small, broke village in Italy that has a chance at a second life when the world's largest truffle is discovered in their woods (by an adorable truffle sniffing dog - this book has fantastic animal characters, including a cat named Al Pacino, and a donkey who narrowly just lost the election for mayor!)

With an eclectic cast of characters, genre-defying and expert world-building, and truly laugh out loud moments, I was so taken with the book as a whole. It's making me want to read the rest of Buxton's novels, which I hear are also incredible. Also, don't read this book if you are hungry. I'm seriously considering heading over to Shake Shack this afternoon to have one of their limited time truffle burgers because I have to remember exactly how truffles taste after an entire book describing how amazing they are!

I think this will be a great book club book next year, and it just the kind of book we need for tumultuous times. It's sweet, endearing, warm, and funny. Five easy stars.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in return for my honest review. I loved Buxton’s Hollow Kingdom series and attribute it to being the very reason I began my reading renaissance this past year. So you can imagine I was delighted to hear she was going to produce a new standalone novel. However, Tartufo really falls flat for me. The writing is quite flowery (which is fine if you can make it comedic), and Buxton can really succeed with this but I found myself shaking my head at her jokes and cringing a lot of the time. The plot is reaaaaaaaallly stretched out and nothing quite exciting happens until the auction. I am fond of Buxton’s writing style in Hollow Kingdom and Feral Creatures but it just doesn’t work here and I can’t quite put my finger on why not! This was a huge miss for me and I feel quite downtrodden for having such high expectations. Also, the author made some American mistakes writing in Italy: she references using $s instead of euros. And in the scene where they celebrate the donkey’s 21st birthday they mention he can now drink legally which in America is 21 but in Italy is 18.

I really wanted to love this book. Italy is my second home so I was excited to read about a dying old town be saved. Unfortunately I just couldn't finish this... after having 4 incredibly detailed paragraphs about an ants POV.. I just had to stop. This book is far to detailed and is very slow paced. I'll try to revisit it another time.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc.

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


With an abundance of alliteration, vocabulary to stump Webster and descriptions that rival “saying yes or no in 500 words or more”, TARTUFO tested my patience as a reader.

Introducing characters and the dying town of Lazzarina Boscarino take up the first half of this painfully slow moving novel. There is so much detail it would have been helpful to have a score card only I was glazed over and really didn’t care about most of the people. It was nearly 200 pages before author, Kira Jane Buxton, shares what a TARTUFO is and why it’s important. The expression “hurry up and wait” has never been so real.

In fairness, the second half does move somewhat better with more action and characters rising to a place I cared about them. The story still feels too long, like Buxton had a page or word count she needed to achieve. I kept wondering where the heck was her editor?

If you’re a fan of highly detailed prose, extremely quirky characters and the ever popular HEA, this book might be perfect for you. For added fun, the animals are really entertaining and the cover is gorgeous📚

Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Everything I have read about this book is so positive! But when I settled down to read it, the writing style was a hurdle to overcome. From what I gathered, through skimming both the book and the reviews, it's really worth it, and it becomes a little smoother once you get further into the book. However, I just can't get there - I've tried a few times and simply don't have it in me right now (the holiday season). But, like I said, I like everything I've read and seen and I do not think that this "issue", such as it is, is one with the author. It's me, not having patience to stick with something that doesn't grab me! This is still on my TBR - maybe next summer :)

This book will have you dreaming of a trip to the Italian countryside! It was full of humor and a fun cast of characters that had me laughing out loud. It was so beautifully written that I could imagine myself within the pages of the story alongside the quirky cast. This was the perfect light read that I needed to get me out of a slump and would make a perfect summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

delightful and quirky fun little read about a unique italian villageand an IMMENSE truffle. a lot of characters to keep track of, but it worked. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: 1-28-25

Thank you @netgalley, @grandcentralpub, and @kirajanewrites for this eARC.

How will life in the small village of Lazzarini Boscarino change when a local truffle hunter and his truffle-hunting dog uncover a white truffle of unsual size?

A cast of crazy characters, a small Italian village, a female cat named Al Pacino, a donkey that just narrowly missed being elected mayor, a giant truffle, and more!

I fell in love with this village and its people. There are a lot of characters . . . thank you to the author for setting the stage with a list and description of each. My favorite, Giuseppina:

"Giuseppina Micucci: Spiritual thunderstorm and bartender at Bar Celebrità. If New Year’s Eve were a person, it would be Giuseppina. Estranged wife to Umberto."

"Giuseppina stepped in because she loves this village. She grew up here. Met a Boscarini man and married him at the little church. Had her daughter, Elisabetta, and raised her in this beautiful medieval village where a sunset turns the stone walls pink. Where a labyrinth of lovely cobblestone streets are patrolled by old-age pensioners and an inordinate number of cats."

The vivid, descriptive, fun phrases sprinkled throughout the book to evoke the unique smell of truffles had me 100% believing I was experiencing this sensation along with everyone in the village!

#tartufo #kirajanebuxton #grandcentralpublishing #netgalley

DNF at 20%. I really wanted to love this book because the synopsis sounds wonderful and the setting is beautiful, but the writing was so tedious. It’s excessively descriptive in a way that doesn’t really contribute to the story, and the first few chapters (which are very long) didn’t grab my attention at all. I think if the lengthy descriptions were cut down a lot, this could’ve been more engaging.

Both literary and funny, Tartufo centers on a down-and-out medieval Tuscan town with a unique and eccentric cast of residents. When an elderly truffle hunter finds the worlds largest rare White Truffle it may fetch a price to save them all, but it sets off a series of events and personal interactions among the citizens which no one could have predicted. As events race out of control for the towns new mayor (who beat out a 22 year old donkey by only a few votes), estranged marriages, frightened pre-teens, and nonagenarian Nonna Amara, former restauranteur and everyone's grandmother. The interconnectedness of the townspeople and their secrets and everyday lives are the star of the show as they bumble into the international limelight and try to reignite their town's fortunes!

I chose to read this book, Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton (due to be published in late January 2025), because I was charmed by the cover (which really is delightful). The description sounded charming as well. But that’s as far as the charm went for me. The writing style was overly descriptive and heavy, and totally got in the way of the story.

This simply wasn’t my book.
2 stars.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on January 28, 2025.

Can a huge truffle save the village of Lazzarini Boscarino in Italy?

The village is in dire need of tourists, and the eccentric townspeople are ready to give up.

Until...they realize the huge truffle may save them.

The townspeople are fun and loving, and the description of the food and the characters is well done.

Unfortunately, it was a very slow read and didn't really keep my interest.

It will make you want to go to Italy, though, and experience the warmth of these people and share food with them.

The relationships between all the characters is heartwarming and seems very representative of Italians in small villages.

I do have to say I loved the names of the characters and the name of the town, but there were too many characters to keep track of. I see why they had a legend of each character at the beginning of the book.

It is a light read, but too detailed and no action for me. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Tartufo is a heartwarming story and really makes you feel like in you're in a small Tuscan town. I liked getting to know such a varied cast of characters, and the attention the author pays to the description of nature.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Rarely have I come across a book that pleased in so many ways. Each delightfully quirky character in this dying village found their way into my heart. Their deep roots and boisterous frustration with each other made me laugh out loud again and again. The ups and downs and twists and turns of the plot surprised me again and again. It was positively fabulous!

What surprised me even more was the beauty of the prose. This is undoubtedly the most sensual book that I have read in recent memory. The smells in particular were described so eloquently that it allowed me to be there and savor nuances. How fitting for a story about an unbelievably huge and overpoweringly aromatic fungus!

A delightful love letter to the Italian countryside and small towns. The village of Lazzarini Boscarino is dying on the vine – not enough tourism and a landslide taking out the town’s beloved restaurant have taken their toll. In turn, many of the town’s residents themselves are feeling a malaise reflecting their town’s fortunes. But when a potential windfall lands in their laps, the town finds itself with an unfamiliar feeling: hope. But nothing ever goes smoothly in Lazzarini Boscarino, and there are many tragicomic bumps in the road on the way to the town and its citizens perhaps getting a second chance in life.

Buxton presents us with a cast of larger-than-life characters (the guide at the beginning is very helpful for the first half of the book!) spanning a range of generations and personalities. Her prose is romantic and there is a good dose of magical realism, reflecting the setting that the author clearly finds enchanting.

A wholesome, substantial and feel-good read. (Note for lovers of the wonderful Animal Kingdom, her first novel – this has a very different feel!) Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a chance to read this ARC.

This was heartwarming and funny sorry about a town gone wild after the discovery of a priceless truffle. Personally it didn’t resonate with me, but I loved the theme of the town being family.

The Run-Down: Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton is an entertaining read that manages to fit into the “feel-good story with quirky small-town characters” genre without being too saccharine or vacuous.


Review:
Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton is the kind of book that would make a good mid-budget comedy movie. The plot is straightforward: it follows an ensemble cast of characters who live in a small, dying Italian village that finds itself turned upside-down with the discovery of an absurdly rare and valuable white truffle by one of the villages. Will the discovery breathe new life into their aging and bankrupt village, or tear it apart? Buxton has a knack for setting up and executing highly entertaining, and occasionally touching, scenes that bring a healthy balance of quirkiness, humor, heart, and suspense to the table. Her heavy use of metaphor and descriptive language might not be for everyone, but it brings her writing a sense of liveliness that adds to the story’s appeal. I would be curious to hear what Italian readers think of the book, as Buxton does not appear to be Italian, but the book’s setting is central to its plot and character development.

Tartufo does touch upon themes of grief and loss, but largely remains an upbeat read. It’s a good book for someone looking for a fun, breezy palette cleanser after a heavier or denser read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tartufo offers readers a whimsical escape into a world of charm and happiness, following the lives of the members of a small Italian village through a series of lighthearted adventures. The story is both cute and fun, making it a pleasant read before bed or whenever you need a little escape. However, the writing style may not be for everyone.

The author’s prose is loaded with alliteration, sprinkled with Italian phrases, and full of long, winding sentences that add flair but can feel overdone. At times, this style makes the book feel twice as long as necessary, stretching out scenes that could have been conveyed more concisely. Additionally, the story features a large cast of characters, which, while colorful, can make it tricky to keep track of who’s who and where the plot is headed. One of the highlights, though, is how much I learned about truffle hunting and the truffle industry--it was a lot of fun.

All in all, Tartufo is a charming story with a happy vibe, ideal for readers looking for a lighthearted break, even if it does get a little lost in its own flowery language.

This book failed to charm with its shrill, in-your-face style. I have to admit that I would also skip this town and move on to the next, despite the array of kooky characters and abundant crumbling charm.