The House in Amalfi

There are no words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. I soaked in all the beautifully described details of Rome and the Amalfi coast! The characters were very well-drawn, the plot was well-balanced with romance and mystery, and the dialogue was very natural! Elizabeth Adler writes in a style that I aspired to write in, and I found this story to be very well-written and thoroughly enjoyable!

The characters came alive and I was able to totally immerse myself in their tale. It was astouding to look up the specific places mentioned in the book, and find out they were real - and what glorious places in which to find oneself. A great escape!

Elizabeth Adler brings her perfect blend of romance between man and woman and romance between reader and locale to this charming tale set on the exquisite Italian coast. I doubt anyone will finish this book without thinking several times of calling a travel agent and booking the next flight to Italy. To be in Amalfi---to shop, to eat, to view the lush landscape would be a dream anyone would dream after finishing this novel. The only drawback to the novel is that the heroine, Lamour Harrington, is a bit of a ditz. If you can accept the fact that a woman of thirty-eight is not bright enough to know you don't automatically own a house just because you once lived there or that for all her screaming about being strong and independent she does not find true happiness until she meets her future husband, then you can let yourself enjoy this tale that is mostly light and humorous, but takes a very dark and suspenseful turn that does save it and lift it out of the mediocrity of "chic lit." Recently widowed by a man who was leaving her for another woman, Lamour isolates herself in her Chicago apartment dreaming of better days when she was the beloved daughter of famed novelist, Jon-Boy Harrington. To pull herself out of her deepening depression, she visits Amalfi and tries to recapture the soul of the happy child she once was and uncover the mystery surrounding her father's death. Lorenzo Pirato is the dashing owner of the estate on which Jon-Boy's home can be found. Though she instantly dislikes him, she is charmed by his son Nico and begins a flirtatious association with him. Is this going to be another case of a woman falling for both father and son? Will Lorenzo's beautiful daughter Aurora drive Lamour from her home? Can her faithful friend Mifune help her discover what is truly important? Will a red chiffon dress and a beautiful Contessa give her the answers she seeks? Will we ever learn the name of Jammy's `college kid'? For charming characters, unmatched descriptions of the beauty of Italy, and comic scenes involving chickens, this is a delightful escape into romance and travel.

In the first week of publication Elizabeth Adler's THE HOUSE IN AMLFI entered the New York Times Bestseller list. The Reviews have been spectacular, and here is a review from DIVA: THE HOUSE IN AMALFI By Elizabeth Adler St. Martin's Press, 2005 Reviewed by :: Lisa Bradley Ms. Adler's descriptions are so lush, so lyrical, you can almost smell the salt of the ocean, taste the dark, acrid sweetness of a good cappuccino. Her gorgeous imagery of Rome makes you want to pack your bags and go! It gets even better when she gets to the Amalfi seaside, with the house tucked into the cliffs, the boats bobbing on a sparkling blue sea, and the scent of lemons everywhere. If what you're looking for is a fast pace and snappy dialogue, this is not that book. But it is still a jewel of a book in it's own right. The pace is leisurely; the story flows like honey left to warm in the sun. There is not much in the way of dialogue, but somehow it works here. Instead, we are inside the character's heads, viewing it all through their eyes, and feeling what they feel, which is a mixture of profound sadness interspersed with moments of pure happiness. This is one of those stories you inhabit almost bodily, as though you have been transported there in a dream, and upon waking, you have to wonder if it were real. Right now I'm wondering what it would cost to catch a flight to Italy tomorrow. 5 Kisses Created for Romance Divas :: [...]:: © 2005

In Chicago, though two years have passed since her beloved husband Alex died in a car crash, Lamour Harrington still mourns her loss. Lamour sees the irony that he was the second man in her life to die in a tragic accident as her father Jonathon was killed in a boating incident off Italy's Amalfi coast. To survive she buries herself in her work as a landscape architect, but refuses to allow anyone even a dog or cat into her life because loved ones die. Only her childhood friend Jammy Mortimer pushes Lamour to join the living; her spouse Matt coaxes Jammy to tell the total truth to Lamour about Alex. Already thinking of returning to the place she was happiest, Amalfi, Jammy's revelation is the final impetus to get her to move. Lamour travels to Italy to learn what led to her beloved artistic father's death and to recapture the magical happiness that has left her bereft. The truth may be freeing, but in spite of meeting Lorenzo Pirata and his adult son, Lamour is unsure that she wants to know the secrets of her heart and that of the HOUSE IN AMALFI. Whether it is Tuscany, Province or now Amalfi no one serves as a better tour guide of Mediterranean Europe than Elizabeth Adler is. Readers feel they are seeing lush gardens, sharing wine or eating pizza in a remote village cafe as she paints a fabulous landscape. The characters are fully developed with Lamour severing as a terrific focus to the Amalfi tour while the support cast either provides insight into her or into the locale. Once again readers will be transported to another place by the magic of Ms. Adler. Harriet Klausner