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The Eternal City
The De Angelis sisters - holier-than-thou Anna, bohemian, beautiful Maria and tomboy Gaby - have always been competitive, never more so than for the affection of their father, Enzo. But on the day Gaby's first child is born, Enzo dies. Gaby's sisters are quick to snap into action, devising a plan to give their father the send-off he deserves, in his native Rome. Gaby has barely come to terms with motherhood, let alone the fact that her beloved father has gone. And as she finds herself plunged into the heat and bustle of Rome, she once again encounters the man everyone thought she would marry. Suddenly all her certainties are shaken.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 13, 2017
In the days before the emergence of forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and the more recent advent of the Magic Men duo of Stephens & Mephisto, Elly Griffiths wrote four novels under her real name of Domenica de Rosa and I was delighted to come upon a copy of The Eternal City. This absolutely delightful tale of the three de Angelis sisters repatriating the ashes of beloved father, Enzo, to his home town of Rome is filled with distinctive characters, not least three very different sisters, droll humour and insights into the bonds between sisters and motherhood. An absorbing and entertaining read in the space of just over two-hundred-pages Domenica de Rosa draws her readers into the inner sanctum of this tight-knit British Italian clan and this witty diversion is a genuine heart-warmer.
The Eternal City begins with the youngest of the three de Angelis sisters, Gabriella, giving birth to her first child, Kitty. At thirty-five-years old working woman Gaby still thinks she is far too young for motherhood and her marriage to red-headed Bob has brought the new and distinctly less glamorous sounding title of Mrs Duncan. No longer the tomboy bambino of the family it is two days later when Bob delivers the news that the sudden heart-attack of her cherished father, Enzo, on the day of her daughter's birth has unexpectedly tinged the celebrations with grief. Robbed of the opportunity of introducing her father to his granddaughter and floundering in a sea of emotions with a newborn, Gaby is bombarded with sisterly advice (mostly unwanted), and experiences first-hand the changes that a child introduces into a relationship. Six-months on from the birth of Kitty, a decision to return the ashes of Enzo to his home town is agreed upon as a fitting tribute to a man who touched all their lives is made. Eschewing the bureaucracies of repatriation and the associated red tape, the extended family smuggle in the ashes and descend on a sweltering Rome in September. Married to Enzo for forty-three years and once simply June Shawcross, the newly widowed matriarch accompanies her eclectic daughters; holier-than-thou teacher Anna (the clever one), free-spirited new-age loving Maria (the beautiful one) and Gaby (the one most likely to become an accountant)! Sibling rivalry is heightened by the trio all having their unique place in the family dynamic and their individual wishes for the final resting place of the ashes of Enzo de Angelis.
As the party fly out to Rome, de Rosa takes her readers back and forth into the memories that bond a family and the changing fortunes, romances and roles of three sisters in family life. With five-years between the trio the sisters follow an entertaining path to maturity and the discovery of men, but regardless of their differences and petty rivalries they all want a fitting tribute to their father. Accompanied by their husbands and children, a whistle-stop tour of Rome sees an emotional Gaby reunited with her first love from university (now a priest) and experiencing the sights and sounds of her father's home town, complete with a Roma versus Lazio derby at the Stadio Olympico! As Gaby gets to grips with the realities of motherhood, from leaking breasts to resuming a career, and sees temptation in her path she is confronted by unexpected emotions and the lasting weight of grief. Comic timing, gentle humour and the intimacies of being part of a family combine in a wonderful tale with some insightful and poignant reflections on motherhood and family life. A real chemistry between married Gaby and Bob keeps this adventure fizzing along and written in memory of her own father, de Rosa manages to bring smiles, tears and a touching reflection on the circle of life as the passing of one generation brings the advent of another and a new challenge for Gaby.
Readers who appreciate the current work of Elly Griffiths and her keen eye for characterisation and irreverent British humour will find themselves easily charmed by the de Angelis sisters reuniting their beloved father with his homeland. The Eternal City features a cast that all have the potential for development and the beginning of a family saga with plenty more to give.
The Eternal City begins with the youngest of the three de Angelis sisters, Gabriella, giving birth to her first child, Kitty. At thirty-five-years old working woman Gaby still thinks she is far too young for motherhood and her marriage to red-headed Bob has brought the new and distinctly less glamorous sounding title of Mrs Duncan. No longer the tomboy bambino of the family it is two days later when Bob delivers the news that the sudden heart-attack of her cherished father, Enzo, on the day of her daughter's birth has unexpectedly tinged the celebrations with grief. Robbed of the opportunity of introducing her father to his granddaughter and floundering in a sea of emotions with a newborn, Gaby is bombarded with sisterly advice (mostly unwanted), and experiences first-hand the changes that a child introduces into a relationship. Six-months on from the birth of Kitty, a decision to return the ashes of Enzo to his home town is agreed upon as a fitting tribute to a man who touched all their lives is made. Eschewing the bureaucracies of repatriation and the associated red tape, the extended family smuggle in the ashes and descend on a sweltering Rome in September. Married to Enzo for forty-three years and once simply June Shawcross, the newly widowed matriarch accompanies her eclectic daughters; holier-than-thou teacher Anna (the clever one), free-spirited new-age loving Maria (the beautiful one) and Gaby (the one most likely to become an accountant)! Sibling rivalry is heightened by the trio all having their unique place in the family dynamic and their individual wishes for the final resting place of the ashes of Enzo de Angelis.
As the party fly out to Rome, de Rosa takes her readers back and forth into the memories that bond a family and the changing fortunes, romances and roles of three sisters in family life. With five-years between the trio the sisters follow an entertaining path to maturity and the discovery of men, but regardless of their differences and petty rivalries they all want a fitting tribute to their father. Accompanied by their husbands and children, a whistle-stop tour of Rome sees an emotional Gaby reunited with her first love from university (now a priest) and experiencing the sights and sounds of her father's home town, complete with a Roma versus Lazio derby at the Stadio Olympico! As Gaby gets to grips with the realities of motherhood, from leaking breasts to resuming a career, and sees temptation in her path she is confronted by unexpected emotions and the lasting weight of grief. Comic timing, gentle humour and the intimacies of being part of a family combine in a wonderful tale with some insightful and poignant reflections on motherhood and family life. A real chemistry between married Gaby and Bob keeps this adventure fizzing along and written in memory of her own father, de Rosa manages to bring smiles, tears and a touching reflection on the circle of life as the passing of one generation brings the advent of another and a new challenge for Gaby.
Readers who appreciate the current work of Elly Griffiths and her keen eye for characterisation and irreverent British humour will find themselves easily charmed by the de Angelis sisters reuniting their beloved father with his homeland. The Eternal City features a cast that all have the potential for development and the beginning of a family saga with plenty more to give.
November 20, 2017
I thought this book was great. Not that it was an especially amazing storyline, but it was a good read.
Disclaimer 1
I LOVE Rome. There is no city on this earth that I love more. I liked the snippets of insight into modern life in Rome as well as the exploration of the ancient monuments. As her family try to decide where they want to scatter Enzo’s ashes, I enjoyed how the author had Gaby reminiscing about childhood holidays spent in Rome, thinking back to the times she had spent here with her father. It really gave the book a personal feel and brought Enzo alive through her memories.
Disclaimer 2
I lost my father earlier this year, about 6 months ago. He was 69, I was 31. I associate so much with Gabby’s feeling that she is far too young to lose her Dad. I am the youngest of 3 girls and the similarities between us and the book’s 3 sisters are many. I think the book explores the loss of losing a parent superbly. It still breaks my heart when I see my mum without my dad. They were together for 40 years, since she was 17, and it is like half of her is missing. It’s wrong to go round to the home I grew up in and not see my dad out in the garden or on his computer. I empathised massively with the main character as a result and thought it was so insightfully written.
I am not a great writer. I don’t claim to know about prose and what makes a good novel. What I do know if that I felt engaged and invested in this story. It had a journey, it dealt with the upheavals of this kind of loss and how people can act rather selfishly and do what they think is best for someone without actually asking the person what they want. I thought it was a good book.
Disclaimer 1
I LOVE Rome. There is no city on this earth that I love more. I liked the snippets of insight into modern life in Rome as well as the exploration of the ancient monuments. As her family try to decide where they want to scatter Enzo’s ashes, I enjoyed how the author had Gaby reminiscing about childhood holidays spent in Rome, thinking back to the times she had spent here with her father. It really gave the book a personal feel and brought Enzo alive through her memories.
Disclaimer 2
I lost my father earlier this year, about 6 months ago. He was 69, I was 31. I associate so much with Gabby’s feeling that she is far too young to lose her Dad. I am the youngest of 3 girls and the similarities between us and the book’s 3 sisters are many. I think the book explores the loss of losing a parent superbly. It still breaks my heart when I see my mum without my dad. They were together for 40 years, since she was 17, and it is like half of her is missing. It’s wrong to go round to the home I grew up in and not see my dad out in the garden or on his computer. I empathised massively with the main character as a result and thought it was so insightfully written.
I am not a great writer. I don’t claim to know about prose and what makes a good novel. What I do know if that I felt engaged and invested in this story. It had a journey, it dealt with the upheavals of this kind of loss and how people can act rather selfishly and do what they think is best for someone without actually asking the person what they want. I thought it was a good book.
September 22, 2018
Gabriella, Anna and Maria, three sisters and their mother return to Rome, the home town of their Italian Dad and husband, in search of the right place to scatter his ashes. The whole family is there, British and Italian, the cultural contrast on the backdrop of Rome is purely lovely and most times chaotic! A lovely read!!
January 24, 2021
This book is so superficial, it basically has no plot, the only exciting thing that happens is left hanging only to be rapidly fixed in the ending, it’s a very cliche book and yet I truly enjoyed it! Perhaps it’s because of the laid back, easy-to-read style that’s more like a story that you already know will have a happy ending. Overall, a relaxing and “nice” book.
January 5, 2020
I thought this book was really well written and put into words a lot of feelings we all have. Loved the flashbacks and insight into Rome (dad have me the book because I love Rome). It was a bit meandering at times and didn’t have a massive plot or destination but the whole point of the book is to highlight the journey.
August 23, 2025
Maybe an easier read if you are more familiar with Italian tourist spots. An okay storyline, but think I prefer her writing as Elly Griffiths.
October 12, 2022
Gaby and her extended family return to Rome to scatter her father's ashes. A new parent she struggles with the demands of her baby and has lost some of the closeness with her husband. A realistic description of family relationships, looking from the viewpoint of different members of family in the setting of many of the important places to visit in Rome.
April 10, 2009
I often found this book to be quite poignant - as at the heart of the story is the death of a beloved fahter, and my own father died just 18 months ago. Domenica De Rosa has mixed together, grief, motherhood, religion and sibling rivalry in this story of an Anglo Italian family. Memory also plays a big part as Gaby remembers her father, her relationship with ex lover Jonathon, and why it is she loves her husband. As with the other novel I have read by this author, I found this a very readable novel, with lovely engaging characters. It also made me want to go to Italy - and especially Rome, it sounds beautiful, and exciting.
November 12, 2017
The day that Gaby gives birth to her daughter Kitty is also the day that her beloved father dies, so making it a very bittersweet day for her. Her father's wishes were that his ashes be scattered in Rome and so Gaby and her mother and two sisters decide to smuggle his ashes in (far too much red tape to do it legally!)
It is a journey of remembrance for them all Gaby meets up with her first love..... now a priest!........ and the de Angelis family... and some great descriptions of Rome in memory of their father
A lovely family saga that wanted to make me go to Rome and see the sights, good characters and a very enjoyable book
It is a journey of remembrance for them all Gaby meets up with her first love..... now a priest!........ and the de Angelis family... and some great descriptions of Rome in memory of their father
A lovely family saga that wanted to make me go to Rome and see the sights, good characters and a very enjoyable book
August 8, 2017
Showing the incipient genius that brought us Ruth Galloway!! Lovely book on its own merits.
May 12, 2024
I wanted to enjoy reading The Eternal City more especially as I enjoy reading The Brighton Mysteries. Only once I started reading this book written under her original name I can understand why the author changed her writing name.
The Eternal City has so many grey areas to the story I had to skim through the book to finish the ending as I don't like leaving unfinished books. I just don't understand what is so special about a toxic dating life style all three sisters wanted a boyfriend so much they rushed dating to get married one had a affair with her married teacher then started a family with him.
This is all under God's eye as they are a Catholic family so it is okay to cheat and lie as long as you have a family first. Nothing is making me think this family has made any of the right life choices or at least in a moral way. So glad this is a short book I tried reading it once before and put it on hold.
The Eternal City has so many grey areas to the story I had to skim through the book to finish the ending as I don't like leaving unfinished books. I just don't understand what is so special about a toxic dating life style all three sisters wanted a boyfriend so much they rushed dating to get married one had a affair with her married teacher then started a family with him.
This is all under God's eye as they are a Catholic family so it is okay to cheat and lie as long as you have a family first. Nothing is making me think this family has made any of the right life choices or at least in a moral way. So glad this is a short book I tried reading it once before and put it on hold.
April 23, 2025
Not my usual cup of tea, but I think I was in the right mood for it.
The day Gaby's daughter Kitty is born, Gaby's father dies. Barely coming to terms with motherhood, Gaby and her mother & sisters embark on a journey to Rome to scatter his ashes in the right place.
In a very laid back writing style we follow Gaby and her husband, her 2 completely different sisters and the rest of the family on several outings to visit possible locations. We get to know the family through their actions, through flash backs to their jouth, etc.
It is an incredibly beautifully written book in which nothing much happens but with a lot of depth and insights in family dynamics.
The day Gaby's daughter Kitty is born, Gaby's father dies. Barely coming to terms with motherhood, Gaby and her mother & sisters embark on a journey to Rome to scatter his ashes in the right place.
In a very laid back writing style we follow Gaby and her husband, her 2 completely different sisters and the rest of the family on several outings to visit possible locations. We get to know the family through their actions, through flash backs to their jouth, etc.
It is an incredibly beautifully written book in which nothing much happens but with a lot of depth and insights in family dynamics.
February 23, 2020
This is a gentle story, set in England and Italy.
Gabriella's father dies about the time she gives birth to her own first child. There is a discussion between her sisters, Anna and Maria, about where his ashes should be left. The family travels to Italy, where their father was born. They meet up with his family. The story is told from Gabriella's view, and we visit her memories, the relationship between members of the family and how parenthood can change a person.
This author writes under another name in a different genre.
Gabriella's father dies about the time she gives birth to her own first child. There is a discussion between her sisters, Anna and Maria, about where his ashes should be left. The family travels to Italy, where their father was born. They meet up with his family. The story is told from Gabriella's view, and we visit her memories, the relationship between members of the family and how parenthood can change a person.
This author writes under another name in a different genre.
February 4, 2023
I did not realise that this author was also Elly Griffiths, a favourite of mine. The Eternal City is a lovely book. Gaby`s father died on the same day that she gave birth to her daughter Kitty. Her father was Italian and much of the book is centred around taking the fathers ashes back to Rome to be scattered. However Gaby is the youngest of three sisters and each has their own opinion on where these ashes should be scattered. The book conjours up lovely pictures of the sights and sounds of Rome, not to mention the huge family Italian meals.
June 14, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is the first in a series that I read the wrong way round. So for me, this is - hopefully just for now - the final instalment.
I just have one comment on the use of Italian in the book. It says ‘mogliê’ somewhere, when it should be ‘moglie’ (wife) without the French ‘accent circonflexe’.
I just have one comment on the use of Italian in the book. It says ‘mogliê’ somewhere, when it should be ‘moglie’ (wife) without the French ‘accent circonflexe’.
June 3, 2024
Brilliant!
Loved this book by Domenica, as is her style, almost too much tension at just the right places.
A real page turner, so full of Italy and all things Italian.
Thank you for a great read 📚 👍
Loved this book by Domenica, as is her style, almost too much tension at just the right places.
A real page turner, so full of Italy and all things Italian.
Thank you for a great read 📚 👍
August 17, 2024
Got this as part of a blind date with a book and it was so fun to read a book without judging it by the cover & knowing what it was about! I actually really enjoyed this except from one like trope that happened which I hate in books! 4⭐️
September 14, 2024
loved it.
I absolutely loved this book. So human, so warm, so beautifully written. It made me cry a little too. Have read all the Ruth Galloway and the character Elly creates are so reall you don't want to say goodbye to them
I absolutely loved this book. So human, so warm, so beautifully written. It made me cry a little too. Have read all the Ruth Galloway and the character Elly creates are so reall you don't want to say goodbye to them
July 21, 2017
Bit wishy washy, would've given up, if I hadn't recently come back from Rome and recognised places. Have enjoyed the other books I've read by this author, much more.
August 2, 2021
Loved this one.
May 13, 2023
3.5
First novel. Bit too much religion for me but I did enjoy seeing the traits that become more pronounced in the Ruth Galloway series.
First novel. Bit too much religion for me but I did enjoy seeing the traits that become more pronounced in the Ruth Galloway series.
April 3, 2024
Brilliant book. Have read all of Elly Griffith's books, but had no idea this was her real name. I need to read the others that she has written under this name now
April 30, 2024
An easy uplifting read by one of my favourite authors, set in beautiful Italy. A story about love, loss, families and finding out who you are and being happy.
May 26, 2024
Simple review. I loved this book.
Read
July 2, 2024A bit of a muddle at times switching between past and present.
September 29, 2024
I tried but I just could not finish.
June 21, 2009
Family drama about three very different sisters after the death of their father. The main character, Gaby is also coping with being a new mum and the changes this brings to her marriage. Interesting story and Rome is a beautiful setting...only criticism is that it all seemed a bit rushed. Their mother and Jonayhan the priest were potentially far more fasinating characters that could have been developed further. Still enjoyed it.
October 1, 2012
I liked bits of this book, but not enough to finish it. I quite enjoyed the descriptions of sibling rivalry and being a new mother. I just couldn't get past the fact that it all felt too normal and mundane. I like a some reality when I'm reading, but I also enjoy escaping to a different world and this book just didn't deliver.
August 24, 2010
Short and sweet. One of those books you can read in an afternoon examining the various roles a woman has to play in her life with both humour and pathos. Plus it's set in my favourite European city :)
March 31, 2013
I wasn't expecting much from this book, just a quick easy read, but I got more than I expected. Nice little story very well told.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews