The Tuscan Child

By: Rhys Bowen

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Katy Sobey

From New York Times best-selling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father's hidden past to discover his secrets....

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.

Nearly 30 years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father's history - and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father's secrets now....

Cover design by Shasti O'Leary Soudant

©2018 Janet Quin-Harkin (Writing as Rhys Bowen) (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Tried to like it, but no.

The female narrator's obviously fake British accent was incredibly annoying. I almost stopped listening 3-4 times, but wanted to see if it went anywhere. Because she must have been focusing on getting the annunciation, she totally lost any emotional inflection . She sounded like the breathless little ingenue.


Also seems like the end was rushed.

Average

I have really enjoyed the Her Royal Spyness series, so I was expecting to really enjoy this book as well. I figured out the plot very early on although the final twist was a surprise. The most disconcerting part was the performance. When the female narrator tried to do an Italian accent-especially with the male parts-8 thought I was listening to a bad Transylvanian accent. It's as if I was expecting one of the characters to declare he wanted to drink some blood.

Triple mystery romance! But not a romance novel!

This is one of the best books I have ever listened to! It keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what the true story is. It mostly takes place in the Tuscan countryside and makes you want to go live there and eat there! The characters are beautifully developed. The narration and accents are perfect. The full mystery is not resolved until the last few minutes of the story. It will keep you guessing the whole time. I usually read/listen to this author’s cozy mysteries. This book is different. So much more mature writing. I loved it!!!

easy listening

i was looking for an easy listen and i got exactly that. was it a bit bland and silly? yeah. but quite enjoyable.

Twist of fate

Great book with twists that impact the lives of two families. A quest to find the truth. Enjoyable read

Loved this book!

Great read, many times I was wondering about the book when not reading. I will be looking for other books by this author.

Memories

Good read. Growing up in England with a strong connection to Italy, especially Tuscany I must say well done. Especially the Food!!

Enjoyed listening

I enjoyed listening to this book. it brought vivid pictures to my mind. Thinking about Italy bring back memories of traveling there.

Excellent story!

I really enjoyed this book and those voices that gave it life. I can seevit easily being made into a movie!

Excellent

Rhys Bowen weaves a wonderful tale with engaging characters and mystery set in the Italian countryside. Highly recommend, especially if you like a bit of historical fiction.