Barbara Sapienza

This is a beautiful story...part mythical and part mythology. I was not sure where the story was going in the beginning and who might be the villain. I was wrong about the person. Although, the "white knight" is Frank. the more I got to know about him, the more I liked him. The interactions between him and Elena were endearing.

There were a few times though that I did find myself wondering away focus from the story and would have to go back and reread passages. However, for the most part I was focused on this story and the characters. I will be checking out more books by this author.… (més)

Thank you to Cindy Roesel and BluePointPress for this book. I would have never read this book unless I won it from her though it was on my to read list. Not sure where I saw it but glad I did and got to read it.

I really enjoyed this book about 26 year old Lavinia Lavinia (her first and last name) which is an old tradition in Italy if I can recall correctly having the same first and last names. She's a laundress and I found that a very interesting job. She loved it and ways it soothed her by washing, ironing, etc. There are a few people who she works for and we get to know them as well but none more so than an 80+ year old man Zack who she really likes and becomes closer to. Then she meets Mario who is a barista at a coffee shop she frequents when she walks to Zack's house. Falling in love is fun.

I usually don't enjoy books about girls in their 20s and a lot of books are chick lit. She was very mature for her age and has a lot of questions about her life and why she was brought to SF/America from Italy when she was 4 years old and living with her Uncle Sal who adopted her. He leaves SF to go back to Italy and she tries to figure out her life and who her father is which she finally does in an interesting way.

She has a very good friend Kinky (because of her curly hair) and her mother Mercedes who are her only "family." I loved them too.

Such a wonderful book. I'd love a sequel since this book could go into the future with these characters I enjoyed being with.… (més)