Summer in Tuscany

.... or as I learned - a "beautiful love story'! My constant daydreams of traveling to Italy (and/or Greece) were temporarily satisfied by this lovely book. Ms. Adler's descriptive writing made me feel as if I were in the quaint Tuscan Village watching from the sidelines, could feel the hot sun, see the bougainvilla flourishing, taste the fresh fruit, good cheeses & meats & excellent wines. I blushed with the strong felt love between the 'afraid to love' Gemma & the handsome, loving Ben Raphael and his persistence not to let her go. And I beamed with happiness for Momma Sophia Maria for making her decision to live life to the fullest day to day. I will be sure to check our Ms. Adler's 'House in Amalfi' so I can continue my 'visit' of Italy without ever leaving my seat!

Leave it to Elizabeth Adler to write one of the best books I've read in the past few weeks. Then again from my earliest days of reading this author with books like Leonie, Peach, The Rich Shall Inherit and The Property of a Lady, Ms. Adler has never failed to entertain me, educate me and even introduce to me to some of the most unforgettable characters. Recently the author has written a couple of books in the romantic suspense genre but it is Summer in Tuscany which is perhaps her most intriguing book recently which blends romance, a bit of mystery and the description of a country I now hope to visit.Gemma is a 40 year old emergency room doctor concerned about both her rebellious 15 year old daughter Livia and her 60 year old widowed mother Nonna. Exhausted from her intense life at the hospital, Gemma has little time for a social life other than the traditional Italian Sunday afternoon feast at her mother's house with their small family and a few friends. While Gemma daydreams about changing her life, she feels stuck with her life and finds she has little to look forward to. But then at Sunday dinner, Nonna announces that she has inherited a villa in the town of her birthplace located in Tuscany.The deceased Count of the villa has left the estate to the surviving family member of a man who saved him from downing many years before. Nonna who left Italy with her parents many years before can't wait to return to her village and take possession of the villa. But first she must convince both Gemma and Livia to make the trip with her. At first Gemma won't even consider the idea but then thinks a summer away from New York may be the perfect opportunity for Livia, Nonna and herself to bond.Arriving first in Rome, Gemma makes the acquaintance of a gentleman and hois young daughter. Almost immediately, Gemma feels something for this man. These are feelings she has long denied herself. But when she meets up with this man a few days later in Tuscany, he claims that he purchased Nonna's villa and he is now the rightful owner. Now while Gemma's relationship is heating up with this gentelman, the search is on for the owner or the villa or the heir to it.While I loved the plot and many colorful characters, I think it was the description of Rome, Florence but most of all, the Tuscan region that found me reading late into the night. And when I wasn't picturing the Ponte Vecchio, Colosseum or the streets of a Tuscan village, my mouth was watering from the many wonderful homegrown foods and restaurant meals. There is even the appearance of Luchay, a bejeweled parrot with a wonderful history whom readers of Elizabeth Adler's previous book the Rich Shall Inherit will remember along with his owner Poppy Mallory.It has been many years since I read my first book by Elizabeth Adler. But now having read and loved Summer in Tuscany I have this great desire to reread all of the books I previously read by this author. And if that isn't enough, I am seriously

I found this book to be very good. I couldn't put it down. Also, I now rank Italy as one of the places I have to visit someday. She really brought the place alive to me. Read it, you'll like it.

I liked this even more than Last Time I Saw Paris.... I'm a big Elizabeth Adler fan and have read all her books and she always surprises me with a new style, or a new twist on life. Currently she;s into a travelling mode and I love being taken along with her - and the eccentric Jericho family to Tuscany, and to Positano, Rome, and Florence.......it's not a guided tour, it's just written with love.

SUMMER IN TUSCANY........ what a pleasure to pick up a book and simply fall into its pages, and into its character and the wonderful Tuscan village Elizabeth Adler has created.... I was right there with the Jericho family, in the little inn with the brass beds and the wobbly shower....... I could even feel the heat of the sun on the rampant zucchini, and on the tomato plants climbing up the old stone wall... and taste them with basil and mozzarella later...... This author knows how to bring you into her world with a love story that you envy, a teenager whose moods you recognize and an Italian grandmother who runs everybody's lives. Vivid, colorful, fun - and touching.