Villa Coco
‘Set to be a staple on sun loungers' - BBC Culture, 40 most exciting books to look forward to in 2026
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 9 Jun 2026
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- 10,99 €
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- Pre-Order
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
⭐ The new novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less ⭐
⭐ One of the most anticipated books of 2026 for The Times, BBC Culture, People, Time, Oprah Daily, Seattle Times, Bookseller, Waterstones and Barnes and Noble ⭐
'No one writing in English is funnier or more charming than Andrew Greer. Every sentence in this novel sings'
DAVID SEDARIS
'Greer is not only the funniest of writers, but he has a wonderful way with conjuring an image... Villa Coco is such a sunny book'
KATE ATKINSON
'The most beautiful paean to youth, to age and to the fulfilment of love. Absolute joy'
SARAH WINMAN, AUTHOR OF STILL LIFE
'A lyrical and witty reminder that the most meaningful life - and certainly the one with the best stories - can emerge from the deepest chaos... A great treasure'
KATHERINE HEINY, AUTHOR OF STANDARD DEVIATION
'What a beautiful book: an absolutely engrossing world full of golden sunlight and little secrets and anchovies and art'
HOLLY GRAMAZIO, AUTHOR OF THE HUSBANDS
'Eccentric, funny, touching: I adored it'
NINA STIBBE, AUTHOR OF MAN AT THE HELM
A coming-of-age novel, a love story and a tale of life-enhancing friendship: Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer showcases his wit and warmth in this magical tale set amidst the Tuscan hills.
Broke and directionless, our young protagonist takes a job in the Italian countryside as the all-purpose assistant to Lisabetta, known to her friends as Coco - a strong-willed, wealthy widow of great local renown.
Trained as an archivist, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue the contents of the beautiful, crumbling mansion nestled in the green Tuscan hills... but what are his actual duties? Days are spent ridding the house of a marten - whatever that is - locating the antediluvian septic system, entertaining an endless carousel of guests (from bohemian painters to elderly princesses to unnervingly handsome nephews), attending a funeral in order to make off with the urn, and not inadvertently sabotaging Coco's great and final plan-to locate the lost love of her life and be reunited before it's too late.
As summer turns into autumn and the Italian countryside begins to work its magic, the secrets of Villa Coco and its inhabitants are slowly brought to light - and with them, an unforgettable story of the enduring power of friendship.
Praise for Andrew Sean Greer
'Bedazzling, bewitching and be-wonderful' New York Times
'I recommend it with my whole heart' Ann Patchett
'Brilliant' Guardian
'Basically perfect' Dolly Alderton
'Unforgettable' Independent
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This charming tale of an innocent abroad from Pulitzer winner Greer (Less) doubles as a love letter to Italy. The narrator, Geoffrey, a 21-year-old American college student, lands a job as an archivist for an eccentric Baronessa in Tuscany. Arriving in the fall after his graduation, he's immediately swept into the magical if unsettling world of his 92-year-old employer. To Geoffrey, the villa "look both like the British Museum and like a child's bedroom, filled with beloved trash and treasures." Soon, the Baronessa has him doing everything but cataloging the villa's contents. Ten hours a day he trims the rose bushes; searches for books and magazines; makes appointments with doctors, masseurs, and veterinarians; and listens to the Baronessa's endless fantastical tales. Everyone in her life has a story, the young man learns: "They lived in a sealed world of comic-strip logic, and within that world, all schemes ended as happily as a monkey's life in Zanzibar." As the months pass, Geoffrey absorbs Italian culture, breaks his vow to avoid romantic entanglements, and faces some tough choices for his future. Throughout, Greer breathes life into the Baronessa and her world and captures its appeal to Geoffrey, fashioning the novel into a box of treasures. This light and airy bildungsroman is great fun.
