Italian Fever

Wow, I am so surprised to read the vituperative reviews about this novel--I admired it on many levels. The writing was exceptionally fluent without in the least straying into the melodramatic, and Martin's blending of genres was nimbly handled. I thought the character portrayals were remarkably subtle and realistically complex. The opening passage (the Prologue) is so beautifully written that I wanted to read it over several times just for the rhythmic pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire novel and was so pleased to find it, as I have enjoyed some of her earlier novels but have had trouble finding all of them. If you are a "literary reader," I would think you would love this book.

I have just completed "Italian Fever" by Valerie Martin and enjoyed it tremendously. Lucy Stark goes to Italy to tidy up the affairs of a minor writer who died in an accident. While there she meets some intriguing characters, has an affair, learns more about the kind of person she really is, and is memsmerized by the beauty of Italy and the art of its famous painters and sculptors. Her descriptions are portrayed in succinct yet beautiful prose which engrosses the reader's attention. I especially loved her reaction and description of Piero della Francesca's fresco, The Resurection, which she comments on to her Italian escort while on a business trip. This novel has romance, self-revelation, mystery, ghosts, and the flavor of Italy all rolled into one. I heartily recommend it to any reader of quality fiction.

I don't know which I enjoyed more: Martin's prose or being tranported back to Italy, my favorite place on earth. No one has written the definitive romance about this country, and I hope no one does because the literary possibilities are endless. The whole point of reading pleasure is to be able to identify with the character/story/setting which this novel did for me so beautifully. While vacationing in Tuscany I succumbed to the flu...I had an affair with a married man who lived in Rome with his Australian wife, and I remember how frustrating it is to listen to the Italians speak their rapid-fire language and only being able to catch a word here or there. I loved it that Lucy and Antonio "discovered" each other and that she was smart enough to leave. I only hope that Ms. Martin will find it necessary to set her next novel in Venice.

I loved Italian Fever The main character, Lucy is a contemporary, American version of a smart female heroine out of Henry James or Forster. Plus Martin knows her stuff--the wine, food, and romantic allure of Italy. You keep turning the pages and this is one book that just gets better and better. I highly recommend it.

For the past five years, Lucy Stark has worked as an assistant to the popular author DV. After proofing and typing five novels, she knows that he writes the same story every time though he uses different settings. This time the setting is Italy. However, the ending is different as the American embassy in Rome calls Lucy to inform her that her employer is dead after falling down a well on property owned by the Cini family. Lucy flies to Italy to insure the proper burial of her former boss. In Tuscany, Lucy tries to see the body, but runs into official and unofficial resistance. She also learns that DV's last lover, Catherine Bultman apparently left him a few days earlier, but no one seems to know where she is. Lucy becomes ill even as she continues her inquiries. The Cini clan refuses to cooperate, hiding behind an aristocratic contempt of the Brooklyn native. Then there is the complication falling in love with her cooperative host Massimo Compitelli. Throw in a few meddling ghosts and efforts to learn the truth seems stuck behind the delirium caused by her fever. ITALIAN FEVER is an intelligent, energetic, and often humorous romantic tale that fans of contemporary romantic suspense and gothic novels will fully enjoy. The story line is entertaining as readers will feel Valerie Martin's energy and enthusiasm for the plot. The characters are intriguing especially the many dysfunctional relationships that Lucy seems to smash up against in her endeavors. Add in a pinch of iconography, Italian food, and a bit of satirical shots at best selling hacks, and the audience is left with a wonderfully intelligent novel.Harriet Klausner