Customer Reviews
Brilliant, could not put it down - By: Ms. J. L. Brown, 29 Sep 2008 
This is a cleaver, warm & at times shocking book. There are so many twists & turns that you just don't see coming. She makes the characters warm, likable & best of all believable. This is a rare gem & a must read.
Gentle Mystery - By: A. Hope, 12 Sep 2008 
This novel really is a feel good read, the setting is lovely & the characters each with their own demons are the kind of characters you come to care about. The story beginsin 1957, when each of four strangers recieve instructions to go to a villain Italy to recieve a bequest, the deceased, a woman none of them has ever heard of. There are plenty of secrets waiting to be revealed at the villa, as they & the reader slowly begin to discover the secrets that each of the four legetees has, & the connexion they have to the mysterious Beatrice Malaspina. This is a novel as relaxing as the villain which it is set. An enjoyable, gentle mystery, about people facing their demons & trying to put their livesin order.
Spoilt by the style - By: Suzie, 08 Sep 2008 
The magical effect on four strangers brought together for a monthin Italy is a theme previously explored by Elizabeth von Arnimin `The Enchanted April'. The reasons for their beingin Italy differ, but the spell cast, & the effect on troubled lives, is similar. In `The Villain Italy', the contrast with post-war austerity makes the monthin the villa all the more magical.
Whilst I first read `The Enchanted April' many years ago & have since re-read it, I would not bother to re-read `The Villain Italy'. Even so, it is not without merit. It is an intriguing puzzle that revolves around the will of the late Beatrice Malaspina who, strong-minded while living, dominates the story even from the grave. The legatees hail from disparate backgrounds. They had never met their benefactress & had no idea why they were namedin her will. Apart from loose hints & a tenuous link with George, an atomic physicist who knew Beatrice Malaspina's daughter, there are few clues as to why they have been selected or how the old lady knew so much about them. Then all is revealedin a rushin the final pages.
At times the story felt far-fetched & unreal, but what spoilt it for me was the style. Much of the dialogue seemed unnatural (it would sound worse, no doubt, if read aloud), & elsewhere the text was awkward & stilted. The language needed tightening to remove superfluous words & unnecessary adjectives. For all that, it's a pleasant enough read if you fancy something light & unchallenging, but you're not missing much if you give it a miss.
A charming summer story - By: Mrs. Katharine Kirby, 18 Jul 2008 I thoroughly enjoyed this old fashioned, friendly, life affirming story. It all worked outin the end as it should if that isn't too much of a spoiler. I read it quickly & happily, immediately passing it to my mother who I knew would enjoy the puzzles, personalities & pictures paintedin perfect prose.
What a disappointment! - By: Book Worm Camberley, 20 Feb 2008 
I bought this book to read on holiday and, had it not been the only novel I took with me, I would not have persevered. The story is all right, & just about worth plodding through, & the flavour suitably Italian, but the style? Oh dear! I found the writing style & use of vocabulary poor & ponderous. Instead of sharing this book with my group of friends, as we generally do with novels we have enjoyed, I left itin a hotelin Italy - not worth bringing home! I shall not be tempted by any other novels by this author, when there are so many others who write better.
