The storyline was interesting enough that I wanted to know what happened to orphan Alfredo during the wartime when he went to stay at a villa away from his parents. There was nothing wrong with the book. I really connected with the main characters. However it just left me with this feeling that in a week I won’t be able to recall much and I never was dying to read more of the story. It was middle of the road for me, I can’t say I disliked anything but there also wasn’t anything I was raving over either.

I'm grateful for receiving an arc

The author invites readers to a charming French estate, where love and hope bloom amidst the beauty of the countryside. While my experience with the book had its ups and downs, overall, it left me feeling uplifted. Though the story sometimes moved slowly, the lush descriptions kept me enchanted, like taking a leisurely stroll through a picturesque garden.
One of the book's strengths lies in its exploration of themes like family bonds and the healing power of forgiveness. There is a gentle touch with these themes added depth to the story, leaving me with a sense of warmth and introspection.

"Villa delle Colombe" unfolds as Beatrice, working as an English tutor in wartime Italy, finds herself declared an enemy alien. A stroke of luck connects her with Francesca, leading to shelter at Villa delle Colombe. Edoardo, Francesca's husband, anticipates the impending conflict and constructs a maze as a contingency. The villa becomes a refuge for war-displaced children. As the Germans take control during the Allies' armistice, the peaceful Tuscany valley transforms into a battleground.

The narrative spans two timelines, with Beatrice and Tess sharing their perspectives from 1940 to 2015. In the contemporary timeline, Tess visits Villa delle Colombe, assisting Beatrice in preparing for the new owner, Marco. Amidst fears of the villa's potential sale, Beatrice opens up about its wartime role. Tess, grappling with widowhood, helps document Beatrice's experiences, revealing the villa's history as a haven for Beatrice, local men, children, resistance members, and an allied soldier. The shared storytelling aims to bring closure to Beatrice and Tess while enlightening Marco about his father's childhood sanctuary.

This heartwarming narrative explores themes of love, loss, and the weight of grief. The dual timelines interweave seamlessly, providing a captivating reading experience. The rich and detailed descriptions added depth to the story, and I found myself particularly drawn to Beatrice's resilience and Tess's unwavering determination. Witnessing the support these brave women offer each other in 2015 was truly moving, and the book concludes on a satisfying and fulfilled note.

*Written by one of my favorite genre authors
*Dual timeline-WWII era & 2015
*Alternates Points of View
*Vivid descriptions of the Italian landscape
*Emotional read- love & grief, letting go
*Strong characters with compassion for others
*Learn about Motor Neurone Disease
*Favorite quote, "I understand now that grief is love that has nowhere to go."- Francesca

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this story very much. Interesting characters and a great storyline. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I absolutely love historical fiction set during WWII. And when it includes a dual timeline, then I am definitely going to dive into the book. I fell in love with the characters in The Cypress Maze. From Francesca and her husband to Beatrice to Alfredo to Tess … they each added a depth to the story and touched my heart. Francesca and her husband, Edoardo, were amazing individuals. Their willingness to open up their home and their lives to help many individuals survive the atrocities of Hitler’s reign of terror was admirable. The story of Beatrice as told through both timelines was touching. I loved watching her grow, mature, fall in love, realize she was a worthwhile individual during the earlier time period to seeing her as an older adult who have experienced and survived so much over her years. During the present time period, it was interesting to experience Tess’s background story and see how she began to heal from her broken heart.

The scenery was beautiful and I could envision living at the Villa delle Colombe. The sense of family that develops among the characters … even crotchety Silvana … was inspirational.

I enjoyed learning some new aspects of WWII for which I was not familiar. And the author does an amazing job of bringing you into the story and keeping you invested. Your heart will ache many times throughout the pages, but there are also moments when your spirit lifts and you find yourself smiling. What a great book that can bring all of the emotions together in a satisfactory fashion. A story of bravery, dedication, love, loss, revealing of hidden secrets, a second chance at finding love, and sharing in the pains and joys of life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I couldn't keep the dual timelines straight and quickly lost interest. Tess's story took me out of the past timeline. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had just been the past

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 author writes with such elegance, her books hook me instantly and transport me to the beautful and haunting locations of her books. Her book the Storyteller of Casablanca was one of my favourtite reads of 2021. This could be one of my favourites for 2023. Her characters are memorable and their heartbreaking and resilient stories stay with me.

Beatrice in WWII era ends up being shunned and seeks sanctuary in a Villa. She spends all of her time in the Villa's beautiful walled garden. Beatrice's story is haunting and a storyline I had not read before. Seventy years later, Tess is suffering from the loss of her beloved husband and her grandmother suggests a sojourn to Italy to the same Villa, entrusting her recovery to Beatrice, now the caretaker of the Villa and its garden. Marco, the owner wants to develop the property but can Beatrice and Tess show Marco that the Villa is worth keeping.

This was a lovely read. I look forward to reading more book by this author

I love historical fiction, this book was right up my alley. It did have a slower start but once into the book I didn't want to stop reading. Loved the plot of the two women and different time periods.

I'm a big fan of POV's and this author does them really really well, she perfectly intertwined the two timelines and created such a beautiful, emotion filled read with great relatable characters set in stunning locations.

A book full of love, loss, grief and healing but that will leave you with a warmed heart.

It took me a little while to get in to this book but once I did I really enjoyed it. I took the characters to my heart and I was rooting for then all the way through

A rich story full of details on love, loss and family told in a dual timeline. The author takes you to Tuscany, Italy around WWII as we hear of Beatrice's story as she finds herself sheltering at the Villa delle Colombre. Tess arrives at the villa in 2015 trying to get her life back as she has recently lost her husband. Together these two women find redemption, love and healing. I highly recommend this book.

Such an enjoyable, emotional read. Perfect for fans of Valpy’s work- and a great way to get into historical fiction set in the war-time

Historical fiction and dual timelines are my favourite kinds of reads and this had both, so win win, and having read a couple of Fiona Valpy's books earlier, I knew I was in for a treat. Needless to say she doesn't disappoint! The setting of the story is picture perfect and the author makes it all come alive with her skilful writing. A book which will warm your heart and leave you with a sigh! Thanks Amazon publishing UK and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an ArC!

Having read several other books by this author I knew I was in for an enjoyable read. Her novels are peopled with realistic and empathetic characters and situations.

Told via dual timelines, "The Cypress Maze" transports the reader to Tuscany, Italy.

The present timeline features Tess, a young woman who is grieving the loss of her beloved husband to a devastating illness. She travels from England to Italy seeking solace and healing. She is staying at a beautiful villa in the Tuscan hills and becomes close to the elderly Beatrice who acts as the villa's custodian. When Beatrice's security and home are threatened, Tess tries to intervene. Meanwhile, she is transcribing Beatrice's life story...

The WWII timeline tells the story of how Beatrice came to live at the villa. How during the years of hardship, loss, and danger, she weathered the war years - keeping a dark secret for decades afterwards.

With a breathtakingly beautiful setting, empathetic characters and rich historical details, this novel will be sure to be enjoyed by historical fiction fans. Recommended!

Another outstanding book by Fiona Valpy! She is a masterful story teller with a magical ability to intertwine dual timeline stories. Her characters are always relatable and realistic. This story, as in her other books, exposed me to ideas and events in an in-depth and interesting manner. Thanks #NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing

The Cypress Maze is a story told dual timelines, Tuscany in 1943 and 2015. Beatrice is an English teacher stranded in war ravished Italy, who is seeking refuge in Villa delle Colombe. The owners, Francesca and Eduardo have brought her along with many children to shelter them among the property and the cypress maze. People are not all that’s been hidden away on the property; many secrets of the past have been kept hidden within the walls of the cypress maze.

Present day 2015, Tess is recently widowed after she painfully loses her husband to motor neuron disease. Sent to Italy by her grandmother to heal, she finds herself at Villa delle Colombe in the presence of Beatrice, whom is now a custodian of the property. All hope of peace is lost when the rightful owner of the estate shows up and threatens to have the estate developed into a golf course. Beatrice quickly realizes that maybe the only way to save the estate is to share her story. Tess helps Beatrice put into words her past at the Villa and unfold the secrets within the maze to bring peace and closure, and maybe even bring a new hope to the estate.

The Cypress Maze is a beautiful story of grief, loss and acceptance. I found parts of the novel to drag on a little bit, but overall I really enjoyed the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Fiona Valpy and Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cypress Maze is a wonderful book for fans of the genre. It is structured similarly to Valpy's other books with a modern POV and a historical POV. I found that it resonated emotionally and I became quite invested in the characters (especially Beatrice). I found the historical portion much more interesting than the modern portion.

One thing I especially liked about this book is its different take on WWII fiction. The historical narrative follows Beatrice, a young Scottish woman who becomes stranded in Italy when war breaks out. I also liked the parallels between Beatrice's love story and Tess's--both of which ended in tragedy. Having Tess hear Beatrice's history and the story of her love and grief helped Tess heal from her own grief. I love that Valpy highlighted this important component of grieving and healing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt I couldn't give it five stars because I really didn't care for Marco and didn't feel his character was developed quite enough.

I love books with dual timelines, especially with historical connections and this book delivered!
A villa at risk of being torn down and developed into a golf course, unless the current custodian and a current visitor can change the path. I was very much enthralled with the garden setting, and held tightly to the history of the villa during WWII as a place of refuge. However, I was less interested in the modern day storyline. Overall, it was a great read with mystery, historical significance and healing.

Tess, who has lost her husband, goes to Villa delle Colombe to assist Beatrice. Beatrice still carries a lot since she arrived to the Villa, during the war. Together they will try their best to save the Villa and maybe heal a little.
This is the first book by Fiona Valpy that I read and it was a captivating story. Both stories, in the different timelines are fascinating ad heartbreaking. Tess lost her husband and is still grieving; Beatrice has lost everyone she loved and only has the Villa left. While Beatrice tells her story and the secrets reveal, you get engrossed by the story.
I really did not know much about the war in Italy and learning about how things went in that area was very interesting. It was also sad, like with all war stories, to learn everything that happened around that time and how it changed everyone’s lives.
Overall, it is a heartfelt story and a real page-turner. I enjoyed reading it and I will definitely read more books by Fiona Valpy.