4 novels that’ll whisk you away to Italy like our book of the month

For Dawn O’Porter’s third Book Club pick, she took inspiration from Ristorante’s Italian flavours to choose High Tide by Livia Franchini. Set on the coast of Tuscany, it’s an atmospheric story about a woman who’s drawn back to Italy 30 years after her husband’s death, forcing her to revisit a past she’s spent decades trying to forget.

And to get into the Italian spirit, Dawn and Radio Times’ Helen Daly enjoyed some Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizza while pretending they were also in Tuscany at this month’s mini book club.

If you enjoyed being transported to sunnier climes by High Tide, here are a few more Italy-based reads you can get stuck into on your next book night – along with a Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizza, of course.

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse

For a warmer take on first love and truths from the past, try Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft. It follows Jade, who’s living happily in Lake Como until her beloved grandmother dies, leaving her the family guesthouse to run. But it turns out it’s also been inherited by two sisters she never even knew existed.

As Erin and Rosalie arrive in Italy, Jade must come to terms with the revelations about her family while also dealing with the unexpected return of Leo, the first love she would rather have left behind.

Ripeness

Just as High Tide is centred around a life-changing Italian summer, so too is Ripeness by Sarah Moss. The story begins in the 1960s, when teenage Edith is sent alone to rural Italy to support her older sister Lydia, a talented ballet dancer in the final weeks of pregnancy. Once she gives birth, Edith must make a phone call that’ll seal the baby’s fate – and his mother’s.

Decades later, Edith is happily settled in Ireland when an unexpected message forces her to face the truth about that long-ago summer, and the secret she has carried for a lifetime.

Villa Coco

For something a little lighter, escape to the Tuscan hills with Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer. This funny, charming novel follows a directionless young American who takes a job as an assistant to an eccentric 92-year-old aristocrat, known as Coco.

As a trained archivist, he expects to spend his days cataloguing the contents of her beautiful yet crumbling Italian villa, but she soon has him doing just about everything else. Surrounded by a colourful cast of locals, he finds himself swept up in Coco’s chaotic world – and her final grand plan to track down the love of her life before it’s too late.

The Sicilian Inheritance

Take a trip further south to the sun-soaked landscapes of Sicily with The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza. When Sara’s beloved great-aunt Rosie dies, she leaves Sara a valuable piece of land on the Italian island – but first, she must find out what really happened to her great-grandmother Serafina.

Rosie always believed that Serafina was murdered, and she wants Sara to prove it. As she searches the Sicilian countryside for the truth, Sara begins piecing together the story of the formidable Serafina, who fought for a better life for local women. But she soon discovers some people would rather the past stayed buried.

Delicious pizza and a moreish book

That’s midweek made

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