One Italian Summer: A Novel

Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this "magical trip worth taking" (Associated Press), the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years returns with a powerful novel about the transformational love between mothers and daughters set on the breathtaking Amalfi Coast.When Katy's mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn't just Katy's mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy's father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone. But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother's spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life. And then Carol appears--in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn't understand what is happening, or how--all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue. "Rebecca Serle is known for her powerful stories that tug at the heartstrings--and her latest is just as unforgettable" (Woman's World) as it effortlessly shows us how to move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.
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288 pages

Average rating: 6.45

632 RATINGS

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29 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

JHSiess
Feb 03, 2024
8/10 stars
In One Italian Summer, the story is related by the main character, Katy, in a first-person narrative. An only child, she briefly describes the torturous experience of caring for her terminally ill mother, Carol, during her last months and how the experience has left her bereft. The story opens on the last day of her mother's Shiva when, ironically, her husband, Eric, arrives at her parent's house with mail: two plane tickets to Italy. Carol and K...read more
Peepee
Jan 18, 2024
Group consensus: 2.5/5
margardenlady
Dec 27, 2023
8/10 stars
Poignant ode to a beloved mother. Katy has just buried her mother although they had planned a trip to Italy. Katy takes the trip and ‘meets’ her mother. Part emotional soliloquy, part travelogue. I was charmed.
Momreader
Sep 24, 2023
7/10 stars
Loved this book! It kept you on your toes the entire time with a few twists.
Tina86
Sep 07, 2023
8/10 stars
Sucked me in, has a slight element of time travel but done very well. Beautiful story about a woman‘s grief about her mothers loss and finding herself, and renewed view their beautiful bond

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