Exile

The classic novel of a young woman finding purpose—and love—among a community of English expats in an Italian seaside town.

Driven by a fierce ambition and an adventurous spirit, Barbara "Billy" Brown leaves her dreary Ealing, England, home for a job in the Mediterranean village of Tindaro, Italy. There, she serves tourists and locals a little taste and culture from home at the English Library and Tea Room. Billy also encounters a group of expatriates, bound together by loss and inertia, content with simply existing without aspiration. Only English novelist Oscar Slade enjoys Tindaro's amusing pleasures, catching Billy's eye and eventually her heart.

But a tragedy abruptly ends their romance, and revelations about Oscar's character tarnish Billy's feelings towards him. Keeping calm and carrying on, Billy takes on more responsibilities and opportunities to expand her employer's business. Then war veteran Thomas Isherwood arrives, seeking a peaceful atmosphere to recover from his battle wounds—physical and otherwise.

On the surface, Thomas appears to be as self-pitying as the rest of Tindaro's expats, but Billy realizes that his suffering runs deep, reigniting her compassionate nature and restoring her desire to experience love again.