Chasing the Italian Drean by Jo Thomas

Synopsis

A summer escape she’ll never forget . . .

Lucia has worked hard as a lawyer in Wales, aiming for a big promotion she hopes will shortly come her way. Finally taking a well-earned break at her grandparents’ house in southern Italy, the sunshine, lemon trees and her nonna’s mouth-watering cooking make her instantly feel at home.

But she’s shocked to learn that her grandfather is retiring from the beloved family pizzeria and will need to sell. Lucia can’t bear the thought of the place changing hands – especially when she discovers her not-quite-ex-husband Giacomo wants to take it over!

Then bad news from home forces Lucia to re-evaluate what she wants from life. Is this her chance to carry on the family tradition and finally follow her dreams?

Review
When I started reading this book my dad asked if I’d written it as I have been chasing a Italian dream for the last fifteen years, so I absolutlty loved the self indulgence of reading this book. Chasing the Italian Dream is the story of Lucia, part Welsh part Italian, still married, if seperated for seven years and is depending on a promotion at work to start her perfect life. Whilst spending time with her grandparents in Italy, just outside Naples, her dreams of promotion are shattered giving Lucia a chance to re-evaluate her life, to listen to her heart and do something she has a passion for,which she realises wasn’t the law at all. When her grandfather decides to retire from the family Pizzeria, Lucia is devestated and wants to train up and run it herself. In the small Italian town though, it is a male profession, and her grandfather has offered it to her nearly ex husband Giacomo. Lucia agrees to a competition, both will run the Pizzeria and whoever sells the most pizza will take over.

Chasing the Italian Dream was like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. What I loved was how Jo Thomas captured the smells, and tastes of the food described, I was literally salivating. The zingy lemons, the smokiness of the mozzarella, sweetness of the tomatoes and the bitterness of the coffee, it took back to my visits to this amazing country. She also captures the the patriarchal society that still prevails in some Italian towns and villages, woman are good at cooking for the family but not in restaurants, women are meant to be at home with the children and not working, except at being a good wife. Jo Thomas, however puts women at the forefront of this book, with Lucia, her staff at the restaurant and the so called ‘Nonna Network’ of grandmothers who in reality are a force to be reckoned with.

I loved Lucia as a character, she is an intelligent woman, a lawyer, who works hard, making many sacrifices, when she is passed over for the promotion to partner, for a younger male colleague, she is obviously devestated. But maybe this was fate, as it makes her rethink her priorities, and the passion and drive she had for her career in Law, she now puts into the restaurant. She shows determination and passion for the restaurant, her only problem is her nearly ex-husband, the handsome Giacomo, whom she will be in competition, who like her really wants to run the pizzeria, and try new ideas. I have to say the heat in this book not only came from the sun and the ‘forno’ovens, but also from the unrequited love and acrimony between the two. There are some fabulous supporting characters in the book as well, Angelo the opera singning cafe owner, the wonderful Nonna’s who come to Lucia’s rescue and Veronica an ex prostitute and Sofia a young widow, who all shine in their own right.

We may not be able to travel abroad at the moment, but Chasing the Italian Dream brings a little bit of Italy to you, the warmth of the sun, the mouthwatering food, the smell of coffee, and the dolce vita. I adored reading this book and didn’t want it to end, it has rivalry, strong women, memorable characters and romance, and it left me feeling warm and fuzzy all over. This is a truely escapist read about living you best life and always following your heart; like the pizza this is ‘delizioso’.

I would like to thank Corgi Books and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour, in return for my honest review.