This was a solid story with a setting I loved. I enjoyed reading about overcoming obstacles and heartbreak while honoring oneself and hard work.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I really struggled to get through it. There were a few aspects of this book that were interesting, such as the Vatican’s decisions about WWII and the film industry’s post war presence in Italy but overall I kept waiting for something to pull me in but just didn’t find it to be at all engaging. This ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Every Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Natalie Jenner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: May 14, 2024

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies from St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted

T H R E E • W O R D S

Atmospheric • Glitzy • Slow

📖 S Y N O P S I S

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career.

With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy. As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I've read and enjoyed The Jane Austen Society, but have yet to read Bloomsbury Girls. Even though I hadn't read book two, I was still interested in reading Every Time We Say Goodbye, the final book in Canadian author Natalie Jenner's Jane Austen Society trilogy, near publication.

Natalie Jenner delivers a well researched, dual timeline historical fiction novel set in post-war Italy with the Italian film industry as a backdrop. She does a fantastic job creating a vibrant atmosphere, setting the scene and showcasing the dichotomy of the time period - a country in transition. I felt like I learnt a lot and it was interesting getting to know how much of a role the Catholic Church had in the industry.

While I thought the story was interesting, some of the plot lines were unnecessary making the book feel longer than it actually was. Because there is so many characters along the way it was a little harder to keep track of everyone, which is similar in book one. Jenner fully flushes out Vivien's character and she came feel like a friend.

I was left with mixed feeling on the narration by Juliet Aubrey. I thought she did a good job bringing Vivien to life, but her voicing of the other characters were sometimes overdone or unrealistic. With such a large cast of characters it is one that is hard to do solely on audio without getting confused.

Steeped in trauma and tragedy, Every Time We Say Goodbye is ultimately about self-discovery and hopeful. It can easily be read as a standalone, although starting at the beginning is strongly recommended as there is some overlap with characters.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• companion novels
• the film world
• Our Darkest Night

⚠️ CW: antisemitism, xenophobia, war, torture, murder, grief, death of partner, death of parent, child death, rape, kidnapping

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Yet in the end, goodness is fixed and steady, and not so difficult to spot. It is evil that takes a bewildering number of forms and keeps changing its shape, tricking you with false promises and reasoning, taunting you into resignation.”

In 1955, Vivian Lowry wrote a play that audiences loved but the London critics hated. With this hit to her career, Vivian travels to Italy where she works as a script doctor on a movie. She also uses her time there to investigate the disappearance of her fiancé during WWII. A second storyline told in flashbacks is the story of “La Scolaretta”, a schoolgirl who is also an assassin during WWII.

This was a beautifully written, atmospheric story of self-discovery, with wonderful historical details and complex characters. The author vividly portrays the two timelines with great skill, making this story such a page-turner. Reading it felt very much like seeing things happen in a film.

I loved the setting in Rome, and the details of movie making in Italy during the time period following WWII. The way the Vatican influenced censorship of the films was interesting and something I didn’t know occurred. The cameos by real life characters, such as Daphne DuMaurier, Sophia Loren, and Ava Gardner were really fun.

The story deals with some heavy topics like love, loss, guilt, and grief, but I felt that it was ultimately very hopeful.

I really enjoyed reading this thought-provoking, engaging, and insightful story, and appreciate NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Austenprose for a copy. . All opinions expressed are completely my own.

With The Jane Austen Society and its sequel Bloomsbury Girls, author Natalie Jenner introduced her readers to intriguing characters, interweaving many literary touchstones. Fans of Jane Austen in particular would highly enjoy the initial novel, given the setting and issues at stake. Bloomsbury Girls was a novel of yearning and hope, with a slightly different approach yet retaining excellence and readability. Jenner now brings us the third volume in the series, Every Time We Say Goodbye, predominantly set in mid-1950s Italy. Although some of the previously-introduced characters are included in the novel, this title could almost stand on its own. The timbre is quite different, with less of a literary tone and more of a mixture of historical, religious, and cinematic notes.

Jenner directs her readers’ attentions to events during and following World War II, in particular within Italy. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church is regularly front and center, more often than not for nefarious reasons. Main character Vivien Lowry frequently wrestles with the hypocrisies sometimes seen in Church leadership, all the while seeing the purity of Christian service from many within the same Body. Vivien also struggles with her own issues, and is on a quest to uncover the fate of a long-lost love. Jenner employs wartime flashbacks to undergird the background of the setting, showing the efforts made by many in the area to further the cause of goodness and truth in the light of fascism and other evils. Both the narratives of Vivien’s life and those in wartime days are inextricably linked, with revelations coming through the final paragraphs of the novel. While I would not term this a “dual timeline” tale, the two periods which were visited made for very interesting reading.

The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls were not necessarily trifling yarns of “spun sugar”, but Every Time We Say Goodbye has a gravitas which gives it a very different fabrication. An air of melancholy consistently hovers over the narrative. This is not to say that it is dispiriting. It simply has a more serious tone, with elements that are both harrowing and poignant. Certain horrors of war and misdeeds within the Church are not minimized. However, they are not gratuitous in the amount of details offered. Adults will understand the import of Jenner’s words, their great significance to the characters, and their contribution to world history.

As she mentions in the acknowledgements following the novel, Natalie Jenner took on this project in order to share the story of many who struggled during World War II and beyond. While the book is entirely a work of fiction, it nonetheless reveals lessons which should not be forgotten. Jenner’s skill in expressing imagined yet authentic moments was exemplary, and she also pondered substantive questions which many of us struggle with on a regular basis. The dignity of human worth in wartime was often examined. A quote-worthy moment came about in chapter eighteen. An infant had been rescued after his caretakers had been discovered dead, killed by enemies in the War:

“Yet here was a baby, as young as could be, who would never experience such a reunion. He might never know a single thing about where he came from– who had wanted him– who had loved him. He might always lack the one piece of knowledge that every human deserves and that keeps us tethered to the earth: the source of our own humanity, and the comfort of knowing that we are here because someone else wanted us to be.”

The episode with this young child was so moving, and without divulging key plot points, I can offer that a subsequent episode provides quite an emotional, profound payoff to that portion of the story. Not all elements end so sweetly, however. There is much loss, but there also remains much beauty as well. Although Every Time We Say Goodbye is quite a different work of fiction for the series, it is one of historical importance, and surely a treasure for many who lived during that time and for the families who have survived them.

Despite the horrors of war, the inconsistencies found in some within the Church and other trials, the narrative of Every Time We Say Goodbye brings a message of hope and remembrance. Not for the faint of heart, it preserves an era of history within the worlds of politics, religion, and the film industry. Natalie Jenner has given us a gift, one that will hopefully inform many in the years to come.

“Who knew making movies could be such a blood sport?”

I first met Vivien Lowry in Bloomsbury Girls and found her to be equal parts tragic and vibrant as a character, so I was very intrigued by what kind of journey Natalie Jenner would take her on in Every Time We Say Goodbye. (Note: it’s not necessary to have read the other books in this series to follow this third book. It works just fine as a standalone, though some of its references to the other books may have you bumping them up to the top of your TBR list!

There are several plot threads that weave through the pages of Every Time We Say Goodbye, spanning a variety of personalities across two timelines a little more than ten years apart, and presenting readers with a profound study in contrasts. On the one hand you have the glitz and glory of the Italian film industry, ushered into its heyday as American directors, actors, writers, etc fled the fear-mongering of the McCarthy era for the freedom found in Italy. Freedom from the anti-Communist witch hunts, though, came with strings attached – strings held by the Vatican who kept tight control over what could & couldn’t be portrayed in movies (more than one very weighty & timeless contrast there). And then there are the WW2 Italian resistance fighters, the refugees of war, the soldiers haunted by images they can’t forget, and the families left without answers. A world away from the film industry in many respects and inseparable from it in others. I loved these contrasts – and others – that Jenner captures so vividly, and I often caught myself thinking about the poetry of them as I read this moving story.

I enjoyed seeing famed film stars of the day like a young Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, and Gina Lollobrigida as ‘regular’ people (while still being set apart… another contrast) and getting an inside look at the workings of a movie studio in the 1950s in post-war Italy. But really this is just the canvas on which Jenner paints a poignant picture of grief, love, faith, and friendship -the means that connects the main players whose paths otherwise would not have crossed. The real story in Every Time We Say Goodbye is of brave women who dare to do courageous things. Whether they gave up their life, their love, their child, their career, their dreams, or even their regrets, I was fascinated by these vibrant characters who dared to do what was right for the sake of more than just themselves. This, to me, is the strength of Jenner’s latest novel and what kept me turning the pages.

Bottom Line: Nothing about Every Time We Say Goodbye played out the way I expected it to but the story ended up being so much more meaningful because of the unexpected turns it took. As with the other book I have read by Natalie Jenner, I closed this one with a deep sense of thoughtfulness, pondering the lessons can be gleaned as well as their continued relevance. I enjoyed reacquainting myself with Vivien and other familiar faces from Bloomsbury Girls, and I equally enjoyed the parade of new personalities that Vivien encounters in the world of Italian cinema. Some parts of the novel dragged a bit in the middle, in my opinion, overladen with more telling than showing, but not so much that I lost interest in the overall story. Mainly due to the fascinating profile of the young, female assassin for the Italian Resistance – it completely captivated me, and I loved the way that Jenner intersects this character with Vivien’s story too. Another meticulously researched and immersive novel from a rising star in historical fiction.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

TITLE: EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE
AUTHOR: Natalie Jenner
PUB DATE: 05.14.2024

I loved The Jane Austen Society and The Bloomsbury Girls so naturally I was excited to have another Natalie Jenner book in my hands and one that is set in beautiful Italy that I just cannot get enough of.

In EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, we are graced with the world of cinema in the 1950’s, the Italian Resistance Fighters, the Catholic Church, and even a bit of mystery to add to the brilliant storytelling. I was glad to see a character list as I love going back and referring to it time to time.

The writing by Jenner seems to always bring me new knowledge - whether it is learning about unsung heroes and heroines, the culture which includes religion and politics, all the while crafting a tale that is intriguing and compelling, that is hard to put down.

Enjoyed this one a lot.

Let me preface by saying I adore this authors work. I’ve read her previous books including The Jane Austin Society and Bloomsbury Girls. I loved them. This one, the third installment had a different feel. I just couldn’t connect with the characters. The things I loved- the imagery was exceptional and so vivid I felt like I was in Italy. I also learned so much about the time period after the war which is super unique. I just didn’t enjoy the characters as much and feel as connected to them, but I definitely will be reading more from this author. Her writing is excellent, she writes with a lot of heart and everything always feels so intelligent and researched. 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I thought this was a well written story about post WWII and how people dealt with the aftermath. I liked how the author showed us different people and their experiences and how they were trying to deal with the past and move forward. I liked how we saw the characters grow as they gained answers to what happened and were able to move forward and try to make the world a better place. This story pulled on the emotions and made you wonder what you would have done in their shoes. It also helped you to see what Italy would have been like during the war and after. I also liked how the author had the story set around film and what was going on with filmmaking at the time. I feel like I learned a lot about this time period from reading this book and that I felt a connection with the people who went through the war.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

I love reading historical fiction that teaches me. I learned a lot about the Italian film industry of the 1950s and also the politics (especially the influence of the Catholic Church and its censorship regarding what movies were being made).

There’s a lot that happens in this book and many subplots. The list of characters at the beginning intimidated me and I was a bit apprehensive, but I managed to keep track of the characters without much trouble. I love how Jenner seamlessly weaves both real life and fictional Hollywood celebrities into the story.

This is a poignant story of love and loss and hope, but it also highlights the horror and atrocities both during WWII and following the armistice. The story of La Scolaretta (the schoolgirl assassin) is heartbreaking, and it is one that will definitely stay with me long after reading this book. I can’t wait to go and read her backlist books now!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review Every Time We Say Goodbye on NetGalley.

Published: 05/14/24

Stars: 2.5

Not for me. I tried several times and found myself struggling to follow along as well as staying focused. Too much -- two timelines, too many characters, I think there are a couple points of view.

I liked the movie making tidbits, but they weren't enough to make a book.

I didn't connect with Vivian.

Recommend focusing on the synopsis, know this moves slow, and try for yourself. There wasn't any singular reason for me not to like the book.

Every Time We Say Goodbye AUDIO by Natalie Jenner is the last of the Jane Austen trilogy and mainly concentrates on Vivian, a playwright and screenwriter, who has escaped England to go to Italy to make movies. Her reason for wanting to go to Italy as that was where her fiance, David, had been killed during the war and she wanted to know more. While there she made friends with people in the movie industry, from actors down to script girls. She had affairs, but she could never fall in love. That was left with David. She was beyond amazed at the choke-hold the Vatican had on the movie industry, preventing it from telling stories that might possibly shed a negative light on the Vatican’s stance during WWII. She enjoyed her time there, as much as some of it was heart-breaking.

Vivian is an excellent character, well-written with hidden depths. The war had taken a toll on all of them and she met many who had been affected in various ways. It was 1955 and so the war was still omnipresent. Her friend, Claudia, an actress, reacted to it all by becoming a nun. It was there that Vivian met other sisters that not only gave her information but renewed her faith. There was not a huge plot, more a slice of Vivian’s life for this year or so. It was an interesting read. Better in text than audio, in my opinion.

The narrator was Juliet Aubrey and she had a beautiful voice, but I have to tell you, she put me to sleep. It was too well-modulated, if anything. She portrayed Vivian well, I thought, as well as most of the other characters Vivian ran across, without resorting to ridiculous caricatures.

I was invited to read Every Time We Say Good Bye by St Martin’s Press and to listen by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #NatalieJenner #MacMillianAudio #JulietAubrey #EveryTimeWeSayGoodBye

I really wanted to love this one. I really enjoyed The Bloomsbury Girls by this author plus the fact this is set in Italy where I will be visiting soon had me very intrigued. However, I found this tough to follow. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and there was quite a bit of jumping around in time. The front of the book does have a cast of characters, but I listened to a good portion of the book so it wasn’t easy to keep them separated in my mind.


Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Italian settings
Multiple timelines
A map in the book
Historical fiction

Thank you St Martins Press for the gifted copy and MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

I thought "Everytime We Say Goodbye" was an enjoyable read. The author's writing style was engaging and atmospheric. The premise was both thought provoking and intriguing, I was able to read this book in one session.

This is the third book in the Jane Austen Society series and while it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the first two in this series if you're a fan of Historical Fiction, they are definitely worth checking out!

Thank you Natalie Jenner, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I will literally never tire of a mid-century novel about a powerful woman. Give them all to me! I’m actually so thrilled that I didn’t realize this was part of Jenner’s other books’ universe, because now I get to enjoy a bit more about this character and these vibes. I love the intermingling of these fictional characters with real historical figures. This book was just full of romance and glamour and sorrow and joy…I loved every minute.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner in exchange for an honest review.

Every Time We Say Goodbye follows the transformation of Vivien in post-war Italy. I enjoyed the connection to Ms. Jenner's previous books, The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls (Although I will admit that I read both so long ago, that I had to go back and refresh my memory on the characters!) I loved the dive into the Italian film industry. However, there were many inconsequential characters and I found myself confused as to who was who and what they had to do with the story. I enjoyed Vivien's story itself, but I did think that her character could have been a little more solid.

After her latest play is hit with terrible reviews in London, Vivien flees to Rome to work on scripts in the Italian cinema and try to find out what happened to her fiancé who went missing at the end of WWII. She quickly realizes how much control the Vatican has over productions and finds the censorship stifling. Working in these conditions does nothing to improve her mood, but the Vivien does find friends in an American starlet and her producer. Her growth as a writer and a person in Italy is transforming.

Though there is obvious care with the research of this novel, and the author does address how WWII affected individuals on both sides of the war, I found the storyline to be a lot. There were so many people and so many topics addressed, it got overwhelming at times. A few less subplots might have made this more manageable. Perhaps it is me, and I’m not in the right head space, because the novel is good, just hard to follow at times with the backstories of so many secondary characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and of course the author Natalie Jenner for the advanced copy of the book. Every Time We Say Goodbye is out now. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and author Natalie Jenner for this ARC to read and review!!

I LOVE historical fiction and was really excited for this one, my first of Natalie Jenner's books. Maybe because I have not read the first two in this series, I just didn't really connect with it. There were a lot of characters and storylines to keep up with and I found it slow going and difficult to grasp. The writing is beautiful and almost poetic and I did really enjoy the setting of the film industry in Italy in the 1950s. I can see how much research and detail went into this story and that makes it no surprise why it is loved and highly reviewed by so many. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. Sigh.

I can't tell you what this book is about.
I listened to it on audio and found myself drifting. It has two different timelines and follows mostly a woman named Vivien and the Italian film industry in 1950s.

Vivien is a hard character to follow as she seems pretty detached from everything around her. While in Italy, she is also looking for answers about David her ex-fiancee who she thought died in the war.

I was hoping for an emotional rollercoaster, but I unfortunately did not get this out of this book.

The kidnapping plot that happens in this is odd, and the fact that it goes unsolved and unmentioned for several chapters.

A lot of the chapters felt unnecessary and I found myself being pulled out of the story often, drifting to the point where some chapters I had to relisten to more than once, and times the reaction was much the same.

I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, this just did not hit the mark for me. It is probably more of a case of it's me and not you, so I'm hoping others love this more.

I am glad I listened to it, listening to it made me get through it, otherwise I don't think I would have.

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of a review.

After Jenner’s previous book, Bloomsbury Girls I was excited to pick this one up, as I truly enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls. Every Time We Say Goodbye does occur after the events that we read in Bloomsbury Girls, though I wouldn’t say it's necessary to have read that before picking this one up. However, it might make things clearer at the very beginning of this book, before our main character, Vivien leaves for Italy, a character we met prior within Bloomsbury Girls. But despite knowing I had already met her, I appreciated that we still get refreshed on her backstory as we make our through this story, especially since it’s been a while since I’ve read the previous book.

This was admittedly a harder one to get fully invested in as it was slower-paced than I was expecting. However, once I was invested, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the descriptions around the Cinecitta Studios and the film industry as well as within Italian society in the 1950s. It was interesting to see how Italy came back to life following the war as well seeing how society worked with the Catholic Church and the power it held for those in Italy. It was an area of history I knew very little about and made for a unique and interesting read.

My favorite parts were these short flashbacks to during the war, especially as we follow this girl known as the “schoolgirl assassin” who helps in resistance against the nazis during the war. As much as I loved the drama that unfolded within the film industry, these were so captivating to read. I wanted to learn how they connected with Vivien and our current timeline.

I found this to be a beautifully written story set around Italy in the 1950s that shares a glimpse the life after the war and the prospering film industry that was practically destroyed during the war. I’m a sucker for art and this was a unique read that I thoroughly enjoyed as I got to learn more about the old film industry. I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction books set around old-style films and WWII.