This is a beautiful family saga.
The descriptions of Tuscany in this book are so beautiful.
The characters are interesting and well developed.
This is a captivating wonderful read

I enjoyed this time slip book taking place in modern times and olden days. The characters are well developed and progress well in the story. I love reading historical fiction for what I learn from it. The descriptions are well done and informative.
I will be looking forward to reading more by this author as this is not my first read, I've enjoyed by the author. The story is so touching and will be remembered for a while.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Angela Petch deftly blends history, intrigue, drama and emotion in an atmospheric Italian set tale that is absolutely impossible to forget: A Tuscan Memory.

Elderly Giselda Chiozzi spends her days all alone in her grand home whose corridors echo with silence and stillness. When she finds a lost boy curled up asleep in a beech tree outside her home, Giselda takes pity on him and takes him into her home. It has been years since Giselda had a visitor and this little boy promises to bring some much needed sunshine to the grey and muted life which she has grown accustomed to. However, when Davide wakes up he makes a confession that tugs at her heartstrings: he is a loner who has always felt like an outsider looking in and, with his beloved mother ill, is looking for connection and somewhere where he can feel like he truly belongs. Giselda promises to help him trace his family history and to help him find his roots. But little does Giselda realise that by helping out this lost child she might just find the answers to the questions about her own life and her own past that have dogged her for so long.

As they delve into the past and start uncovering the secrets of the past, Giselda and Davide unearth the story of Davide’s great grand father Giuseppe, who had been forced to become a man before his time. Giuseppe had been strong, courageous and valiant and when all the odds were stacked against him he had found himself with nobody to turn to and no choice but to rise up to the plethora of challenges that had been thrown his way. But Giuseppe had a secret. A powerful secret that he took to his grave but which years later threatens to tear Davide’s family apart. But will Davide continue to let the past determine and shape his future? Can he finds the peace he has long searched for? Will he return back home? And more importantly, will Giselda manage to find the contentment and peace that has long eluded her?

It’s impossible not to fall under Angela Petch’s spell. Beautifully lyrical, highly emotional and so intriguing and evocative that readers will feel as if they are in Tuscany with Giselda and Davide, A Tuscan Memory is a wonderfully told tale of hope, healing and survival that is sure to bring a tear to the eye. Angela Petch is a superb writer who makes readers feel every emotion her characters go through and in A Tuscan Memory she has penned an emotional, uplifting, poignant and mesmerizing tale that blends the present with the past with such deftness and flair that it is sure to haunt and linger in the reader’s mind and heart long after the last page is turned.

A wonderful tale to curl up with as the nights begin to draw in, A Tuscan Memory is another must-read by Angela Petch.

I don’t know whether it’s because I hadn’t read any of the previous Tuscany books, but I found this one hard to follow.

The timelines didn’t make sense - it starts in 1916 - then to present day where we learn of a family - then back to 1917 with no reasoning why.

It’s not even as if the story is back and forth as dual timelines are - I had to DNF at 30%

A Tuscan Memory describes life in Tuscany,Italy from 1917 onwards and tells the story of the Starnucci family. The dual timeline tracks Guiseppe and Marisa along with the present day life of Francesco ,Anna and their children.The story works well in both timelines and connects to previous books . An enjoyable read.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful book that tells two stories. Davide is a young man in the present who feels like he doesn't fit in, The children in school a re bullying him as he is half English. He decides to run away and is found by a local lady on her grounds. She decides to help him by researching his Italian heritage for a school project.
We meet Giuseppe who is an ancestor of Davide and see how he lives his life. He does not fit in, he is very intelligent so is sent to the seminary to become a teacher. After an incident at the seminary he is home for his holidays and decides to run away joining local men who are driving sheep across the country.
Yet again Angela Petch has written a lovely book full of beautiful descriptions of Italy and revealing interesting pieces of history.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher foir granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a gorgeous book! It made me desperate to travel to Tuscany. Loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A history of Italy from the 1900's to present day. I wasn't aware this was book 2, may have made a difference to me, because I just couldn't get into the story. While the descriptions of the landscape were beautiful, I found the writing dry and hard for me to connect to.
3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.

This is a beautifully written, descriptive historical fiction that draws you in. It's the second book in the series, and I think it would be best to enjoy it after reading the first book so you get a sense of the family and setting.

I think readers that enjoy historical fiction that focuses on the family interactions and relationships will really like this!

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book has beautiful descriptions and imagery of the Italian mountains which really evoke the feeling of being there. I liked how the author describes the hardships alongside the beauty. The Idea behind the story was also interesting.
However, it is difficult to follow at times and some details are not really required as they do not add much to the story. There is also some trigger warnings for some distressing scenes.
On the whole, a good book.

In 1917, Giuseppe Starnucci a young village boy is adamant to not return to his seminary school and instead opts to become part of the transumanza a yearly five month migration that the poor villagers living in the mountains undertake, with their flock of sheep, to the coastal areas of Tuscany in the hopes of earning a better monetary livelihood.

In present day Tuscany we find 10 year old Davide Starnucci trying to figure out how to cope with the bullying he faces at school because of his mixed Italian/English heritage while trying to successfully complete a project work focusing on the now obsolete practice of 'transumanza', it's importance and the affect it had on the lives of their village ancestors. While researching, the Starnucci family uncover a secret kept hidden by their great grandfather Giuseppe and his wife Marisa.

What I really liked about the Tuscan Memory was its description of Tuscany....not the tourist version but the actual raw beauty of Tuscany with its mountain villages, coastlines, the village people, their lifestyle, and the economic hardships they lived through in the early days of the 20th century. Also, I had never heard or read about the transumanza and the author has done a wonderful job of describing this important piece of Italian history.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Angela Petch for the e-Arc of the book. The book was published on 7th September 2020.

Rating:⭐⭐⭐✨💫

This book is about two young men. The first young man, Giuseppe starts in 1917 and his hardships in the mountains of Italy. He faces problems that we don't have to face in today's world.
Then we have the present day with Davide. He has his own problems today with school mates as well as family.
It shows how in a hundred years how the challenges can be so different and yet the same.
This is a wonderful story and I won't forget it for awhile.

A Tuscan Memory is a read that talks about family and how we are brought into Giuseppe Starnucci's life and how truly moving his story was as he grew up and how in the future, his great grandson would seek out his story.

This book was absolutely moving and you can tell how much a turn Giuseppe's life ended up being and how his dreams turned out so different from his true reality. We are given a back and forth time jump from Giuseppe's life starting in 1916 to present day to his great grandson Davide trying to find out his family history.

I gave A Tuscan Memory four stars, really discovering how this book can really be an inspiration toward others when discovering the types of determination that they have just like the way Giuseppe had determination for his life even though it didn't turn out like he expected it to be.

This book had the type of detail where you least expect it, which for me was shown through Giuseppe's life and how through this book you can feel this aching for Giuseppe that I felt when reading this.

Davide, the one who sought to discover his great grandfather's life story, we are told, was struggling in school, having had English heritage among Italians which pushed him into getting bullied and made fun of throughout the story.

Both stories, the years we see with Davide and the years we see with Giuseppe blend in so well (having been at different times and different generations) but it was an excellent story to dive into.

Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

sadly this book was a dnf. i was not attached to the characters or the plot, and the setting is the only thing that really pushed me to read anything. i found the writing to be quite dry, and the characters to not have much depth to them.

A dual timeline story of Davide in present day Tuscany and Giuseppe in between the wars Tuscany. Davide is being bullied at school because of his English heritage and so embarks on a project about the history of his Italian family. Giuseppe is a talented young boy and the local priest takes an interest in him and arranges him to be schooled at the seminary but what is the secret that makes him run away before his exams and take the hard life with the sheep migration?

Another great book in this series about Anna and her family and their historical connections. It works well in the two timelines and I enjoyed the connections from the previous books, although this can easily be read as a standalone.

I have read the two previous novels by Angela Petch and enjoyed them, but this one just didn't hit the spot this time.
Too many things just didn't ring true and didn't feel part of the story. Alba going to Newcastle and Anna seeing her sister's doctor in England all felt wrong and irrelevant.
I enjoyed reading about the lives of those who did the twice annual migration of the sheep.The portrayal of the hardships endured came across well.
​​​​​​​But what ever happened to Davide's project and Giselda, they just disappeared.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Giuseppe is a teenager growing up in the inter wars years in Tuscany. His traditional rural life is changed forever by his experiences at a seminary and then with the rise of Fascism.
In the present day, Giuseppe's grandson is struggling with bullies at school. He begins to explore his traditions and heritage.
A Tuscan Memory is the second book by Angela Petch to feature Anna, an English woman now relocated and married to an Italian. However, I haven't read that previous book so it is not necessary as this works perfectly well as a stand alone novel.
The writing is rich and clearly evokes both the Italian landscape and the historical era. The narrative is full of the language and culture which draws the reader in to completely immerse us in the story and lives of the characters.
I found myself enjoying Giuseppe's experiences. He is extremely likeable but faces numerous challenges including bullying, sexual assault and unexpected fatherhood. His reactions and integrity endear him to us as readers, making us care about him as well as wonder what happens in the interim before the events of the present day.
In contrast, Davide's experience seems almost trivial as the bullying he faces is more psychological and he has less vulnerability. The plot was engaging with the two timelines but I was a little disappointed that there was not a greater discovery in the present day of Giuseppe's life although I am unsure if there could be a sequel planned.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the third book in this series of books set in Tuscany. The books are not linear and in fact this one is a prequel to the other books. It was a lovely story, picturesque and as usual the characters were heartwarming and likeable. I liked learning a little more about this family and about this part of Italy. It is definitely on my bucket list. Well written and enjoyable.

A Tuscan Memory is the third book that I have read by Angela Petch set in an area of Italy that the author really brings to life. She has a wonderful way of creating such vivid imagery of a place that I have never been to before but yet I feel the story comes alive because of such careful and in-depth research and also because the author has a real and genuine interest for her subject matter. The Tuscan countryside obviously means a lot to the author and through reading these books I have come to appreciate both the setting and its history. All three books are interconnected as several characters reappear in each book but each is still easily read as a stand alone story. A Tuscan Memory was an enjoyable and relaxing read that followed the lives of families many years apart which showed how generations stayed the same but also how they were changed through world and local events.

In the present day Francessco and Anna are raising their three children, twins, Rosanna and Emilia, their young son Davide and Francessco’s daughter Alba who is now on the cusp of adulthood with some major decisions to make. Anna had featured in the first book, The Tuscan Secret, so I was familiar with her and Francessco’s back story and I was delighted that they would feature again so prominently as I had always felt there was more to their story that needed to be told. Anna is struggling with life and trying to keep up to date with all the goings on of her children on a daily basis. Combined with this she also feels her closeness with her husband is slowly dissipating but it is she who is turning him away when he tries to make contact. What is causing her to be like this? Why is she so tired all the time with no energy to muster to do the normal everyday things?

Right from the start Anna had me worried and at some points I felt like I almost didn’t want to read on for fear of what would unfold. I did anticipate that this storyline with Anna and her family would continue on for longer but it was almost over before it began and the result was explained away in a mere sentence and considering how much build up to it that there had been I was expecting a more in-depth resolution and to see how this would have affected all the characters involved. Overall I found this happened a lot with the book that things were mentioned and I think most readers would have liked some development but subjects, events or feelings seemed to be broached and then not covered or dealt with in enough detail. There was just a bit too much of glossing over of things for me.

I really felt for Anna’s son Davide. He was struggling with school and his fellow classmates and all because of his English heritage and I thought Anna was so caught up in what was going on in her own life that she neglected her son. But it’s when Davide decides to run away, admittedly not very far, that he finds a hut and meets Giselda, the last of the Chiozzi family who were once the richest landowners in the area. Giselda was a bit eccentric but there was something really likeable about her character. She gave Davide the solace and support he needed and her wise words did a lot to make him feel better about himself. She made Davide realise that how we face up to difficulties is what makes us into the people we are.

When reading the blub for this book, I expected to really enjoy Anna’s side of the story as I had loved her story in the first book, so it was a total surprise to find that it was in fact the story told in the past that really caught my attention throughout. We first meet Giuseppe in 1917 as he prepares to steal away from his house in the middle of the night. For what we do not know but I knew for sure that I wanted to find out more. We go back two years earlier to 1915 and become accustomed to the life that Giuseppe and his family lead in the Apennine mountains. Theirs is a small community but the bonds are strong as life is tough especially during the winter months. What is gathered during the Summer must last them through the Winter months as the men from the village leave for the transumanza. I found the concept of the transumanza to be fascinating and it helped me understand how Giuseppe felt he really needed to be part of this as it offered him a form of escape when he needed it the most. The men from the village would take the sheep from the mountains to the coastal area during the winter months where there was better grazing and where money could be made. It was a tough life but it formed part of their heritage and without this concept Giuseppe’s story would have been very different.

When we first met Giuseppe, I thought he was young, naïve and an innocent who relied heavily on his family and would have done anything to please them. They struggled to get by but did the best they could with what they had. When the local padre secures a place for Giuseppe in the seminary the family are pleased and will scrap the money together to send him. For Giuseppe this a life changing experience in more ways than one and I didn’t think he was really cut out for it. He would much rather become a teacher but whilst at the seminary he does his best to please the monks and his family. What befalls him at this pivotal time affects him deeply for the rest of his life and in turn his life path is altered and he flees the seminary to his home town and soon becomes part of the transumanza. I thought Giuseppe was brave to do what he did as his family had made such efforts to enable him to attend the seminary yet what happened to him could not continue. As the story progresses and the years pass by I kept wondering what was the connection between Guiseppe and the modern day story and in the end I was delighted that I hadn’t guessed at it.

Instead I thought the book became much better than it had been as I become totally caught up and invested in Guiseppe’s life. The author showed how a single moment or an event can change someone’s entire life forever and their destiny could be further shaped and altered. Guiseppe had faced many challenges in his life but still his greatest were ahead of him. Another character that made an appearance every now and again was Marisa. She was almost like an enigma and due to a condition she had was seemingly left on the shelf and in some ways was an outcast in the village. I desperately wanted to know more about her and again questioned how she fitted into the bigger picture. Again as with Guiseppe, I felt there was to be plenty of twists and turns to her story and I couldn’t wait to see how she slotted into the overall plot.

A Tuscan Memory is a lovely book and it is well researched, but for me it was just too slow to start with and the plot strayed at times and it became slightly disjointed. As I have said the second half is much better than the first and I felt it redeemed itself somewhat and made up for the slow beginning and therefore my opinions of the characters and the story as a whole altered. I will be interested to see in what direction Angela Petch will journey to next in relation to where her next book will be set and in what time period but in the meantime if you want a quick, easy historical fiction read then A Tuscan Memory will provide you with just that.

As lush and beautiful as the countryside setting itself, this book was unlike most that I have read this year. Almost every passage contained a feeling or thought that conveyed every aspect of Tuscany. The author moves seamlessly from present day to the years surrounding WWI, building the story from both ends. However, in spite of the character list at the beginning, I was still often confused as to family relationships and how everything connected. And then I realized that this is part of a series. I totally didn’t make the connection, and that is completely on me (no fault of the author). I would definitely recommend this book for picture it paints of Tuscany but would also recommend reading the first books to get the background. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital ARC of the book.