Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel - James Markert

As a hardcore fan of J H Markert, I was intrigued with this story. It was a beautifully heartbreaking book filled with mysticism, love and loss.

When the old Tuscany Hotel, abandoned years ago, becomes the hub for people with memory loss thanks to the water in the fountain giving the people their memories back but they have to keep drinking the water to keep it going.

The art and culture were a huge draw for me and the author did a phenomenal job of weaving all the characters together in their rawness. Everyone has a sadness they are overcoming and they rediscover themselves at the hotel. I loved the beautiful prose and the narration was amazing.

Add this one to your list!

4.5 stars

This audiobook was well produced. I really liked the creative win this book. The subject line was not what I expected and was pleasantly surprised by the book. It was hard to listen to as the characters were all facing demons and eminent death, but it was dealt with in a way that was hopeful.

A creative and interesting story that was beautifully narrated. War, mythology, art, love, loss, illness, PTSD, a little bit of mysticism, told in current times and reflections of the past. A family struggling to deal with the horrors of war and its impact on those who fought, Alzheimer’s, fear and learning how to move forward. Not a light listen (or read).

I absolutely adored this book! Filled with magical realism that will have you yearning to travel and go on an adventure. A perfect cozy book for anyone who loves a book set in a foreign location and a dash of magic. I loved all of the characters and their relationships. Just such a delightful book that will leave you wanting more!

"Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel" by James Markert is a novel of literary fiction. It is another masterpiece of writing from Markert. I have loved everything of his that I've read, and this one I loved, too!

Vittorio Gandy has returned from war, and he has PTSD. His father, the renowned sculptor Robert Gandy, the Renaissance Man, has succumbed to dementia. His wife, Valerie, has been caring for his father and his young toddler son.

When Vitto is in the veterans hospital for war trauma, he meets another veteran named John Johnson who tries to help him. One day, Vitto's wife rushes in and says his father is missing. They all take off to find him and finally do locate him at his father's old hotel, the Tuscany Hotel. Robert seems to have his memory back! He says that the water in the fountain brings back memories. Soon the hotel is full of guests.

There is a lot of Greek mythology in this one in both the statues surrounding the hotel and in bedtime stories. I didn't feel lost with this. The Greek mythology bits were explained well. It is possible that Vitto's parents and their helper Juba are embodiments of Greek gods. You'll have to read it to understand this.

Keith Brown and Carlotta Brenton were the narrators for the audiobook, and both did an exceptional job.

This is actually set mostly in California near Santa Barbara. It is not in Tuscany, though the hotel is called the Tuscany Hotel, and the decor and landscaping evokes Tuscany. An early part of the book was set in Tuscany, Italy.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 35/8 = 4 3/8 rounded to 4 stars

I highly recommend this book. The characters are interesting. They show more than tell. The story is interesting and well-told.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and James Markert for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (or rating).

I enjoyed the different aspects of fiction woven into this tale, from Greek mythology to history. The prose is beautiful and the story unspools smoothly until the very end.

I listened to the audiobook of Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert, which is a wonderful historical fiction story about troubling memories and coming to terms with your past. After coming home from World War II, Vittorio Gandy is haunted by memories, and his former life is unrecognizable. Besides his wife being afraid of him and his young son not remembering him, he is most troubled by the decline of his father who suffers from Alzheimer’s. He decides to travel to Italy where he grew up in an attempt to help his father remember something. The rest of the story is how he and his father find themselves among mythology, art, and beauty. I was truly impressed with the descriptive work of the author, which was lyrical and flowed beautifully. Although I was a little surprised by the parallels to ancient Greek mythology, I didn't find them distracting at all. Finally, the narration by Keith Brown and Carlotta Brendan was commendable and fit the prose well. I highly recommend this very satisfying audiobook!

Thank You for the opportunity to read Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel.

I love fantasy fiction and magical realism. So, I was invested in this book from the word go.

There was so much in this book from coming to terms with one's past to dealing with trauma to mythology!

Not to mention the intricacies of relationships, rebuilding them and rebuilding a life together.

I loved all the characters and how beautifully the past was crafted into the present.

I really enjoyed reading this book. If you like magical realism and an old-world charm, this book is for you.

Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert is a creative story.

After returning from war, Vittorio Gandy is haunted by memories. He was a gifted painter. But he can no longer cope with all the details. His young son doesn’t even remember him. His wife, Valerie, is scared of him. Vitto’s father, Robert, is no longer the gifted sculptor. He is being taken away by Alzheimer’s. 

Robert hopes his return to the now-abandoned Tuscany Hotel with the special resources will help him remember.

It was a little slow at times. But overall, it’s an interesting book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and JH Markert for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel coming out August 6, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I definitely enjoyed the narrator. I thought the story was interesting. I love books set in hotels. I also love Italy and I was intrigued by the plot. The story didn’t go the way I thought it would. I enjoyed it, but I felt like there was something missing for me to really love it. I think everything came together in the end, but the story was a little slower than I like. I would check out other books by this author!

This one was just okay for me, It wasn't what I thought it was going into it and I never really got past that. I will say that this story is well written, I know that many people loved this book. There are certainly a lot of things to enjoy but I just started to lose interest early on and never got it back.

It was okay but I just didn’t care for the plot the story just wasn’t for me. I love historical fiction but this felt more like folk lore and fantasy

I have been wanting to read another James Markert book since I read "What Blooms From the Dust." Markert does a beautiful job weaving past and present with magical realism in this book. Unfortunately, I don't love Greek Mythology, so the retelling of myths was boring to me, as there was quite a bit of just retelling some of those stories. However, as the stories were interspersed into the characters, it worked better. The concept of the hotel, the healing water, and the discovery of and treatment for Alzheimer's was really interesting, and I liked that there was several stories in one happening here. The reporter story was particularly interesting, and I wish it had been told live/in more detail rather than through the journals. This book started strong and finished strong, but did lull a bit in the middle. I really loved the last chapter, which brought it all together and then some. Overall, a solid read and I will definitely check out more of his books! I appreciate the ARC!

A story about Vittorio Gandy, who returns home after 13 months at war to find himself battling mental health issues and his father, Robert battling Alzheimer's. Vitto, his wife Valerie, and Vitto's acquaintance John follow Robert to their once abandoned Tuscany Hotel. The hotel, once a place where artists would go for inspiration, brings Robert's memories back to him. Much of the story focuses on family secrets coming to light and the effects of a fountain with water that supposedly helps people suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia regain their memories. People start to stay at the hotel again, and Vitto learns the truth around his mother's death and several other family secrets.

I felt like this story was much longer than it needed to be. The middle 50% really dragged. I did, however, feel like the characters were well developed. I found myself caring about their outcome by the time the story started to wrap up. It was an ok story overall. For me personally, I could've done without the magic fountain. I did especially like the ending with the son and his wife and an older Vitto tying everything up.

Thank you NetGally and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel is abstract and mesmerizing with a hint of realism. It is steeped in the beauty of art, whether it be paints, sculptures, music, or stories. The story is a dual time line that takes you to Italy and California. Mythology takes a dominant presence and knowing what is real and what is symbolic is often blurred, but that adds to the mystique and creativeness of the story. There was a soothing cadence to the tick tock of the clock, the centrality of water and renaissance, and the overlap of reality to mythology. The poignancy of choosing mind over body and living over dying were moving. The audiobook allowed this story to be an experience rather than just a story and the two narrators did an amazing job.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel by James Markert is a sweet story of hope and promise and loss and love. Recently returned from the war, Vito has severe PTSD. His father has dementia. And his wife is trying to hold them all together. When his father disappears, they find him at the Hotel Tuscany. Soon rumors abound that the water there restores memories and lives. But what is the risk ?
Loved the narrator. Good story.

Midnight At The Tuscany Hotel by J. H. Markard, The book is about Victorio “Veto” Gandy, Who has just returned from the great war to his wife Valerie and five year old son William and father Robert. While Vedo tries to reacquaint his self with the love of his life and young son he is also suffering from PTSD which causes him to scare Valerie and William. As if Valerie didn’t have enough on her plate already taken care of ROBERT who has Alzheimer’s disease. When he goes missing at first Vito is concerned but he and his army buddy know just where to look for his confused dad. The Tuscany hotel was first built in homage to his love for Magdalena so Vito and Valerie along with John aren’t surprised when they find ROBERT there. The thing that is surprising is ROBERT has all his memories intact and the old bartender Jubo has returned.. Once a place for thesbians and artists to reach their potential now becomes a place for those who want to keep all their memories to come and drink from the fountain. There was so much to the story I am finding it hard to write a good summary the story was such an OMG story because the summary sounded good but I wasn’t super excited about reading it but having had read one of the authors other books and loved it I gave it a listen. There is so much I am wanting to put in my review about sculptor Roberts last sculpting, Vito‘s issue with his father in the memory of his mother, his mothers tragic and mysterious death, his problems with Ellen and his admiration of her and what the fountain takes after giving you your memories back it is a story all wrapped up in Greek myth and it was also good. I also thought the two narrators Keith Brown and Carlotta Brenton did a awesome job I will definitely be checking out this authors books in the future if they’re all this great I don’t know why I’ve been waiting. #DreamScapeMedia, #NetGalley, #JHMarkard, #TheTuscanyHotel,

I think my overall response to this book was “Meh.” It was okay. I didn’t care for the middle of the story which just seemed to drag on endlessly. I didn’t connect with the characters and I think that resulted in the lackluster appeal of the book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t one I enjoyed. However, there are plenty of positive reviews, so I suggest you give it a try and see if you enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

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Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel is a well-written story that explores themes of beauty, art, war, mental health, memory, and mythology. The protagonist, Vittorio, is a painter who returns home after a year at war. His son doesn't remember him, his wife Valerie is scared of him due to his PTSD, and his father Robert, who has Alzheimer's, goes missing. Vittorio, Valerie, and his friend John eventually find Robert at the Tuscany Hotel, where they discover that drinking from the hotel's fountain can bring back the memories of those with Alzheimer's and dementia. Is there a price to pay for experiencing this miraculous recovery of memories?