As she gazes at the lights of Siena glowing in the dusk, Jess flips through the yellowing pages of the diary that led her here. Written by her grandfather during the war, it holds the answers to a family secret that might just change everything...
When Jessica's grandfather left for war, he promised to keep a record of each day he was apart from her grandmother. The diary was lost along with him - until now, when a mysterious, handsome Italian man named Alessandro shows up at Jessica's door with the diary in hand.
Immediately enchanted by her grandfather's accounts of Italy's glittering golden hours, Jess decides to spend a summer in Tuscany before she's due to take over at her family's farm. She hopes she can visit the places her grandfather once did - and finally find out what really happened the night he died...
In the historic city of Siena, she finds a job as companion to the glamorous Sofia - Alessandro's grandmother - whose stories of Italy during the war are captivating. And as Jess spends more time with Alessandro, she begins to fall for him with each lingering look into his deep-brown eyes.
Together, Jess and Alessandro visit her grandfather's resting place. But the more Jess learns about her grandfather's time in Italy, the more she's forced to question whether everything about her family's past is a lie...
Jess came to Italy in search of answers, but time is running out. She can't shake the feeling that the diary that has stolen her imagination is merely a work of fiction. And if it is, will the truth about her family inspire her to turn away from the path she thought she was destined for, and towards the life she truly wants?
Let yourself be swept away to Italy in this beautiful story of family secrets and past and present colliding. Readers of Lucinda Riley and Fiona Valpy will be utterly enchanted by this wistful, escapist and romantic page-turner.
What readers are saying about Anita Chapman:
'A very moving story... Beautiful... Wonderful... Will capture your attention from cover to cover!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I was swept away by the mesmerizing blend of past and present... Whisked me away to the sun-drenched streets of Florence... I found myself eagerly turning the pages... Heartbreaking... Captivating and beautifully crafted... A story that lingers long after the final page is turned.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I was captivated from the very first page... Fascinating... There is real depth and substance to the story and to the characters, and it drew me into the book and kept me riveted to the page... So vivid and compelling, Anita has a real talent for creating wonderfully atmospheric dual timeline stories... Romantic and intriguing!' Nicola Cornick, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
