The time period the novel is set in is a fascinating time period and takes place in front of the gorgeous backdrop that is Rome and Cinecitta Studios. This book will be a hit with film fans and Jenner clearly did her research and it paid off. The characters in the book are interesting, if a bit hard to emotionally connect to and invest in. I wanted to love it but it fell short for me. I wish more time had been spent showing the reality of Vivien’s situation as compared to the men of the time as well as the other women in the story. I found the romance a bit dry, it’s very cookie-cutter and hard to actively root for. It was less centered around her exploration of her past than I would’ve expected and I wish more time had been spent there than with some of the side stories. I think this book suffered from being read at the wrong time and I wish I’d liked it more. It also talks about a woman’s relationship with children and motherhood which is very much not for me.

Vivien Lowry has been a renowned playwriter in England, but in 1955, she is in Italy working in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she meets some famous people and some people with interesting pasts. As the book progresses, some of her secrets, and the secrets of people around her start to become known to the reader. There are flashbacks to Italy during WWII, where Nazis and Fascists have reigned terror on the people. Stories of people from the "40's are now being uncovered in the '50's.

The book covers the power of the Catholic Church in Italy during that time and the unfair treatment of women.

This is an interesting look at two different decades. The story interlaces famous movie personalities with fictional characters.

Natalie Jenner has written two previous works of historical fiction, The Jane Austen Society, and Bloomsbury Girls. I enjoyed both of these very much. Her new novel, Every Time We Say Goodbye, is also worth the reader’s time.

I have read many works of WWII fiction that were set in Britain, France or Germany. I was less familiar with the impact of the war in Italy. Ms. Jenner brings the repercussions of the war and the internal conflicts in Italy to life in these pages. There were the Axis powers, but also Mussolini and the partisan resistance making for a complex existence for the Italians.

One part of the novel tells the story of a woman assassin and her fate. This brings the war and the risks of resistance to life. Other parts of the novel take place post war in the 1950s.

In the 50s, readers experience the world of the movies in post WWII Italy, specifically at the Cinecitta Studios. There are the many movie stars, the directors, and more but also the strong presence of the Catholic church. The characters in this time period include Vivien (a character from Bloomsbury Girls), who is a writer working on scripts. Readers learn much of her backstory, the absence of her fiancé David, her attraction to John Lassiter, her connection to the adopted Margarita and many more. Her friends include DuMaurier and Peggy Guggenheim. They also follow Levi who is Jewish; what did the war cost him?

Jenner creates a broad canvas of intertwined lives. Readers will care about the people in this story and will be turning the pages to find out how they fare. Here is very good historical fiction. I recommend this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

In 1943, a young Italian woman known as La Scolaretta ("the schoolgirl assassin") is a brave resistance fighter who shoots down a Nazi commander. She and her boyfriend Nino work with an underground group, including the clergy, which protect Jewish citizens and refugees. The story shifts to 1954. Writer Vivien Lowry leaves London for Rome for a job as a script doctor at Cinecittà Studios, where filmmakers from the U.S. were working to escape the blacklist of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which claimed that communism was pervasive in Hollywood. Vivien was also seeking answers as to what happened to her fiancé, David, who may or may not have perished in the war. Many of the people Vivien meets have been deeply impacted by World War II. After she learns about the story of "La Scolaretta" and the hope of telling the story in film, Vivien discovers how much power the Vatican has over what gets made in the studio. In their own ways, Vivien and those she befriended try to move forward from their wartime trauma as much as possible.

Author Natalie Jenner's Every Time We Say Goodbye is the third book in her Jane Austen Society series. Each book stands on its own but having read the first two, I enjoyed the chance to learn how Vivien's journey continued. Filled mostly with fictional characters, Jenner also includes actual people such as art collector Peggy Guggenheim as well as cameos by Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner, providing historical details and flavor. It was very interesting learning more about Italy during World War II and the years afterwards including the importance of its film industry. This was a well-researched, poignant story. If this sounds interesting, also check out The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

4.25 stars.

I'm reluctant to admit this but after loving "The Jane Austen Society" and enjoying "Bloomsbury Girls" by this same author, I just could not get into "Everytime We Say Goodbye."

I love historical fiction and I am a fan of well-researched works. I think that was Jenner's aim. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. Instead of feeling enlightened and intrigued, I felt like I was slogging through. The historical and political details had me so bogged down, I couldn't keep track of the extensive cast of characters. Links from the previous book weren't always clear and I frequently felt confused and frustrated. I relied on my own knowledge from previous reads (& my own trip to Italy) to help me follow descriptions of the setting and time period. I love when historical fiction can transport me and teach me something. I was bummed this one was such a challenge. I didn't make it past the 50% mark. Even a mild investment in Vivien's story couldn't keep me going.

I hope this will work for others. It was a miss for me.

Format: eBook
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Good

With the flop of the play she wrote and having received untold news regarding her fiance, Vivien Lowry leaves her home in London and travels to Rome for a fresh start and to seek answers. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a story of confronting the past on a journey of self-discovery and finding hope for a better future.


✴️ What I liked:

~ The beginning prologue is a very intriguing start to the story! 🔥

~ The historical elements of this story are well done! I felt like I was there because it was described so well.

~ The in-depth looks at the complexities of hardship and loss are profound.

~ Oooh there's a scandal. 👀

~ The ending 😭 The last 15% of the book brought the story together for a good closure, and I wasn't expecting the epilogue!


✴️ What didn't work for me:

~ Flashbacks to the past are a bit confusing to the flow of the story.

~ Some of the side information made it difficult to remain focused on the story.


✴️ Final thoughts:

This is the first book I have read by this author and I would read her previous books. Although I did have a hard time staying engaged, overall, I like the underlying message and enjoyed the story of Vivien finding herself.

Also, I highlighted so many remarkable passages throughout this book!

"How lucky the world was for those survivors willing and able to tell their own story, and how imperative that such stories be shared to the greatest extent possible."

I couldn't agree more. It's up to the rest of us to keep fighting for a better world. I hope a movie can be made about the scolaretta in a future novel because we need more people like that.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

This book just did not resonate with me. This was was set in Italy around the film industry. There certainly was a lot of politics involved during the 50's with the Church dictating what is appropriate. Vivien was a survivor of the war, had lost her fiance and her her baby was given away. She kept searching for her David as she knew he was a prisoner at one time and then escaped. Was he dead? She wants answers. She has an affair with a man she met - John Lassiter, but he is married but seperated and at that time in Italy is was against the law to get divorced. She does later learn that Lassiter is not his real name. There were many characters in the story and it was confusing at times.

Having read the other books in this trilogy (they’re really interconnected stand-alone novels in that you don’t have to have read the others to enjoy just one), I was excited for the opportunity to read Every Time We Say Goodbye.

That said…

The synopsis takes place almost entirely in the first 10% of the book. From there it becomes a mess; I couldn’t tell you what the actual story was about as it was constantly shifting focus - a missing fiance, a kidnapping, a hidden identity, an assassination, the church vs. filmmaking, etc. There were too many characters and storylines going on, so I was never able to connect with the characters or get into the story. Many plotlines were glossed over quickly while others were dragged out - there just wasn’t a balance. Additionally, I didn’t like the main character, Vivian, very much - she seemed to be under the impression that every man wanted/should want to be her lover.

There were parts that I liked - the story of La Scolaretta, an Italian resistance fighter during the war (I wanted more of that); Tabitha’s search for her birth mother (very brief, I wanted more of this too); and learning about the Vatican’s influence on movie-making in the years after the war.

I liked the other two books I've read by this author, all set in the same world, but I really struggled with this one. It felt like the plot was just there to justify the history being shared, rather than the other way around. The main character, Vivien, felt a bit blank most of the time, with little depth of emotion, which made it hard to get invested in her story. In general, there were too many characters to keep track of and too many long pages of exposition that I ended up skimming a lot of the time.
I did enjoy the history of Hollywood professionals running away to Italy to make movies during the McCarthy era, and all the history about Italy during WWII in general. I just wish it had all been more central to the main plot. I think maybe the story was told from the wrong main character's point of view. In general, it didn't quite live up to what it could have been.

Vivien goes to Rome in 1955 to help doctor scripts for an Italian movie studio, surrounded by glamorous stars and directors she is romanced by a post war Italy and by a movie financier. She comes against the Catholic church who is not a fan of the story her studio is trying to tell. Through flashbacks of WWII we learn about what those around her endured during the war as well as her own past, including the son she had to give up.

I did find the beginning of this novel very confusing and I am not sure if it is because it is part of a series (and I didn't realize) or because I started with the audio (or a combination of the two). Either way, it was then a bit hard to ever really get engrossed in the story. I did for certain parts, but was never really fully engaged. I did appreciate the author's descriptions of the war and the twists that the story took as well as the cameos of fabulous names from the 50's. And while the audio was a bit confusing because of the time jumps, the narrator's voice was wonderful. I'm not sure what this one was missing for me or if it was my mindset at the time, but it just didn't grab me. Maybe if I had read the first two novels I would have been more invested. If you have read the author's other works - please let me know if you enjoyed this one.

3.5 stars

After a dramatic breakthrough in Vivien Lowry's career in London, she starts working as a melodrama screenwriter at the Cinecitta Studios cinema in Rome. Changes to the script may bring Vivien success she wouldn’t be able to achieve in London. At the same time, she can look for information about her fiancé, whom she lost during World War II. Vivien, who has not found a second love after her fiancé, gets involved with producer John Lassiter. However, Lassiter is not divorced, he is still very close to his wife and very attached to their adopted daughter. There are secrets behind this that will be revealed along with the other secrets of the characters in this book.

This is another book from which I learned something new. I didn't know that the Church had a huge influence on the Italian film industry and that the censorship was very excessive.

It was a good story, but I lost track somewhere and got disconnected. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The ending was better than I expected, and I found the setting in the world of Italian cinema very interesting.

This book was about discoveries and bringing peace after the hardships of war. I would like to read another book by this author.

Every Time We Say Goodbye is a historical fiction novel by Natalie Jenner set in Italy about 10 years after the end of World War II. Vivien is a British playwright struggling to find success. After her latest play receives bad reviews, Vivien moves to Italy to work as a script fixer at a studio in Rome. There she develops strong relationships including a romance. Intertwined in the novel is the story of “la scolaretta”, a young woman who was part of the resistance during the war.

Both the story line and the character development was very strong. There was a large cast of characters but always distinguishable. Most importantly, we are reminded of the consequences of evil and apathy that affect the world and the danger of absolute power. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Omg, I have to say that Natalie Jenner's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" was as amazing as her previous books! I felt like this novel transported me to dazzling post-war Italy, the world of film, and the many complexities of Vivien Lowry's life!

Let me start by saying that main characeter, Vivien, is simply unbelievable woman! She is knocked down in London, but she gets back up and lands a job in Rome's thriving film industry. And I must admit that reading Jenner's descriptions transported me to the streets of Italy. Every detail, from the realistic location of Cinecitta Studios to the detailed portrayal of Italy's complex history during World War II, shows Jenner's careful research. I was completely absorbed in the sights, sounds, and feelings of that time. And those details gave the story more depth and illuminated significant historical moments that are sometimes missed.

Although the dual timeline concept did a good job of tying the past and present together, I found myself wishing that some of the storylines—like La Scolaretta—had been explored more thoroughly. I still really like the book overall, despite this small complaint.

I can't wait to read more of Jenner's works! Highly recommended for everyone who enjoys historical fiction and strong, independent females!

Vivien Lowery was one of my favorite characters in Bloomsbury Girls (May 2022) and I was happy to get more of her story in this novel. It is now 1955 and VIvien has written a play in London. While the audiences love it the reviews are crushing. Friend, Peggy Guggenheim, sends her off to be a script doctor for a major film shooting in Rome. While there she interacts with the stars of the day, and learns about the country in the post war days. The Catholic Church is trying to be restrictive through legislation and censorship in movies. She also learns about the resistance during the war and comes to learn more about what happened to her fiancé David.

There is a lot of post-war Italian history in this book that I was unfamiliar with. But it is humanized by the people that Vivien interacts with. Vivien was a working class girl who fell in love with a titled heir. In their young love he proposed but he didn’t return from the war. She is still angry but continually finds her way to survive. She also finds her way to make friends, or family of choice and not birth. I love how the author weaves in real people like Guggenheim, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida.

The writing style is slow and gently unfolds. A competing storyline seems unrelated until its importance is shown. This is the third in the Jane Austen Society novels. They are all complex and give me context to the post WWII time period. This one can be read as a stand alone but others from the previous books make appearances. And I do like the author includes a cast of characters in the beginning and of course read her notes on the book at the end.

Thanks to @austenprose and @macmillan.audio for a free physical and audio copy of this book.

I really enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s book The Jane Austen Society, so I was excited to try this one too. I didn't engage with the characters as easily as I did with the other book, but the history of film in the 50s in Italy was interesting, especially the power the Vatican had to disrupt the industry.

For me, the love stories were disappointing. The best part about the book was the history, so if you’re a historical fiction fan, I’d definitely recommend this one. I love that it focuses on a very specific time, place, and issue.

I didn’t end up listening to the book, so I don’t have any feedback on the narration, but I always am so grateful for the audio option in a busy day!

With its interwoven storyline, Jenner brings us readers a cinematic novel. Brought to life with a cast of vibrant characters and vivid settings, Every Time We Say Goodbye explores the concepts of coming to grips with the past and moving forward into the future. I absolutely love how the book balanced life in post WWII Italy (Rome) with ‘old time’ Hollywood glamour, the stories connecting in the most beautiful of ways–the ending wrapping up magnificently. I am a fan of this author and this third installment of the Jane Austen inspired trilogy (can be read as a stand alone) did not disappoint! Brava!

'Saying goodbye is the hardest thing in the world, save for one, and that is being cheated of it'.

Vivien lives her life as a product of WW2: she is a survivor. But when she lost her fiancé, she lost her future, as well as that sense of self the future had promised her. Since then, she's poured her anguish and anger into her plays. The latest, however, could also be counted as a loss (at least according to the critics), so when her friend suggests she goes to Italy to help save a dying movie script, Vivien soon discovers it's also an opportunity to save herself - learning that forgiving doesn't necessitate forgetting, 'Time goes, it always does, and always faster than we want. But the past stays with us for a reason'.

'Every Time We Say Goodbye' is a dual POV and dual time story - depicted in Cinecitta, the 'Hollywood on the Tiber'. A place where, 'Clothes, church, cinema - everyone is in bed with each other'. As Vivien grapples with telling stories, the Catholic Church, 'moved to legislate the public's behaviour under the guise of script approval, enabling the government to censor anything it deemed immoral or leftist, and causing the pendulum of power to swing right all over again'. She quickly understands that the irony of local politics simply underscores how little people may have learned, in their haste to forget a terrible past, 'the world was resisting looking back in order to fully embrace the future'. To move forward she, we, must look back.

Natalie Jenner presents the reader with a mosaic of thoughtful insights around love and loss, remembering and forgetting, relinquishing and enduring. I heavily highlighted and notated while reading this book as so many thoughts were distilled. To that end, this book, for me, is more a story of self-reflection than historical fiction per se. That said, I learned so much about the politics and bustling Italian movie business of that time. Whichever way you lean, you are bound to enjoy reading this thought-provoking, insightful story.

'How lucky the world was for those survivors willing and able to tell their own story, and how imperative that such stories be shared to the greatest extent possible'.

When playwright Vivien Lowry’s fiancé dies in World War Two, she is sure she will never fall in love again. When critics badly receive her latest play, she accepts a friend’s invitation to go to Italy. While there, she becomes involved in the Italian movie business which is struggling to make a comeback from the results of the Nazis and the war. She works with director Curtis Douglas to help save a script for an upcoming movie. During her stay, she meets many interesting people, most of whom are struggling with the trauma in the aftermath of the war. Vivien learns through the many experiences of those around her how to face some of her own demons. Soon Vivien works herself back into a life where she can again trust and hopefully find love. A side story about a woman resistance fighter in Rome in 1943 adds to the enjoyment of this book. Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner is the story of one woman’s search to find herself and happiness again.

Although this is listed as 3rd in the Jane Austen Society series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This book builds on the worlds created in Jenner's first two historical novels. Readers travel on a journey to Italy in the 1950's, with a lively cast of characters, and many of whom are British and American ex-pats working in the booming art of Italian cinema after WW II. The novel focuses on Vivien Lowry, a playwright who has had her latest play shutdown by critics, even though audiences loved it. At the insistence of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a screenwriter in Italy for Cinecetta Studios. She struggles to come to grips w/ post-war life and the mystery of her fiance's death.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

This was not my favorite of the trilogy. I had actually taken a break from WW2-era novels because they are so emotionally draining but I wanted to read this one due to having read the first two novels in the series. This one is as dark and as sad as expected from that era. It tried to interweave and even end on a hopeful, optimistic note but the epilogue is so heartbreaking, I wish it hadn't been included. I feel this novel is very verbose without moving the plot along very well. Some bigger plot points, such as the kidnapping, were resolved very quickly, but others drag on throughout most of the novel. I did like the tie-ins from the first two novels and seeing some of those characters again. I think I would have enjoyed the novel much more if David had been found alive and/or she reconnected with her baby. Overall, for me, it was just a depressing, slow read and I would have been okay if the series had stopped at the first two books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.