A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

This is a well written historical novel. I enjoyed the description of the setting and felt like I was there. Character development is very strong. This is a compelling family based historical fiction.

This one was a little difficult for me to keep focused on. I’d like to give it another go when I’ve cleansed my reading palate a bit as I think I read at a time of reader burn out and just couldn’t get into it

A beautifully written compelling love story. Definitely recommended as a. Page turning holiday read.

A fantastic time slip set in Italy. A woman goes to Italy on a mission to find answers family questions. Well written with fascinating character development. Interesting findings as secrets get answered..


I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are y own.

A dual story set in Italy. Susannah wants to find out more about a postcard which she finds after her father dies, she goes to Italy to find out it's story.
A page turner, well written.

Another enjoyable story by Angela Petch, The Postcard From Italy is a beautiful dual timeline story packed with mystery, romance, love, heartbreak and hope. Puglia Italy was a beautiful setting for this one and almost felt like a character in itself. This one touched on all my emotions. If you haven’t read an Angela Petch story, do yourself a favor and do. Her writing is beautiful and stories are always captivating.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy. It is my pleasure to leave an honest review. The opinions above are my own.

I’ve never been to Puglia in Italy, the south-eastern coast down to the heel, except in the pages of ‘The Postcard from Italy’ by Angela Petch. Vividly she brings to life the coastline, the stone-built trulli houses, the caves. It is a magical setting. Stretching backwards from today to the closing months of the Second World War, this is an enthralling family story of love and separation. Recognising love when it’s there, but also understanding when it’s absent.
In 1945, Puglia, a young man awakes, injured, disorientated. He doesn’t know who he is or how he came to be in a trullo, a rural stone house, cared for by strangers. The teenage boy Anto explains how his grandfather Domenico saw him fall from a warplane. Called ‘Roberto’ by his rescuers, his memory stubbornly refuses to return. He can speak English and Italian but knows nothing about fishing or farming. As he helps them in their daily routines, gathering food, catching fish, tending vegetables, repairing the trullo, his nights are full of confusing dreams.
In present day Hastings, England, Susannah mourns the recent death of her father Frank and the descent of her grandmother, Elsie, into the clouds of dementia. Clearing Elsie’s house, Susannah finds a yellowing postcard of a beautiful farmhouse in Puglia and a message of love. Realising this is the same farmhouse in a painting by her father but unaware of family links with Italy, she can’t reconcile this message of love with her brittle, acidic grandmother who always preferred Susannah’s blonde-haired younger sister Sybil. So, while a friend looks after her antique bric-a-brac shop at home, Susannah takes a holiday in Puglia. Determined to find the house in her father’s painting, she learns to heal herself, to speak a little Italian and in so doing falls for two handsome men.
Petch uses conventional wartime story themes – amnesia, separation of loved ones, the vulnerability of loneliness and grief, and the fear of those who exploit war for gain – and adds the twists and turns of flirting and love. Petch has written four novels set in Tuscany, so Puglia is a new setting for her but her knowledge of Italy shines on every page. Susannah’s holiday is extended as she turns detective but the clues, when she finds them, bring more questions rather than answers.
Susannah is the spine of the story but my favourite character was Anto, so complex, so brave, so intriguing. This is a wonderful book to sink into, a perfect holiday or weekend read.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Great dual timeline story with both timelines working well, although as usual I preferred the historical part.. I loved the descriptions of the wartime Italy and the hand to mouth existence endured, brilliant characters and storyline made this another great book by this author that I couldn't put down

The postcard from Italy tells the story of Billy/William/Roberto who wakes up in a Trullo in Puglia with severe burns on his hands and a total amnesia. He has been rescued by Anto and his grandfather. Later he discovers that he has come down with a parachute, but that is about all he knows, except for that he is fluent in both English and Italian. After quite some time a former mate recognizes him when he is serving at the local hotel and tells him he is William Pica. Very slowly Roberto/Willam's memory is returning and it turns out that he has a wife and son at home. In the meanwhile he has fallen in love with Antonella, but he decides to do the decent thing and returns home, only to discover that the wife he only married because she was pregnant has found another husband.

In the present day Susannah is mourning the demise of her father who left her a postcard and a couple of paintings he made of the Masseria on the postcard. It has always been his dream to visit Italy and find the scene on the postcard but unfortunately he died before he could do so. Susannah decides to realise his wish for him and sets of for Puglia. There she discovers the real story behind the postcard and also discovers that she has Italian roots.

On the whole I found the two story's that are woven into one very interesting although I must say that Billie/Roberto's story appealed more to me that the present day story of Susannah. I didn't find Susannah's issues with Mario very convincing and the love-story between Susannah and Giacomo a bit lame.
Furthermore Susannah's behaviour and reactions gave me more the impression of a young twenty-ish woman than the mature woman of almost 40 that the writer reminds us at some points that she is. At times her behaviour is almost childish, in that sense Antonella feels more mature, even when she is a very young woman at the beginning of the book. So, my rating for this book is a little lower than for the previous books by the same author.

Of-course the setting is gorgeous and so are the descriptions of the Puglian landscape, food, etcetera.

I want to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with an Arc of this book in exchange form my honest review. Al opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#ThePostcardfromItaly #NetGalley What a delightful story combining the horror of world war 2, romance and the search of a daughter (Susannah) to discover more about a painting her father painted and some postcards from Italy that her ailing grandmother has. The story is written in two different timelines (1945 and present day), which normally I am not that keen on but these flowed well and made the story more enjoyable. Parts of the story I guessed early on but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. After a few weeks with very little time for reading, this was a book I could not put down. I will definitely look for more books from this author.

Story of love,lost, found friends, lovers and family. Takes you away in southern Italy. During WW2 when a man is lost with no memory and then begins the quest to find out who he is and reestablish his life.

Throughly enjoy this story and all the characters. -
Definitely would recommend to all
Who enjoy the reconnection

At first I wasn't sure if I would like Suzannah but after a while she grew on me. I liked the dual timelines and I really enjoyed Roberto's story. It was so heartbreaking but beautiful.

I'm a big fan of dual timelines, but dual timelines written skillfully are few and far between. Thankfully, Angela Petch did not disappoint; she constructed a lovely narrative that allows the reader to vacillate easily between time periods. In addition, she created a story ripe with vivid imagery and characters that warm readers' hearts.

I just love how Ms. Petch encourages her audience to immediately connect with the protagonist from page one. Billy, a gunner in the Royal Air Force, is struck with amnesia after being shot down over Puglia, Italy. Written in first-person, his disorientation and frustration are palpable as he navigates his new reality. The end result to this particular story is so honest and genuine, you'll have to read to understand.

It isn't until Chapter 5 that Susannah is introduced. I love that she wrote this present-day story in third person; it really delineates the two timelines, allowing no room for confusion. And I felt just as invested in this story as I did in 1945.

Ms. Petch did a great job in creating authentic love stories and an engaging secret that must be uncovered. She also reconciled the two timelines perfectly.

WWII is always my favorite Historical Fiction time frame. There are so many stories to be told, so many places affected, so much heartache to share and Angela Petch truly excelled in bringing this story to life.

This was a story of the paths that we take and the bonds we create, and the beauty of all that lies in-between.

Thanks a ton @theliterateleprechaun for convincing me to pick up this story (her reviews are always SO good that she inevitably adds to my TBR🤦‍♀️).

Also, many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely wonderful book, recommend it.

A young woman, grieving after her father's death, finds a postcard from Italy in her grandmother's furniture. She vows to research whether this postcard is connected to a painting her father had made. Her quest introduces a story that begins near the end of WWII with an amnesiac soldier who is taken in by a grandfather and his grandchild on the coast of southern Italy. The story of his recovery ultimately connects with the modern-day quest for the origin of the postcard. I enjoyed both stories, particularly the descriptions of life in this less publicized part of Italy. The historical part of the book was also very interesting and realistic. I'd highly recommend this book as a great summer read!

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

This was a lovely book. I love the way this author tells her stories; every time I read one I want to go back to Italy more and more. So descriptive without being overly so, she makes Italy come alive both in the past and present.

This story is told in two times, I love dual timeline stories. The past is in 1940s wartime in Puglia, Italy, it tells the story of a man rescued from the sea who has no memory of who he is, but his rescuer, Domenico believes he is his grandson, Roberto, come back to them. He goes along with this as he tries to figure out who he is. His story is moving and heartbreaking at times.
The present story, is of Susannah, her father has just passed and she is trying to move on. She hangs the painting he painted of an Italian farmhouse based on a postcard that his mother gave him on her wall and thinks of the plans her father had of going to Italy before he got ill. When she goes to help clean out her grandmother’s house she discovers letters and more postcards from the same area. Susannah decides to travel to Italy and discover more about these items. She could never imagine where the story will lead her and how this trip will change her whole life.

Reading the two stories come together was wonderful and I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to many more books from this author.

I rated this book a 3 out of 5. The storyline was interesting, but I had trouble following the characters. I felt the characters were thinly defined and lacked depth.

I read this while sitting outside with my book for the first time this year and it was utter bliss! I could just picture how relaxing it must be to sit on the cliffs surrounding Anto’s home listening to the waves break around you, and was transported to those picturesque scenes.

This book really was a tale of two stories, first off we have the man who wakes up covered in bandages, no idea of where or who he is, let alone how he got there. Then we have Susannah, who is trying to see if the postcard her grandad painted is based on a real place.

I loved the two differing dynamics of this book and I found it really helped to give the story pace but also to drawer you in, as we started getting further into the stories I began to develop my own theories of what was happening and how these two characters may be linked. It was such a moving book but I’m not going to go into too many details as I think it would give the story away. Let’s just say that there are both happy and sad moments where you find yourself invested in the book but there was such a touching moment towards the end of the book that really sealed the deal for me.

Angela’s descriptions and scene setting has made my desire to visit Italy grow even more and one day I will hopefully find myself there for a relaxing and exploratory holiday but for now being able to live these moments through books is pure magic. I really was transported with this book and can't wait to read more from Angela in the not too distant future hopefully.

A beautiful read. Set in current time and during WW2. You can almost feel and taste the scents and foods of Italy during the visit of Susannah during todays times and I really want to visit Puglia now. The descriptions are stunning. A clever story connecting the characters. I loved it.