Product Description from Amazon.co.uk
Review
"'A wrenchingly affecting love story' Joseph O'Connor, Guardian 'This is a big, bold, remarkably assured narrative... A powerfully accomplished work of art.' Joseph O'Connor, Guardian 'The best book of the year... Extraordinary' Glasgow Herald 'Beautiful and heartbreaking' Independent on Sunday 'A beautifully written novel...both impressive and enjoyable... sensual and accurate... You can feel the light and heat of Italy as you read... A significant achievement that confirms Hickey's status as a major talent.' Mail on Sunday (****) 'Christine Dwyer Hickey's novels know how the slings and arrows of fortune leave scars long after their initial impact... A complex tale of courage and resilience.' Irish Independent"
Product Description
From the bestselling Irish novelist, here comes a sweeping tale of consequences that spans from the 1930s to the 1990s. "Last Train from Liguria" takes us on a journey from claustrophobic Dublin and the tense formality of London, to the heat and bustle of the pre-war Italian Riviera. This is a must-read for fans of books by Rose Tremain and Helen Dunmore. In 1933, Bella Stuart leaves her quiet London life to move to Italy to tutor the child of a beautiful Jewish heiress and an elderly Italian aristocrat. Living at the family's summer home, Bella's reserve softens as she comes to love her young charge, and find friendship with Maestro Edward, his enigmatic music teacher. But as the decade draws to an end and fascism tightens its grip on Europe, the fact that Alec is Jewish places his life in grave danger. Bella and Edward take the boy on a terrifying train journey out of Italy - one they have no reason to believe any of them will survive...

I have never read anything by this author before so I have no comparisons to make with previous novels. All I knew was that Christine Dwyer-Hickey is an award winning Irish novelist. While I found this narrative interesting taking us back and forth between London, Dublin and Italy in the nineteen thirties and mid nineteen nineties it neither excited me nor bored me. In fact leaving me feeling rather indifferent about this well written novel. I am disappointed and feel a little guilty admitting this, but there is no point in pretending otherwise. A decent read that was absorbing but nothing particular really drew me in.
The main setting of the story is fascist era Italy where the female protagonist Bella Stuart takes a position as tutor to Alec the son of the aristocratic Lami family. His mother has little time for him and Alec’s life revolves around Bella and his music teacher Edward King. The reader has already learnt much about the latters past in the opening chapter of the novel, a dark secret he keeps to himself in Italy. When the story moves to the present times it is to meet Anna a young woman of Italian descent and gradually connections with the past are uncovered.
It is a vivid picture of Italy during the rise of fascism that the author gives us with a very atmospheric sense of place. A novel not just about the historical period it is set in but a love story of perception and regret.

Travelling as A Bookray which means the last person on the list may decide what should happen to the book next. Thankyou for joining in, I hope you will leave some comments to let us know what you think. Please try to read and pass on within a month if possible so others do not have to wait too long.

Southhamsdarling - UK
SignoraEdie - USA - no longer required as obtained elsewhere.
iwanttobeinital - Italy
Totje2 - Netherlands
Bedazzle - India

En route to the first reader in the UK.

Happy reading

LindyLouMac

I have never read any other novels by this Author. I love Italy and that's why I wanted to read it. I have to say that I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't rave about it. I found it a little frustrating when Anna suddenly had a chapter, because she hadn't been mentioned before, but all is revealed near the end of the book, and I thought it was clever how the author drew all the strands together. It certainly wasn't a happy ever after ending, but I certainly wouldn't dissuade others from reading it. I thought it was very evocative of Italy, and I did warm to the various characters, especially Bella.

Arrived yesterday and will be started as soon as i finish my current read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read of times past in fascist Italy that I couldn't begin to imagine. And as part of the book was set in Dublin and I started to read the book whilst I was visiting the city it was even more evocative.
Posted yesterday to Totje2

Found this book in my mailbox today :-)
And I thought that I was catching up on rings.... oh well. Doesn't matter, I love to read, so no complaining.
The timing though is a bit awkward: I'll be going on holiday next week and I already have packed the books that are going with me. I'll not be starting this book untill I get back.

Looking forward to read it though!!

I'm nearly finished reading this book. I've contacted the next person on the reading list.

ETA: Forgot to enter my opinion on this book, so... here it is:

SPOILERS:
I found this a nice book.
There's a couple of reasons why it is not a WOW, like I expected it to be.
First of all I was a bit disappointed by the story itself. It was quite slow. In iteslef, there's nothing wrong with that, but only when the book / the story got to an end the pace went up for a while. At least I could feel the tension that took hold of the main characters.

Then I missed the story of Bella now. I know thather granddaughter takes over her role (more or less), but I still think it is a shame that we lose track of her after she arrives in England and despite the search of her granddaughter, the events like they took place during the war were not uncovered.
I feel that somehow the story did not really do justice to the whole picture, to the life of Bella, Edward and all the other characters that played bigger and smaller roles in the book.

I did not expect a happy ending, a 'they lived long and happily ever after'. But to let Alec and Edwardjust go 'off at the side of the stage' and not mention them again, not even let there story be traceable for Anna who's interested in her grandma and in what happened during that time, I think that's a misssed opportunity.

The book was not difficult to read. It took me a while, because I just wasn't really that grabbed by it.

This book is on its way to the last reader in the row: Bedazzle in India. I hope it will arrive soon and safe.
I wish you a lot of reading pleasure!

Just received the book and will be reading it after I finish my current reads..The cover is beautiful and I am tempted to cast aside my current books and read this one.The book will next be traveling to Misha_1989 after I am done.

I had high expectations of this book and was disappointed. Bella or any of the other characters didn't grab my attention ,because I simply didn't find them likable. The pace was too slow and didn't help matters much.The language was fluid and beautiful- almost like poetry;it just didn't work for me.

Released to Misha_1989 today.

Received the book today from Bedazzle. The premise is interesting , and I am looking forward to reading it as soon as I am done with my current read.

I finally finished reading this book today. Unfortunately, despite the interesting premise, I could not really get into the book. The characters were very difficult to connect to.
I will be sending this to the next reader soon.