Italy – Book Dust Magic

The one I expected more from: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Book Review) #MyBrilliantFriend #BookReview #Blogtober

Today I am bringing you a book that is very popular and it feels like everyone around me and their mothers loved it. I read this together with my friend Amanda.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante was first published on October 19th 2011. It was originally written in Italian and has been translated to many languages over the years. I have read an English translation.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.

Review:

This was a buddy read with my dear friend Amanda.
After we finished our buddy read for a brilliant book Where The Crawdads Sing we decided to read another book from Literary Fiction genre.

As My Brilliant Friend is so many people’s favourite, and it is about friendship, we decided to go with it.

I will be first to admit I went into the story with high, huge expectations.
So many people around me loved it and recommended it, so it was obvious I expected to like it too. In fact, I expected to fall in love with the story and it’s characters, and to be completely engrossed with the series.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happened.
I found the story boring, didn’t get attached to any of the characters and therefore didn’t care about them at all.
The only character that kept some of my attention was Lenu, the main character.
The friendship between Lenu and Lila wasn’t the healthiest and I would call them frenemies instead of friends.

Lila was okay at first, but as they got older it bothered me that every single guy except her own brother was in love with her and wanted to marry her.
I never liked the stories about one perfect girl every guy can’t stop looking at, so I didn’t like this one either.

The writing style was also not my cup of tea. It was passive and colorless, never wowed me with beautiful sentences like it usually happens when I read literary fiction.

Most of the time I was bored and at 80% mark I wanted to dnf it, which the old me would certainly do.

I won’t continue with the series because it obviously isn’t for me. I simply don’t care what will happen with the characters.
I don’t think I’ll even ask my friends who read the whole series to tell me important bits in few sentences. That is how uninterested in the continuation I am.

An amazing book filled with sunshine: My Lemon Grove Summer by Jo Thomas #SummerRead #Sicily #BookReview

GIFTED / With sunny weather active days and days without any break, I thought it was the perfect time to tell you all about new release by my favourite author Jo Thomas. My Lemon Grove Summer was published by Headline Review on July 11th and the paperback version has 352 pages. I want to say thank you to Anna Pallai for sending me a copy of this book.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Could the lemon groves of Sicily be the perfect place to start over? The irresistible new novel from Jo Thomas, the author of Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard, will transport you to the island of mountains and sparkling blue seas.

When life hands you lemons … is it ever too late for a second chance?

Zelda’s impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best?

But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can’t hide the shadow hanging over Citta d’Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there’s a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around…

Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart?

Review:

Every time I finish one of Jo Thomas‘ books I am thankful to know about her and her work.
I mean it. I am so thankful that I have stumbled across one of her books last year (Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard), because I know my life would be emptier without her stories.
I loved every single book by her (so far) and if you still haven’t read one of her novels, I highly suggest you to do yourself a favour and purchase (or borrow) something by her because trust me, you will be glad.

My Lemon Grove Summer is typical Thomas’ novel set in a beautiful place , filled with sunshine, tasty food and unforgettable people.

Now when I read almost all of her books, I can see why some people would say Jo Thomas’ stories seem to follow the similar formula, but I don’t mind it at all, because, as I already stated, I loved every single one of her books, and the feeling of familiarity makes me feel comfortable. I always get that positive feeling after finishing her stories, and My Lemon Grove Summer was no exception.

I really liked Zelda, our main character. She was really interesting to read about, and I admire her courage and persistence.
I liked how all the characters were in their late thirties or older, with mature perspective on life but at the same time they were fun and amusing.
I would like to read about them again, so I am hoping that My Lemon Grove Summer will get a sequel.

The setting was amazing, and it was the best part of the story (because the story centers around it). Beautiful Sicily, even in it’s neglected state still sounds so appealing and I would love to go there. I loved small town atmosphere and how bizarre but yet believable mental state of the residents was.
It reminded me of the state people who run my home town have and to be honest, it made me angry at some points. I hope one day they will also see the sense just like characters from this little novel have, but until then I can only hope (but that’s the whole another theme).

The story is written in first person, it follows Zelda’s POV, and it reads pretty quickly.

If you’re looking for a novel to relax with on a sunny day, My Lemon Grove Summer is the one! More then one smile while reading is guaranteed!

Book Review: The Olive Branch by Jo Thomas #BookReview #BookLovers #TheOliveBranch

Title: The Olive Branch

Author: Jo Thomas

Publisher: Headline Review

Date: August 25th, 2015

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Won in a giveaway

Synopsis (from Goodreads): It’s amazing what you can buy online these days:
Memorabilia
Fashion accessories
A crumbling Italian farmhouse…

After a Prosecco-fuelled girls’ night in gets out of hand, Ruthie Collins awakes to discover that she has bid for her dream Italian home online – and won. Recently out of a relationship, a new start is just what Ruthie needs. Anything is better than sleeping on her mum’s settee.

But arriving in Southern Italy, Ruthie doesn’t know the first thing about running an olive farm. And with new neighbours, the tempestuous Marco Bellanouvo and his fiery family to contend with, all Ruthie wants is to go back home.

Life can change with the click of a mouse. But all good things – friendship, romance, and even the olive harvest – take time to grow. Can Ruthie finally put the past to rest and find her own piece of the Dolce Vita along the way?

Review:

OmG, this book! I can’t even find the words to describe how much I loved it.
I know it’ll probably sound stupid, but I’ll say it anyway: This book made my life more beautiful.

It really did. So many times while reading I had that warm, comfortable feeling only few books can give you, and after finishing it I just wanted to hug it for a while. So I did. And to be completely honest, I don’t recall when was the last time I had a need to literally hug a book.
And that, my friends, is the reason The Olive Branch found the spot in my All-Time-Favorite-Books list.

The story follows Ruthie who buys herself a new Italian home. Once she arrives to her new place, she finds out it is not easy to live alone in a big house, with a huge estate and a goat who lives there, especially when your neighbours don’t want you there, because your estate belonged to them for decades, and they still consider it as theirs.

The Olive Branch is a book full of positive vibes, lovely feelings, sunshine and food.
I feel like it could make anyone’s day at least a bit better.
As a matter of fact, it should be prescribed as a cure to anyone who is in a poor mood or had a bad day. That’s how lovely this novel is.

The story itself is great and beautiful, but what also makes this book perfect is Jo Thomas’ skill to write.
I flew through this book, and my reading speed accelerated dramatically: from cca 30 to 50 pages per hour, which is HUGE.
I think that the main reason for that is how great the writing style actually was. I know I said many times in my reviews that the writing style pulled me in and didn’t let go, and I could say it again here, but only imagine it 5 times stronger.
Like, the story didn’t pull me in, it grabbed me and I couldn’t get out until I finished the last page (and now I’m rambling).

I loved so many things about this book. How fun it was, how beautifully the nature was described, how good people in the story actually were, and how animals also had their role, especially Daisy.

I am so thankful that I had a chance to read Jo Thomas’ books this year. This summer I read her last published book Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard and I loved it so much, I knew I wanted to read more of her work.
Now when I finished The Olive Branch and loved it even more, I want to read everything she wrote.
I was lucky enough to receive her newest book A Winter Beneath the Stars that will be published in December, and I also ordered myself three of her books that were published previously.
I can’t wait to dive into all of them!

Overall, The Olive Branch is my favorite book that I’ve read this year so far and I would recommend it to everyone.