Hotel Portofino by J.P. O’Connelli

Synopsis
Hotel Portofino has been open for only a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its owner Bella Ainsworth. Her high-class guests are demanding and hard to please. And she’s being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, who threatens to drag her into the red-hot cauldron of Mussolini’s Italy.

To make matters worse, her marriage is in trouble, and her children are still struggling to recover from the repercussions of the Great War. All eyes are on the arrival of a potential love match for her son Lucian, but events don’t go to plan, which will have far reaching consequences for the whole family.

Review

Hotel Portofino combines two of my favourite things, historical fiction and Italy. Set in 1926, in the stunning setting of Portifino, this books follows Bella and her family as they open a hotel in an old villa, for English people coming to Italy to get a taste of the culture and the wonderful food. Whilst the setting maybe idyllic, Bella’s life is not, and over the course of a summer Bella has to face her mounting problems head on. With love, loss, blackmail and a host of unforgettable characters this is a book as warm as the Italian sun and with drama worthy of an Italian Opera.

What really made Hotel Portofino a compelling read, apart from the setting was the cast of unforgettable characters. Bella was the main character, and one I warmed to straight away. She wants a new start for her family after the First World War, in which her daughter was widowed and her son badly injured. With no support from her hapless, gambling and drunk husand, she shows strength and belief in her project, doing everything she can to make the hotel successful. Bella is very personable, both with the staff an guests, making herself well liked by all, which is in complete conrast to her daughter Alice. Alice was widowed during the War and it has left her embittered in a way, and is very judgemental towards others, and sees herself as superior. My favourite character however was Claudine, an American who was dancing in Paris and who is at the hotel with her lover Jack. Claudeine is black shocking to some, and having to put up with people staring at her and asking the most inappropriate questions. She is bold, beautiful and full of confidence, not only in herself but also giving confidence and advice to the other female characters. She is the kind of person I would love to be friends with, her positive outlook and sense of fun make her everyone’s friend. One of the characters refers to the characters in the book as being from an Agatha Christie book, an observation I agree with; eldery widow with her great niece, the famous tennis star and his wife, the English aristocrat trying to marry her daughter off, the Italian Count, a recovering soldier, and the young woman with her elder lover, not married.

J.P. O’Connell’s writing captures every minute detail of setting, character, events and the relationships of this book. The beautiful description of Portofino brought to life the colourful buildings, the smell of the sea and the food, the heat of the sun and the beautiful scenery. This same attention to detail brings the characters to life, their backstory, emotions, hopes and dreams and ultimatley their innocence to life in Italy. J.P. O’Connell also includes the historical story of 1926, a time of change brought on after the loss and devestation of the Great War. Alice is widowed, Lucien, Bella’s son, is scarred both mentally and physically by the War, and both find it hard to move on. There is focus on post-war Italy, with the rise of Racism and the rule of Mussolini, setting people against each other, different factions fighting. I loved this historical context, it made me appreciate some of the characters, and their situations more.

I loved Hotel Portofino, it took me away from the cold of England to the heat and sun of Portofino. The writing was brilliant with its attention to detail, capturing every nuance of the characters, setting and the turn of events. This book really has everything, love, loss, blackmail, an art theft, secrets and glamour that completely hooked me, I really wanted to know what happened next. An absolute joy to read, I highly recommend adding Hotel Portofino to your book shelves.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and Anne Cater from Random Things for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for Hotel Portofino in return for my honest review.