📖 Book Review ~Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan

 

Corvus
 June 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In the Eternal City, no secret stays hidden forever...

Lottie Archer arrives in Rome excited to begin her new job as an archivist. When she discovers a valuable fifteenth-century painting, she is drawn to find out more about the woman who left it behind, Nina Lawrence.

Nina seems to have led a rewarding and useful life, restoring Italian gardens to their full glory following the destruction of World War Two. So why did no one attend her funeral in 1978?

In exploring Nina's past, Lottie unravels a tragic love story beset by the political turmoil of post-war Italy. And as she edges closer to understanding Nina, she begins to confront the losses in her own life.

📖 My Review

When newly married Lottie Archer moves to Rome it signals a new beginning for her and she is excited to start her job as an archivist researching into the history of old documents. Laura is especially intrigued when she discovers a valuable fifteenth century painting and in her search to discover more about Nina Lawrence, the woman who left this ancient art work behind, Lottie unravels a tragic story which is set in post-war Italy. 

With the clever use of a dual narrative a picture of two very different time periods comes to life and both Nina's time in the 1970s and Lottie's life in the present day are equally as vivid. Both of these women have a story to tell and as the story emerges, the beautiful city of Rome soon becomes very much part of the story. The sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of this vibrant city come to life as scrumptious descriptions of food, wonderful art and intricate gardens are laid out before you.

Two Women in Rome is a lovely immersive read which reveals its secrets slowly and takes the reader on an complex journey through the hidden parts of Rome and to long buried secrets.

Best read with ...an aromatic coffee and rich Italian pastries 

About the Author

Elizabeth Buchan was a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to wrote full time. He r novels include Consider the Lily, Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman, The New Mrs Clifton, and the Museum of Broken Promises. She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival.

Twitter @elizabethbuchan

Website

@CorvusBooks