A sweeping tale of a woman's life between 1949 and 2005. Santina lives and loves in Italy (especially Positano) and, to a certain extent, London. This is her story and no doubt the story of other women who saw their worlds expand over this period. Nicely done fiction.

A beautiful multigenerational sage set in Italy. Full of romance, history, and charm. If you are looking for a historical page-turner, this is it.

This was a lovely book. I always enjoy historical fiction, and the book follows the life and loves of an amazing lady named Santini. The story will grab you, and the descriptions of the beautiful Amalfi coast of Italy will make you get on a plane and go there!

It was a little long but I loved it anyway and highly recommend it. Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the review copy. My review is my own.
In this book we meet Santina Guida who shares her memories of a long interesting life in Italy.
She grew up in poverty and left Italy to work in London. She becomes a nanny for a wealthy couple who soon move back to Posotano Italy and Santina is back in her homeland. She teaches herself to read and write , grow food and cook.. She likes her life although it is a life of servitude. She enjoys caring for their child and cooking Italian meals. She longs for a family of her own, for love and has dreams unrealized.
The character of Santina is very heartfelt and a touching character to read of. Her joys, her poverty and her sadness are all beautifully written by the author. I enjoyed this charming book and always love a book set in Italy.
Italy’s Amalfi coast as a location is spectacular and sweeps the reader away with the beauty of this area.
Very nice read !

I was quickly engaged in the story of Santina, a young woman growing up in Positano. The book was not historical fiction based on the events of the times, but one woman’s story, and how her choices were limited by the different eras she experienced, from 1949 to 2005. Santina wants to go to America, but her situation brings her back from London to the Italy she was trying to escape, as the caretaker for a little girl. Enjoyable novel.

Santini is an old lady living in a beautiful old villa on the cliffs of Positano on the Italian Amalfi coat. She has had a long life with many secrets and she looks back to her beginnings. Starting out as a poor peasant girl living in the hills she is sent to work for a shopkeeper in Positano after her mother dies when she is twelve, as her father is an unpleasant violent drunk incapable of looking after Santini or her younger brother. Life is hard and so when couple of artists offer to take her back to England with them as their housekeeper she jumps at the chance. From their she goes to work for the Major and his arty wife Adeline but when Adeline suffers from postpartum depression after the birth of their daughter Elizabeth the Major decides she needs warm sea air and moves to Positano...... the one place that Santini wanted to escape from! As the years go Santini gets more embroiled in the family finding it impossible to leave Elizabeth behind.... but what of her love life can she find true love?

A lovely story with great characters and wonderful descriptions of Positano and the area. Santini is a very interesting character and definitely grows throughout the story I loved how she progressed, learning to read through cooking....... and those descriptions were definitely mouthwatering! Great summer read

Wow! This one packs ALOT into 416 pages and feels more like a chunkster saga.

This is the life story of Santina, born poor in Positano and motherless by 12. She dreams of getting out, but for a couple of relatively brief stints, ends up there most of her life. Her relationships with the men in her life are complicated and troublesome, with the women loving and easy.

The book is divided into 4 time periods in her life: a brief overview of her life before she lost her mother until age 16; 16-early 20s; midlife (early 40s); and just prior to her death (90+).

I loved this for its rich characterizations, its heartbreaks and ultimately its redemption. Highly recommend!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensington for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Positano on Italy's beautiful Amalfi coast is the background for this wonderful romantic novel. We follow the main protagonist, Santina for 5 decades as this romance, along with its secrets unfolds. The description of the area will hold you to it, its charm, its beauty, its essence. My thanks to NetGalley for providing this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Four Hundred and Forty Steps to the Sea is a glorious romantic story set against the beauty of Italy’s Amalfi coast. Love, family and hidden secrets collide in this compelling saga covering five decades. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#FourHundredAndFortyStepsToTheSea #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.

Wow! What an impressive book I've just read!

It's 2005 and Santina Guida shares with us her memories of a long and fullfilled life.
We start in the late 1940's in the poorer part of Positano, Italy, a pitoresque town where many artists find inspiration. When her mother dies her father sends her to work in a local shop. There she meets an art dealers couple who take her with them to London. After having outstayed her welcome Santina is hired as the help for a London artist who also has ties with Positano. She enjoys the creative environment and her friendship with the couple. Then the baby is born and the mother suffers from postpartum depression. To regain health the family moves to Italy and thus Santina is back where she started, only now living in a wealthy environment, looking after the couple and their baby. She also learns to read and write, to tend to the vegetable patch and cook inspired dishes. Life is sweet, although her dreams are on hold while everyone around her makes decisions for her. The years flow by.
Eventually Santina sets out on her own adventure, enjoying a brief spell of freedom and independence, until it all ends where it was supposted to. Full circle decades later.

"Four Hundred and Forty Steps to the Sea" is a heartfelt story of families torn apart and brought back together. Love hurts yet conquers all.
I enjoyed the vivid landscapes, tasty Italian meals and indepth characters. The writing is exquisite and moves at a pleasant pace.
Santina is such a caring person, she deserves my utmost respect. Henry's prosaic language kept me glued to the pages, Rosalia's friendship is sheer joy, the little girls puttering about are just adorable. Even the quirky characters of Positano have their charm.
This book touched me to the core and I'm sure will stay with me for a long time. A true gem!

Not long after World War II, Positano, Italy is still trying to get past the horrors of the war. Resident Santina takes a job as a housekeeper to a British couple in London, only to return to Positano when the couple decides to move there. As Adeline, her mistress succumbs to mental health issues, Santina steps in to help her and the rest of the family cope, becoming more and more involved with the man who employs her. Now, an old woman, Santina looks back at her life and the choices she made. Reading books like this always make me take a second look at the elderly people I come across in life. One can only wonder what secrets their own past holds