Villa Serena by Domenica de Rosa

According to the magazine column that Emily writes, life in Italy is just perfect. In reality though, it’s certainly not. After her husband leaves her, Emily is left alone in their Tuscan farmhouse, along with her three children, who all have their own problems.

We are gradually introduced to Emily, her children, her friends, and her new love interest, and the developing story is warmly and humorously told.

The surrounding countryside and towns are delightfully described, and there is some interesting local history explored.

The various storylines all weave together towards the end, and finishing the book felt like leaving behind some good friends.

Leading the Dance by Sarah Salway

Leading the Dance is a collection of short stories, bound together by the concept of secrets within everyday life. Sarah manges to write colourful characters, and fascinating tales, all presented within a few pages, something that I believe takes great writing skill.

Some of my personal highlights include a woman who has a portrait done of the contents of her fridge, which seems amusing, but deals with bulimia; a wife who secretly follows her husband’s affair via his emails; a touching tale of two sisters and their loneliness; a boy who has been taught to ignore his mother’s afternoon visitors; and especially the woman who locks another woman in her basement!

I can honestly say that not one tale within this collection disappointed, and I’m sure everyone will find their own personal favourite. Despite being very short, each one seems to have depth, and I will certainly be going back to read them again.

I very much enjoyed Sarah’s voice, and the way she writes, and I will be actively hunting more of her work.

A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker

Set in 1839, A Difficult Boy tells the story of Ethan, who is sent to work for My Lyman, a wealthy shopkeeper. Being close to his family, this is not something he wishes to do, but it’s made necessary by the debts that the family have with My Lyman.

Once there, he meets Daniel, an Irish immigrant, who has been labelled as a ‘difficult boy’. Ethan soon realises that Daniel is the victim of both racism and violent abuse, as Mr Lyman’s discipline often includes beatings.

Despite Daniel’s coolness to everyone, a spark of friendship is soon seen between the two boys, and it steadily grows throughout the book.

For me, the first half of the book was a little too slow, although the author does a good job of setting up the various characters, and strands of the story. It’s worth continuing with, however, because as the story reached it’s conclusion, I was surprised to find how involved I had become with these characters, and how much I cared about the story outcome. For me, I would have preferred to see some of the earlier book shortened, with the ending made a little longer, but that is a personal opinion.

For those interested in American history, this would make an interesting read, but it’s also a warming tale of friendship, and overcoming difficulties.