The Garden of Letters

by Alyson Richman

NEW FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE LOST WIFE Written in dazzling prose and set against the rich backdrop of World War II Italy, Garden of Letters captures the hope, suspense, and romance of an uncertain era, in an epic intertwining story of first love, great tragedy, and spectacular bravery. Portofino, Italy, 1943. A young woman steps off a boat in a scenic coastal village. Although she knows how to disappear in a crowd, Elodie is too terrified to slip by the German officers while carrying her poorly forged identity papers. She is frozen until a man she’s never met before claims to know her. In desperate need of shelter, Elodie follows him back to his home on the cliffs of Portofino. Only months before, Elodie Bertolotti was a cello prodigy in Verona, unconcerned with world events. But when Mussolini’s Fascist regime strikes her family, Elodie is drawn into the burgeoning resistance movement by Luca, a young and impassioned bookseller. As the occupation looms, she discovers that her unique musical talents, and her courage, have the power to save lives. In Portofino, young doctor Angelo Rosselli gives the frightened and exhausted girl sanctuary. He is a man with painful secrets of his own, haunted by guilt and remorse. But Elodie’s arrival has the power to awaken a sense of hope and joy that Angelo thought was lost to him forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Romance, Italy, Historical, War

366 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Alyson Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies. She herself is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical research, and travel. Alyson's novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she is currently at work on her next novel.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Italien 1943: Die 19-jährige Elodie ist Musikstudentin. Sie spielt Cello und liebt ihr Instrument sehr. Doch der Zweite Weltkrieg wütet immer unbarmherziger, und bald steckt auch die behütet aufgewachsene Elodie mitten in den Kriegswirren...
**
Mein Leseeindruck:
Ich habe inzwischen schon einige Bücher gelesen, deren Geschichten im Zweiten Weltkrieg spielen. Für mich ist das Thema bzw. diese Zeit immer noch sehr interessant und sehr erschreckend. Auch "Der italienische Garten" hat mich tief berührt.
Eine der Hauptprotagonisten ist die junge Elodie, die einige Schicksalsschläge verkraften muss und dadurch an Kraft und Stärke gewinnt.
Eine andere Hauptfigur im Buch ist der Arzt Angelo, dessen Weg sich durch einen Zufall mit Elodies Weg kreuzt. Angelo hat ebenfalls schon Schlimmes durchgemacht.
Rückblickend werden sowohl Elodies als auch Angelos Lebenswege beleuchtet, bis sie sich dann kreuzen. Beide Geschichten haben mich sehr bewegt.
Angelo und Elodie sind sympathische Charaktere, die auch sehr gut ausgearbeitet wurden. Ich konnte mir von beiden ein sehr gutes Bild machen und habe mit ihnen mitgelitten.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist sehr intensiv, dabei aber auch angenehm zu lesen. Ich mochte das Buch kaum weglegen und wollte nur noch eintauchen in diese Geschichte.
Wer einen wirklich außergewöhnlichen Roman lesen möchte, der zur Zeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs spielt, der sollte sich dieses Buch einmal näher anschauen. Es lohnt sich!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you fell in love with a boy who loved books, I fell in love with a girl I taught to read.

The book, "The Garden of Letters " moves between several time periods, weaving together Angelo's and Elodie's pasts,as well as their present situation together. This has to be one of the most beautiful books that I've read in 2015. Alyson Richman really takes her readers back to 1943 Italy with her stirring descriptions and sensual romance. Honestly, the writing was flawless poetry that I just wanted to swim in.

Oh and it's official, Richman's character, Angelo Rosselli is now one of my favorite book boyfriends. It all started with this particular line on page 86 (in my book at least)

At what point is a woman most beautiful? When you first see her body? Her heart? Or her soul? It was at that rare moment when you hold the woman you love in your arms and you see all three at once.

Hot damn! Now that is a line in historical fiction that keeps me all dreamy eyed. I really recommend this one,you really won't regret it!

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first - but not last - Alyson Richman novel.

This historical fiction was set mostly in Italy starting in 1943....a little in Africa...with strong characters during WWII. It also touches on the Italian Resistance movement.... opposing to the forces of Nazi Germany....but this was more ‘love story’ - several love stories - than in-depth history.

Elodie Bertolotti, an only child, was a cello prodigy with a photographic memory. Her father, who gave Elodie her first cello, was beaten and killed by the Fascists for playing music. Elodie, never in a million years thought she would join the resistance- but life changed dramatically after her father was killed.
When she stepped off the boat in Portofino, - without her cello, alone and afraid, with false identity papers - she meets the local town doctor, Angelo.
Elodie’s and Angelo’s relationship develops slowing - both suffering yet commiserating grief - loss - and love.
Elodie’s contribution against the war is through her music and her exceptional memory. She used her music as a means of nonverbal communication and codes.

We are reminded about all the people who gave of their lives to help save Italy from Mussolini and his transgressors.
Written with tenderness.....richness with music, and art...during a horrific time in history...
It’s the characters - with Elodie as our heroine - that most shine ....through grief, despair, resilience, bravery, redemption, purpose, and foresight.

Lovely storytelling and prose.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars for this one. It was going to be 3 stars but the ending ruined that. I liked the first half of the book but it went downhill quickly. The editing missed one glaring mistake...SPOILER ALERT.....the timing of events was totally off. Elodie and Luca's first kiss occurs in a chapter labeled Sept 1943, yet in October 1943, just weeks later, she is somehow 3 months pregnant? Not only that but she can feel the baby kick already? I've had four kids and there is no way you are feeling a baby kick at three months pregnant! The sudden romance b/w Elodie and Angelo, shortly after she has lost her first love, is just so far-fetched it ruined any appeal this book had for me. I really enjoyed The Lost Wife but this book was disappointing unfortunately.

[J. Schlenker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read three of Alyson Richman's books now, and I think I can say she is my favorite fiction writer. I love her descriptions in this book, and she weaves the story into a beautifully finished product.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Garden of Letters" opens with a quote from one of my very favorite books, The Little Prince." From that point on I thought that I was in for a good story. And I was definitely right about that! This book takes place during World War II in Italy. Elodie is a 19-year-old who gets involved up with the resistance movement. She knows that she's putting her life at risk however she is drawn to continuing to help the resistance based on both her political beliefs and her love for Luca, one of the resistance leaders. When Luca dies, Elodie knows that she needs to find a new place to stay safe. After a couple of run-ins with the Germans, she finally comes to Portofino where she is taken in by a kind man who has lost more than his share from the war already. This was a brilliant, sweeping book and will be a thrillfor any of my fellow historical fiction lovers.

The characters in this book were great. I especially loved Elodie. She goes from a cello prodigy to running messages for the Resistance. She is a very interesting character because she stands to lose a lot from her involvement with the Resistance; however, she's brave enough to put that aside and continue to be involved even if it means giving up some of her livelihoods like being able to play her beloved cello freely. I really thought that the author did a good job of making her feel like a real person with a lot of different facets. The secondary characters such as her parents, Luca, and Angelo were also really interesting and I loved reading about them.

One of the things that I really liked about this book was how the author chose not to tell the story in sequential order. That being said each section is clearly denoted as to when it took place which makes it very easy to follow along with the story. When the book opens, Elodie is being chosen from a crowd in Portofino. The subsequent chapters talk about how she came to be at Portofino, which is quite far away from Verona, where she lived before. I thought that this way of telling the story was especially effective in this case because you are pulled into the story by not having all of the pieces that you want at the very beginning. Richman really makes the reader get interested in figuring out how Elodie came to be in Portofino and why she is staying with Angelo. You also get to find out about some of Angelo's backstory, which was especially heartbreaking to me.

The historical detail in this book was fantastic. I really like the way the Richman was able to show what was going on in Italy at the time and really make the reader feel like they were there. I thought all of the detail about the Resistance Movement was especially interesting. This book has a lot of information about the ways that the Resistance was able to pass information around in order to hide it from the Germans. I haven't read a lot about the Resistance Movement in Italy, but I thought this was a really good introduction.

This marks the first book that I've ever read by Alyson Richman; however, this will definitely not be the last. I really enjoyed this entire book and was sad when it was over. I would absolutely love a sequel and definitely think that there's room to find out what happened to Angelo and Elodie and the rest of the characters.

[Stephanie Steinberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who is an Italian chello player who joins in the resistance movement. The parts about the resistance and the ingenious ways that they passed on secret information were fascinating. The rest was standard chick lit. Lots of silly romantic scenes and descriptions such as "he opened her like a flower" ugh!!! Her previous book, The Lost Wife, was much better.

[Shomeret · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Garden of Letters by Alyson Richman takes place in Italy during WWII. I have not visited Italy in WWII through the pages of a book since reading The Garden of the Finzi-Continis during my teen years. Regrettably, I have not read Alyson Richman since The Mask Carver’s Son which I very much admired for the way it showed the differences between the perspective of art as a tradition, and the perspective of art as an individual accomplishment. In The Garden of Letters Richman deals with the perspective of a musician discovering her true priorities in a time of fear and privation.

I was impressed by Elodie’s courage when she joins the Resistance, and her ingenuity in inventing a new means of secret communication. I’ve read a number of novels dealing with the French Resistance. I had expected the Italian Resistance to be similar, but Elodie brought her background into the Resistance which gave fighting the Nazis an unusual twist.

The Garden of Letters shifts perspectives and time periods. I never got confused even though the story didn’t unfold in linear order. I didn’t think that the head hopping was unclear or excessive. Other readers might have problems with the author’s narrative techniques, but I consider this the best historical fiction that I’ve read so far in 2015.

For my complete review see http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy The Garden of Letters as much as I did The Lost Wife. It seemed a bit generic at first but improved over time. By the end of the book, I was caught up in the music of the story.

[T. Rosado · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This was an engaging WW2 story that focused on Italy and the partisan resistance during Mussolini’s reign until it violently merged into German occupation. It was written in multiple timelines, all within a 10 year period and ultimately centered around two characters and their eventual convergence into safety and salvation in the third timeline.

This was my second novel by this author and I have enjoyed her writing style. It’s immersive and evocative without being overly melodramatic. The main characters are involved in more than one of the multiple timelines, so it was easy to stay emotionally connected to their individual, as well as combined stories. Since the timelines were essentially competing for page time, Angelo and Elodie’s individual stories had to be concise, yet believable and I felt the author achieved that balance. My heart hurt for both of their travails and then was completely warmed by their found happiness.

I’m really glad I took another chance on this author. While I enjoyed the writing in the first story I read by Richman, I wasn’t necessarily moved to jump into another one. The Garden of Letters was a sweetly moving story that didn’t brush over the atrocities of wartime, yet also didn’t dwell unnecessarily. It was the perfect read at the perfect time for me.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 sterren - Nederlandse paperback

In dit boek leef je mee met de jonge Elodie, die in het fascistische Italië tijdens de oorlogsjaren evolueert van toegewijde cellostudente naar geëngageerde stafetta, verzetsstrijdster.

Elodie komt uit een muzikaal milieu en gebruikt haar talenten om via muzikale codes informatie door te spelen naar de partizanen, waarvan er eentje, Luca, har hart heeft gestolen.

Zal Elodie dit alles overleven? En ten koste waarvan? Hoe vergaat het haar familie, vrienden en kennissen? En waarom komt zij uiteindelijk terecht in Portofino, bij dokter Angelo, die eveneens een zwaar verleden meesleept?

Lees en ontdek, het is een verhaal dat je meesleept en bezighoudt

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in WWII, specifically the Italian Resistance; and in music, specifically the cello, this book may interest you. I can't say I was extremely moved or enlightened while reading...the story is somewhat vanilla but still worthwhile.

[Ariannha · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Un buen músico debe cultivar el arte de la interpretación […]. Los pentagramas de la partitura son como un mapa. Necesitas leer las notas y tocarlas como te lo está indicando el compositor, pero la emoción… Eso es lo que hace que la música sea tuya”.


He leído en dos oportunidades a Alyson Richman, disfruté y sufrí a partes iguales de Los amantes de Praga y Las horas de terciopelo, y por esta razón, esta nueva novela de la autora se me quedó un poco corta.

En “El jardín italiano” conoceremos la historia de Elodie una prometedora chelista en Verona, y Angelo un doctor residente en Portofino; dos personas rotas por las pérdidas sufridas en la guerra, que se encuentran de forma inesperada…

Contada entre líneas temporales pasadas y presentes, conoceremos a cada protagonista y las circunstancias que los llevan a encontrarse. Los hechos pasados a veces me resultaron un tanto alargados, y los actuales demasiado cortos. Siento que la autora se precipitó demasiado en la historia… quedando algunos datos inverosímiles… y otros faltos de revisión por parte de la edición. Es una lástima porque la historia tenía mucho para dar, ya que la novela busca ser una exploración sobre el poder de la música y del arte en tiempos de guerra. La vida de Elodie está marcada por una trágica pérdida —su familia es asesinada por Mussolini— y es en la música donde encuentra refugio y fuerzas para seguir adelante… hasta encontrarse con otro sentido a su vida, al conocer a Luca y las acciones que emprende con la resistencia.

Me gustó que la autora centra la historia en Italia, ya que encontramos pocos libros sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial en este país, sin embargo no entra tampoco en grandes detalles del conflicto, o como lo vive el pueblo. Si destaco las acciones que hizo la resistencia y su ingeniosa forma de transmitir información.

Esperaba muchos más de la historia de los dos protagonistas… Si bien es obvio que Angelo y Elodie se enamoran, me hubiera gustado ver más desarrollo de su historia juntos, en lugar de tanta historia pasada… pero la autora nos rellena con la historia de Elodie y sus padres, Elodie y Luca, y Angelo y Dalia. En fin… es un libro que pueden dejar pasar.


“¿En qué momento es que una mujer parece más bella? ¿Cuándo por primera vez miras su cuerpo? ¿Su corazón? ¿O cuando contemplas su alma?”

[Adela Holda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alyson Richman's stunning new novel, THE GARDEN OF LETTERS, is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Full of love, strength, courage and sacrifice, the story allows readers to feel the rawness of each and every human emotion through an appreciation and respect of music, the literary arts and the plight of humanity during a most uncertain time. Richman is able to connect with readers on many different levels and one can't help but find pieces of their own story interwoven in the pages of this book.

The story takes the reader on a journey deep into World War II Italy during the days of the Italian Resistance movement. We follow the life of Elodie, a young cello prodigy, who finds herself drawn into the movement after experiencing a very personal loss. She is able to use her lifeblood, her music, as first an expression of love for her dearest Luca, then sadness and then, finally, vindication. In a separate story line, the reader is introduced to a kind and gentle Angelo, who himself has suffered his own personal loss and is struggling to recover from the once blissful, and ultimately tragic, life he shared with Dalia, the woman of his dreams. Richman is able to weave these story lines together in a seamless and beautiful manner while creating the exquisite imagery which tends to be a hallmark of her writing style. This emotional story about love, loss, purpose and humankind's amazing capacity to heal, will leave you breathless and moved beyond words while touching the very depth of your soul.

[Kim Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Wife still resonates so deeply with me that I worried I’d be subconsciously comparing the two novels in my mind. The books have some elements in common, after all. They both take place during WWII. They both contain a tragic love story, but are about far more than love. They both have a protagonist with a passion for a form of art. Lenka, from The Lost Wife, was an artist. Elodie, from The Garden of Letters, was a cellist. Both women possess a level of courage that is awe-inspiring.

The similarities end there, however, and I can honestly say that I never once thought of Josef and Lenka while reading about Elodie and Luca. I thought of very little beyond my need to find out what happened next. I did not tear through the book—reading an Alyson Richman novel too quickly would be a bit like gulping down an expensive bottle of wine in ten minutes. The prose is lush, each scene having been crafted with obvious care. It should be savored, even in those moments that leave a bitter aftertaste.

The Garden of Letters contains the most beautiful and sensual love scene I’ve ever read, and I read a lot. It’s a many-layered painting that is neither graphic nor gratuitous. It also contains an act of brutality that makes me shudder every time I think of it.

I highly recommended this novel.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember over-rating Captain Corelli's Mandolin years ago; it was about Italians and music and partisans and the resistance and Mussolini and also it was overly sentimental but The Garden of Letters is beyond sentimental, this is overwrought and maudlin.

The story is about serious cello player Elodie, a young girl who finds herself caught up in the perilous world of the resistance movement amid Mussolini's fascism. In escaping she meets someone as damaged by grief and loss as she herself is. The descriptions of Venice, Portofino, and Verona are beautiful and I learned a lot about that period of wartime history; but still not worth all the over the top melodrama. At one point Elodie and Luca are tasked with evading the enemies in order to set up a new camp after their last one is infiltrated, as their heroic compatriots are skirmishing at the front, and as the evil Fascists and Nazis edge ever closer, Elodie and Luca decide to take a romantic bath. They gather kindling, wash out copper pots, rig up a makeshift harness from which to get the heated water to pour, I mean please.

[Kristina McMorris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alyson Richman's latest novel, The Garden of Letters, is an original, lyrical page turner. Like her previous novel The Lost Wife, this beautiful WWII story will stay with me for years to come.

[Soy Fabi, una booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otro bellísimo libro de Alyson Richman. Con este ya llevo 4 leídos de ella y puedo decir que son uno mejor que el otro.

El nivel de investigación que desarrolla Richman es abrumador. Su estilo de prosa es maravillosa. Y sus historias siempre basadas en hechos reales son realmente magníficas.

Muchas ⭐️ siempre para todos sus libros.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start with this one?

I love fiction set in World War II, and I've read a fair amount of books in that time period. It is always exciting to find a story that is set somewhere that I haven't read about before, and in this case, that would be Italy during the time of Mussolini and the German invasion.

The premise of the story is good--a young woman, terrified, alone, arrives in a small coastal Italian town and is ushered to safety by a kind doctor. Both have suffered great losses.

So...why three stars?

Well, I liked the story, but I hated--HATED--the switch from present-tense to past-tense. And there were a lot of issues with timing. Did Elodie and Luca have sex before that time on the mountain? Because that happened in September, and by October, she's missed two periods. I did some math in my head and it's possible, but...unlikely?

While I fully expected Angelo and Elodie to fall in love, I would have liked to see more development of their story together, instead of quite so many flashbacks. For a love story about these two characters, I read far more about Elodie and her parents, Elodie and Luca, and Angelo and Dalia than I did about Angelo and Elodie falling for each other. It felt clumsy and not-well-planned.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it's not a great book. It will make its way to the used bookstore, not to my book shelf.

[Denice Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War II. Italy. Underground resistance. What it takes to survive. I’ve ready many books featuring the French Resistance during the war but not so much the Italian. These people who are brave, secretive, and answer the dangerous call to help and to survive. We are introduced to Elodie, a musician, a gifted cellist, with photographic memory. What she sees she remembers and her skills as a musician help her to stand out and melt into the background both. Elodie is a school girl who, as the war and the Germans take over her life, is caught up in the resistance and she uses her music to send needed codes.
Angelo is a doctor caught up in his new life as a husband, a doctor and now the war. All does not go well for him, he is injured and sent home to his family a broken man.
Angelo’s and Elodie’s lives intersect where both of their gifts, his for medicine and hers for music are used to save their lives.
A little reluctant when I discovered it was another book of the resistance I came to appreciate what I learned about music and Italy and bravery.

[Jenicita · Rating 5 out of 5]

EL JARDÍN ITALIANO Es una novela llena de sentimientos y transmite muchas sensaciones a pesar de estar situada en medio de una guerra , logra transmitir sensaciones de una particular historia de amor. Es un libro fácil de leer, cuenta con casi 430 páginas, está bien hilvanado y engancha desde sus primera páginas y me ha gustado mucho😍 (Además el género histórico es mi favorito.)
La música tiene protagonismo en la historia, pues acompaña a Elodie en su vida.
La autora nos hace un montón de referencias de libros y de autores de clásicos que yo adoro.
También hay muy buenas descripciones de Verona y Venecia. 🤩
La historia mantiene cierto suspenso que se vuelve adictivo y no paras de leer hasta llegar al final del libro.
EL JARDÍN ITALIANO cuenta la historia de Elodie una prometedora chelista en Verona, que posee una memoria formidable, se une a la resistencia a petición de su amiga Lena. Allí conoce a Luca, un apasionado librero...
La joven Elodie se baja de un barco, demasiado aterrorizada como para sortear el control de soldados alemanes, hasta que un desconocido sale en su ayuda. El joven doctor Angelo. Sus caminos se cruzaran y todo cobrará sentido.
Recomendadísimo.
.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cello prodigy Elodie's life is uprooted when Germany invades Italy during World War II.

Even though Mussolini's Fascist regime has been in power for the last 20 years, Elodie's life as a music student has been pretty normal thus far. After meeting bookstore owner Luca, however, she becomes involved with the growing resistance movement. How did she get from being a member of the resistance in Verona to living in Portofino with Angelo, a doctor who has kindly given her refuge in his home? How will their current living situation bring hope to both of them?

Despite the hardships endured throughout this story, it also was a lovely reminder of the power of love and hope.

If you enjoyed this book, then I would also recommend the following by this author: The Secret of Clouds (4 stars) and The Velvet Hours (4 stars).

Location: Verona, Portofino, and Venice, Italy

[Elsenor Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me pareció un libro Romántico, que trata de contar las historias de dolor de una guerra que destruyó, muchas vidas, Encontramos, diferentes ideologías políticas, Arte Musical, pasión por la literatura, amores Rotos por el destino y al final paz, la paz en la protagonista..
No puedo decir que Me encantó, se parece a otros de post guerra, pero si es capaz de conmover y tocarnos.

[Emanuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

In quello zaino c'è tutta la sua vita ridotta a brandelli.
Una lettura piacevole e commovente, la quinta stella manca soltanto per il finale, mi è sembrato troppo affrettato. Lo stile è fluido e semplice, ma capace di trasmettere emozioni profonde...e bé sì, lo ammetto, la lacrimuccia è scesa! 😅
Partendo da fatti realmente accaduti, il romanzo racconta uno spaccato della resistenza italiana all'invasione tedesca, durante la seconda Guerra Mondiale, le riunioni segrete, l'utilizzo dei messaggi in codice con i ragazzi staffetta, le fughe sui monti.
Due storie d'amore che si intrecciano e si alternano in tutto libro con struggenti flashback, fino a congiungersi definitivamente.
Sei straordinaria, Elodie. Più che straordinaria. Sei l'amore, l'arte e Dio combinati insieme.

[Freddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the type of book to read when you need more than to escape from your present, as this story quite literally wrecked me. (I read it in a very crowded train, and the lady beside me kept throwing me very concerned looks at each ill-concealed sob)
The story moves through parallel storylines, each capable of ripping your heart out and put it back together, set mainly in 1943 fascist Verona. The two main characters are the scene-stealers, with Elodie as the one true star.
Through her eyes, we are able to see the city of Verona, and Italy as a whole, divided into sides, in war with one another. We live and cry with her, and ss someone that lives in Verona, I can proudly say I get out of my way not to go to the places the book talks about, so not to burst into tears in the middle of the street.
In Portofino, the reader is able to heal with Angelo and Elodie, and we get the real pay-off of the suffering lived till that moment.
The book does not view the era through rose-colored glasses, but there's almost a brutal realism to the reality depicted. The 'historical moments' blended with the fictional, and the reader's knowledge about the past seems to warn not to forget where and when we are.
There were some highly appreciated moment of anxiety and unexpected shock, in which you won't be able to continue reading, without a much needed break.
If I were to give one critique to this book would be that I was not satisfied with the Angelo/Elodie time together, considering that after falling in love with them I probably needed two more books with them, but I'm happy imagining them in 'their room'.
I'd suggest to read it all in one sitting, (maybe away from crowded places) as Alyson Richman created a multilayered world you won't be able to abandon, long after you'll be done with the book.

[Lilisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gifted musician with a photographic memory, Elodie Bertolotti is a young student focused on her cello, practicing her notes and gearing up for her performances. Then World War II reaches the town of Verona and her father… and her life is changed forever. She becomes a messenger for the Italian Resistance and her unique musical talent is put to use in ways she could never have dreamed. Although the book is set during the war, the war is not front and center like it was in The Lost Wife; instead, it’s treated more as a backdrop for the Garden of Letters against which the story unfolds. I liked the parallel stories of Elodie and Angelo and the way Richman moved back and forth between Elodie’s past and present. While we forgo the intensity of the war, Richman more than makes up with her beautiful and descriptive prose – almost melodious – of the intense influence and effect that music provides and means to the human spirit.

[Eti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Тъй като започнах книгата без абсолютно никаква предварителна информация за нея, останах много изненадана от сюжета.

Не очаквах истории от Втората Серия война... Две романтични истории, изпъстрени с надежда, болка, радост и копнеж, страдание и сълзи.

Романът ми хареса, но имах забележки... Не успях истински да усетя героинята...

Мога да препоръчам, но е книга за лятото... Тежичка е за четиво на плажа.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

И тази книга на авторката не можа да достигне въздействието, което ми оказа "Изгубената съпруга". Сама си вдигна летвата много високо.
Иначе историята е интересна. Както винаги е вплела истински факти от войната и съдбите на своите сънародници.
Може би и темата малко ми омръзна.
Знам , че не трябва да забравяме нито за миг тази война, но има и други неща , за които да се пише.
Много интелигентен автор е Алисън Ричмън, няма излишно изхвърляне.
Ще продължавам да я следвам.

[Francinett Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debo decir que este libro para mí termino con lo de mi limonina 🥺

Punto por las formas de ver la música más allá de un arte, , también por la pasión por la lectura que se ve ☺️

Es final no sé si me gustó o no... Pero en general la trama me atrapó y es un libro más que disfrute, sufrí y atesorare ☺️

[Kara Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Garden of Letters brings us the story of young Elodie Bertolotti. We first meet her in the fall of 1943 as she has just arrived in Portofino, Italy. It is revealed that she has false identity papers and will now go by the name of Anna Zorzetto.
Angelo Roselli is the town doctor and is quick to take her under his wing and have her stay with him. Over time we learn why Elodie was seeking shelter in Portofino and what Angelo’s life has been like for the last several years.
Slowly, their lives blend and Richman brings us a tale of love and redemption.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5