The Invitation
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- 32,99 lei
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- 32,99 lei
Publisher Description
‘The perfect summer read… Gorgeously compelling’ Good Housekeeping
‘Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past . . . richly drawn and compelling’ Rosanna Ley
It’s 1951. In Europe’s post-war wreckage, the glittering Italian Riviera draws an eclectic cast of characters; lured by the glamour but seeking an escape.
Amongst them, two outcasts: Hal, an English journalist who’s living on his charm; and Stella, an enigmatic society beauty, bound to a profiteering husband. When Hal receives a mysterious invitation from a wealthy Contessa, he finds himself aboard a yacht headed for Cannes film festival.
Scratch the beautiful surface, and the post-war scars of his new companions are quick to show. Then there’s Stella, whose secrets run deeper than anyone’s — stretching back into the violence of Franco’s Spain. And as Hal gets drawn closer, a love affair begins that will endanger everyone…
The Invitation is an epic love story that will transport you from the glamour of the Italian Riviera, to the darkness of war-torn Spain. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Victoria Hislop.
Reviews
‘A seductive love tale’ Sunday Times Style
‘Such a tense, intriguing, beautiful, heart-rending story . . . The characters are so real, the research flawless, the setting sublime. Read it!’ Clare Mackintosh
‘Glamour, secrets and danger makes this a gorgeous summer read’ Woman & Home
‘Sultry escapist fiction at its best – 5*’ HEAT
‘The perfect summer read… Gorgeously compelling’ Good Housekeeping
‘Oozes glamour… Lush, romantic and cleverly crafted – a brainy beach read to relish’ Sunday Mirror
‘I loved THE INVITATION . . . I could dive into this book. A beautifully complex and vivid story, full of repressed longing and secrets. An absolutely enchanting tale’ Lucinda Riley
‘A seductive love tale’ Sunday Times Style
‘So powerfully evoked . . . with dark, sensuous undercurrents that lingered on in my mind, long after I'd reluctantly left Stella and Hal behind’ Kate Riordan
‘Film crew, Italian Riviera, 1950s. What part of that does not appeal?’ Red
‘Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past . . . richly drawn and compelling’ Rosanna Ley
‘This epic love story is an unputdownable summer read’ Essentials
‘If you like Victoria Hislop you’ll love the seductive and heady The Invitation’ Lovereading
‘An utterly seductive story depicting forbidden love and loss in 1950s Italy. The perfect beach read this summer' Louise O’Neill
‘I loved every page – it's vividly written and utterly absorbing’ Iona Grey
‘Foley weaves a very satisfying love story . . . readers will be taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting’ Publishers Weekly
‘Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once . . . a fabulous story’ Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers
‘It's a beautiful, compulsive and glamorous read – perfect for long summer days’ Lucy Clarke, author of the Richard & Judy bestseller, The Sea Sisters
About the author
Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities. She then worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry – during which time she also wrote her debut, The Book of Lost and Found. Lucy now writes full-time, and is busy travelling (for research, naturally!) and working on her next novel.
Visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LucyFoleyAuthor and follow her on Twitter @lucyfoleytweets
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
From the author: “It’s funny thinking of my books as different genres, because in many ways, the writing experiences are so much more similar than they are different. I’ve always been interested in secrets and class dynamics. There are things I come back to time and time again, such as family dynamics and dynamics between old lovers. This book was totally inspired by Italy and my complete love of all things Italian. I’m also a huge fan of old-school film and cinema: the decadence and the glamour and the stars. I really wanted to immerse myself and the reader in that world. But I also wanted to take you beneath the surface. It’s also set in an interesting time: the late ’50s/early ’60s, when there was still this shared trauma from the Second World War. Italy is possibly a country that hasn’t quite come to terms with what happened during that time—there hasn’t been a reckoning in the same way that there has been in Germany, for example. To write this book, I went to Italy several times—it was such a hardship!”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hal Jacobs has been drifting through life since returning home from World War II. In 1953, he is eking out a living as a journalist in Italy when he is invited to join an Italian contessa on a sea voyage from Italy to Cannes to publicize her film, The Sea Captain. His job will be to write about the journey, and the pay is such that he can't refuse. The yacht's passengers are the glamorous stars of the film as well as the moneyed financiers that the contessa has assembled. When Hal sees the wife of one of the wealthy men aboard, he realizes that it's Stella Truss, with whom he had spent a night in Rome two years earlier and who has been impossible to forget. At first Hal and Stella try to ignore each other, but they are thrown together over and over: at dinner, on the dance floor, and on the moonlit deck. Before long their love affair is in full swing, fueled not only by their passion but also by their shared histories of losses and guilt. In her second novel, Foley (The Book of Lost and Found) weaves a very satisfying love story, and readers will be especially taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting.
