When Thea and her two children Luca and Aimee arrive in the small hill top town of Citta dei Castagni in Tuscany, they are exhausted from the long drive from the UK. Thea's plan is to clean up the house that her husband bought on a whim nearly two years ago as part of a regeneration scheme for a really cheap price and then sell it quickly. She's got six weeks to sort it all out, so that they can start their life again. Since her husband died soon after signing the contract for the house, Thea has done her best to keep going but she has lost the restaurant that they ran together and the family home. Whatever she can get for this house is what she has to build her future life upon.
What she doesn't know is that the old house is still full of possessions from the previous owner and it looks like maybe someone has been staying there without Thea's knowing. From the minute they arrive and there are problems with the electricity it becomes clear that it is going to take a lot of effort to get the house ready. Then the mayor arrives with the news that under the terms of the contract the house must be habitable within two years or else the owners must pay the penalty clause which is the full value of the house. Thea doesn't have any money so the pressure is really on. She's got six weeks to sort it all out.
This is a really small town, with not a lot in the way of shops and restaurants, but what there is a community kitchen which is run by a former chef named Giovanni. On her first night in town, Giovanni fed Thea and the kids, and soon he is helping her navigate life in the small town where everybody knows everyone's business.
Giovanni does try to warn her about the three feuding nonna's but still Thea isn't prepared when all three of them turn up at her place with a beautifully made lasagne, made to each of their own recipes, and each demanding to know which is her favourite. The three women, two sisters and their sister-in-law have been feuding for years over whose lasagne is best and they bicker constantly about everything. Or maybe the feud started about a couple of men. No one is really sure any more.
Soon Thea finds herself getting involved at the community kitchen, but the last thing she wants is to get too involved in either hospitality or in the town itself given that she is going back to the UK at the end of the summer. And when there are a couple of unexpected visitors, one of which changes her family dynamic completely and the other a blast from the past, Thea needs time and space to come up with a plan of what her family's future might look like.
What everyone in the town knows is that they also need to come up with a plan for the future of the community kitchen, as there just isn't enough funding to keep it running as it is. It is going to take the whole town, even feuding nonnas, to work together!
I have read a few books by Jo Thomas now, and I always really enjoy them. This book was no exception. I loved the way that we were immersed into this hilltop Tuscan town in summer. I could feel the heat, and the relief of sitting outside in the evening as the sun sets. I love that Thomas's book settings are quite varied. So far I have read a book about a trip to the German Christmas markets, one set at a French farmhouse, and another Christmas book which featured a character learning to make fancy chocolates at a school in Switzerland
All of the books I have read so far by Jo Thomas are very foodie focussed, and this book was absolutely full of references to delicious sounding Italian food, including but not limited to the infamous lasagne. Reading this book made me crave lasagne and I ended up having to make it for dinner last week in order to satisfy that craving!
I already know that I am looking forward to this author's next book, whereever it is set. I am also going to start working my way through her backlist as her books are my kind of reads!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with Foodie Reads hosted at Based on a True Story and with Weekend Cooking which I host here. Thanks to the publisher and Zooloo's Book Tours for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below.
Rating 4/5
About the book
It's never too late to find where you belong...
Thea knew the holiday house her late husband Marco bought in Tuscany wasn't pristine. But when she relocates to Italy for the summer with her children, she's shocked by how much work Casa Luna needs. And she only has six weeks to fix it up ready to sell! Her only option is to ask the tight-knit Italian community for help.
In return, Thea and her children become involved in the community kitchen, working alongside handsome chef Giovanni and three very competitive nonnas. Gradually, Thea begins to open up to the people around her for the first time in a long while. But just as she's beginning to wonder whether this small Tuscan town could become a new place to call home, a surprise visitor turns everything on its head . . .
Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229351090-a-place-in-the-sun
About the author
Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Radio 2's The Steve Wright Show.
Jo's debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook. Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.
Social Media Links
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