Our Italian Summer
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Three generations of women in the Ferrari family must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst
Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. She just never expected to face a choice that might change the course of her life. . .
Allegra wants to make her grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour, until a young man on the verge of priesthood begins to show her the power of acceptance, healing, and the heartbreaking complications of love.
Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. A summer filled with the possibility for change is what they all desperately need. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her girls that the bonds of family are everything, and to remind them that they can always lean on one another, before it's too late.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Probst's delightful latest (after Temptation on Ocean Drive) follows three generations of women on a monthlong tour of Italy as they attempt to repair their troubled relationships. The grandmother, Sophia Ferrari, suggests the trip as a way to postpone an imminent diagnosis for her increasing stomach pain and reconnect with her daughter and granddaughter, who are facing troubles of their own. Once on the ground, Francesca, an advertising executive suffering from panic attacks, attempts to leave work behind and repair her strained relationship with her daughter, Allegra, who believes she's an afterthought to Francesca's career. Allegra, too, has been at a crossroads since being arrested her back home for driving and smoking weed with her friends. In Italy, she meets someone who will listen to her, a young man studying to be a priest who's down for a bit of romance before taking up the cloth. Meanwhile, Francesca connects with their tour guide, and Sophia meets a promising man as well. The issues within the family are established early and offer little surprises, but the novel is carried by the rich interactions between the women, as well as the lush Italian landscape, city descriptions, and culinary pleasures. Probst consistently charms.