The Italian Island in question is Galatea, a small, fictional island off the coast of Italy. It’s a beautiful setting for an ambitious historical fiction story.
The author has struck on a consistent theme. As with her previous books (The Italian Villa and The Lost Village), we have a heroine – in this case, Anna – who goes to Italy at the request of her father.
Well, that is not entirely accurate. Her father was Anna’s ally. After he passes away, Anna finds a note telling her that although he was adopted, he believes that there are family roots in Italy. He urges her to explore them.
And, not having anything else going for her (apparently), she is off to Italy to find her family history. But when gets to the island, she finds that everything is more complicated than just uncovering family connections.
With a touch of poignancy, and a dollop of magic (maybe?), Anna discovers history unfurling right before her eyes. And what she finds out is more heartbreaking than she could imagine.
The author improves upon past books in that she takes a unique approach to the historical aspects of the story…Anna sees them in visions. That’s the best way I can describe it.
It puts the reader squarely in the past, experiencing the events with Mira. This is better than simply hearing about the past from other people.
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However, it does create an imbalance in the two timelines. For example, the first time it happens to Anna, it is roughly 19% into the book. We are then in the past storyline all the way until 34%.
It enables the reader to become immersed in the past (like Anna). But returning to the present is a jolt. While I like the idea, I wish there is more of a balance between the two.
But it also results in Annie’s character arc being little more than the vessel to tell the story of the past. Yes, it is not a spoiler to say that she discovers her family lineage. And I will add that the byssus adds an interesting facet to that. I’m not giving anything else away.
Unfortunately, the book ended abruptly, and the epilogue seemed to be an afterthought. Plus, after the setup regarding Anna’s mom and her judgmental attitude, it seemed odd that she didn’t figure anywhere in the rest of the book.
It wasn’t that she disappeared. It felt more like she was totally forgotten.
Regardless, The Italian Island is another pleasant read, and I would recommend it, same as the author’s two previous books.
Author Bio:
Daniela Sacerdoti is the author of the bestselling Glen Avich series which has sold over one million copies in ebook to date, Sacerdoti’s debut novel Watch Over Me was named the eighth bestselling Kindle book of all time in 2015, when she was also ranked as the eleventh top-selling Kindle author. She lives in a small village in the middle of nowhere, with her Scottish husband, two children, a Cocker spaniel and a foundling kitten (who was definitely a witch in a past life).
