The Tuscan Child

Knocked this one out of the park

Rhys Bowen long ago proved her ability to develop interesting, complex characters and intriguing mysteries.

This novel, however, is her absolute best. Set in 1944 and 1973, the premise uses the classic devise of exploring the same story from two points of view and, in this case, two time periods. Hugo Langley is living the situation in 1944 which creates the mystery for Hugo's estranged and troubled daughter Joanna to figure out in 1973 as she comes to terms with both his death and her life.

I don't want to offer any detail that would allow any kind of spoiler, but I can safely tell you that Ms. Bowen has created a mystery, a romance, and a kind of coming-of-age story that will keep you curious until the very end. Nothing much is at is appears to be.

In addition, Ms. Bowen has used language beautifully to bring several complex characters to life in settings that allow the reader to see, feel and smell.

Finally, the narrators are both excellent. Katy Sobey does a wonderful job with Joanna's voice and the characters that live the story with her in 1973 as Joanna tries to solve the mystery she finds in her father's will. But Jonathan Keeble is simply outstanding reading Hugo as a British pilot trapped in a tiny town in Italy under German occupation as the Allies get closer.

I highly and enthusiastically recommend The Tuscan Child. Don't hesitate. Get it.

171 of 179 people found this review helpful

Loved it!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Tuscan Child the most enjoyable?

I felt like I was there, and since I am going to Rome, now I want to add Tuscany to the trip (but the town is made up, sigh)

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Joanna. she seemed sensible for 1973.

What about Jonathan Keeble and Katy Sobey ’s performance did you like?

I like the fact that Audible used a man for a man's voice and a woman for the woman's part and not a back and forth with a woman trying to do a man's voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I couldn't listen to it fast enough.

Any additional comments?

Definitely one I will recommend. I have read others by this author. she is one of my "check out to see if she has a new book out" authors.

88 of 92 people found this review helpful

Read it for the Tuscan food descriptions

If you could sum up The Tuscan Child in three words, what would they be?

This story began in a compelling manner; the two main characters are fairly well developed, though other characters much less so. The story dilemma is rather compelling, but the plot turns go from unlikely to preposterous. The child's identity is predictable very early; the villain is evident well before the author reveals that identity. Not a bad listen for a road trip, but little more -- I will say, though, the descriptions of Tuscan cooking caused cravings so powerful I made gnocci tonight (with sausage, sage, garlic, peccorino).

31 of 32 people found this review helpful

So dissapointed! I really wanted to lke it.

I REALLY wanted to like this book, and I expected I would because I am such a fan of Rhys Bowen, but sadly this was a total flop for me!

It was eye-rollingly cliched, too easy, oversimplified, the ending was too quick and all things were resolved in a snap. Everyone gets rich and lives happily ever after.

I especially disliked all the food talk! It did not advance the story at all and the attempts to slip recipes into the story felt contrived. I realize the point was to paint the scene and make us feel what a Quaint Tuscan Village must be like… but it didn’t, it was just awkward.

I never felt any emotion for the characters, and therefore could not suspend my disbelieve and just go with it. The only character I did like a little was Hugo but not enough to save the book. Too bad.

Still, this sad miss in a long line of hits from Ms Bowen is just a blip, I continue to be a fan and I will still tune in to whatever she writes next!

93 of 99 people found this review helpful

Story somewhat predictable, and sooooo sloooow..

With all the good reviews, I expected more from this book. The narrators are fine, but the story is so painfully slow to progress, and the outcome becomes more and more obvious, that I almost gave up on it part way through. I have listened to several of this author's books and won't bother with any more. Note: the descriptions of the food did make me hungry...

38 of 40 people found this review helpful

Juvenile

Silly plot (fortuitous earthquakes and coincidences; characters who appear so briefly you'll wonder why they were included at all; abandoned sub plots). Poor character development (passionate man turns into cold hearted father for no reason; class conscious man is conscious of class on and off; intelligent heroine behaves like an idiot). Amazed I finished it.

60 of 64 people found this review helpful

Overall, a no

I couldn't even finish this one. It's just filler that gets increasingly more boring as it goes along. It also gets increasingly absurd to the point that it's laughable. This would've made a great short story,

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Painful Performances

Way too much performance here. Listeners do not need readers to enact all these different voices. It’s a book, not a play. Trying to do more invites this kind of criticism: the female reader turned all the Italian characters into Bela Lugosi and the male reader robbed the character of Sofia any chance to be imagined as alluring by sticking her with his husky approximation of a woman’s voice. Pretty weak story as well filled with annoying digressions to author’s obvious travel notes.

23 of 25 people found this review helpful

I don't think Rhys Bowen could write a bad book!

Any additional comments?

Excellent books from Rhys Bowen are so much the norm that it seems repetitive to say "another great book" from her pen, but that is the fact. I enjoyed this very much. The two narrators do a very good job of bringing the characters to life. This dual tale of father and daughter at different times of their lives kept me interested and awake far into the night until I finished it. The mystery seems pretty simple to figure out, but don't count on it. There are twists and surprises right up to the last. It is a stand-alone book, so jump right in. You may wind up, like me, hoping for a follow-up to tell us more about how things go for Joanna.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

A Story Like Weak Wine

This story is like weak wine. It tastes right, just not that memorable or satisfying. The plot and characters are predictable from start to end, and just as frustrating, the narrative never explains what actually happened to one of the main characters. The secondary characters just seem hollow caricatures of prototype description. At its best, the book is a celebration of Italian cooking- but that isn’t what I was hoping for in this mostly disappointing story.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful