"Giovanna's pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into her Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is. Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that...

Elizabeth Adler is a master at depicting lush scenery, gourmet food, and the joys of travel. Here she tells the story of Lamour Harrington, a recent widow. She's immersed herself in landscape architecture, but even creating beautiful outdoor "rooms" can't bring back her happiness. When she's faced with a devastating truth about the husband she adored, Lamour returns to the house on the Amalfi coast where she'd lived with her father during the happiest...

After the death of her father, Isabel Archer, a young American woman, travels to England to stay with her aunt, where she finds herself an object of affection for several men. When she is left a large legacy by her ailing uncle, she also attracts the attention of those with an interest in her substantial fortune. Faced with decisions about her future, Isabel must live with the consequences of the choices she makes, as her life is forever altered. The...

The second book, following last year's My Brilliant Friend, featuring the two friends Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. The two young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at times, and drives them apart at others. Each vacillates between hurtful disregard and profound love for the other. With this...

"Surprised, if not dismayed, to discover from his superior, Vice-Questore Patta, that leaks are emanating from the Questura, Commissario Guido Brunetti is surprised more consequentially by the appearance of a friend of his wife's, fearful that her son is using drugs and hopeful Brunetti can somehow intervene. When Tullio Gasparini, the woman's husband, is found unconscious and with a serious brain injury at the foot of a bridge in Venice after midnight,...

Geronimo is taking his Benjamin on a trip to Rome to learn the city's history (and keep him from failing fifth grade), but when they arrive they're immediately pulled into the investigation of the "ghost" of a gladiator that seems to be haunting the Colosseum and scaring tourists away.

A historical and current look at Italy, discussing the land, the government, the people, and the economy.