I felt there were at least 3 different books in this novel. The episodic chapters, flashing back and forward in time, did not flow well, nor did I care for any of the several protagonists introduced (some only half way through the book).

There was definitely good writing in many places, with some excellent phrases that popped out amid the reading. The description of the caregiver's point of view of a loved one with Alzheimer's was particularly poignant. ( )

Here’s a perfect poolside summer read propelled by the glamour of old world Hollywood, the romanticism of the Italian Riviera, and the tragedy of fate and deeply flawed characters. This is a nonlinear story about several stories that intersect across decades and continents, highlighting our deepest desires, our most destructive demons, and “life [as] a glorious catastrophe” (275).

This character-driven novel opens in Cinque Terre, Italy, specifically in a small fishing village that’s home to a young man, Pasquale, retuning to care for his mother and the provincial family hotel, ironically named “The Hotel with the Adequate View.” In the beginning, Pasquale meets an American actress from the set of the Liz Taylor and Richard Burton film Cleopatra, and it’s through the meeting of these two characters, Pasquale and Dee, that we are introduced to an interconnected web of other characters’ stories—spanning from WWII to present day.

To me, this book is perfection: beautifully ruined characters who, while roughly imperfect, are completely endearing; gritty realism with just enough dark humor, self-awareness, and self-deprecation; and a plot that stays interesting and intriguing and surprising from its opening scene in Cinque Terre in the 1960s to its closing scene on the same rocky coast in modern day times.

✨I was fortuitous enough to be in Cinque Terre, Italy while reading this novel. Again, perfection.✨ ( )

Love these ruins. ( )

I think this one should be a 3.5 star but since I liked more than I disliked I'll err on the high side.

The beginning is great, it gets a little slow, and the ending is rushed. Overall, it's an interesting story with many different angles. What we were given was very good, but I wanted (and still want) to know more about each person and each of the angles.

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I'm in the minority with my ratings for this book. It was just ok for me. I didn't care for the way the author portrayed most of the women in this book. Although if I think about it, the men didn't come off all that well either. There were a few too many characters and side characters across the generations bouncing back and forth from 1960s Italy to more recent times in Scotland and California. Not my cup of tea. ( )