The Tuscan Diary

by Anita Chapman

As she gazes at the lights of Siena glowing in the dusk, Jessica flips through the yellowing pages of the diary that led her here. Written by her grandfather during the war, it holds the answers to a family secret that might just change everything…

When Jessica’s grandfather left for war, he promised to keep a record of each day he was apart from her grandmother. The diary was lost along with him – until now, when a mysterious, handsome Italian man named Alessandro shows up at Jessica’s door with the diary in hand.

Immediately enchanted by her grandfather’s accounts of Italy’s glittering golden hours, Jess decides to spend a summer in Tuscany before she’s due to take over at her family’s farm. She hopes she can visit the places her grandfather once did – and finally find out what really happened the night he died…

In the historic city of Siena, she finds a job as companion to the glamorous Sofia – Alessandro’s grandmother – whose stories of Italy during the war are captivating. And as Jess spends more time with Alessandro, she begins to fall for him with each lingering look into his deep-brown eyes.

Together, Jess and Alessandro visit her grandfather’s resting place. But the more Jess learns about her grandfather’s time in Italy, the more she’s forced to question whether everything about her family’s past is a lie…

Jess came to Italy in search of answers, but time is running out. She can’t shake the feeling that the diary that has stolen her imagination is merely a work of fiction. And if it is, will the truth about her family inspire her to turn away from the path she thought she was destined for, and towards the life she truly wants?

Let yourself be swept away to Italy in this beautiful story of family secrets and past and present colliding.
Readers of Lucinda Riley and Fiona Valpy will be utterly enchanted by this wistful, escapist and romantic page-turner.

Genres: Historical Fiction

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2024

About the author

Anita Chapman enjoyed writing stories from a young age, and won a local writing competition when she was nine years old. Encouraged by this, she typed up a series of stories about a mouse on her mum’s typewriter and sent them to Ladybird. She received a polite rejection letter, her first.

Many of Anita’s summers growing up were spent with her family driving to Italy, and she went on to study French and Italian at university. As part of her degree, Anita lived in Siena for several months where she studied and au paired, and she spent a lot of time travelling around Italy in her twenties.

Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child.

Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.

Reviews

[Melissa * bookedwithmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this one had me traveling to Italy. It’s considered WWII historical fiction, but there isn’t much about the war. There are multiple POVs. We get both parallel stories of Jessica’s grandparents, Eleanor and Peter, during the war. And we get Jessica’s ‘present day’ POV. Reading this made me wonder how many women suffered the same fate as Eleanor, who had to make a life altering decision when she thinks Peter isn’t going to return. Peter’s POV made me angry, but I have a feeling he wasn’t alone in his thought process for that time either.

I love that Jessica was so determined to get the answers about her family and how, in doing so, she turns her whole life upside down. And I love her interactions with Alessandro. They give themselves the chance of letting their feelings develop while they’re both in Italy. I love a little romance in my historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely dual time line book which was set during WW2 and present day. Very interesting about the land girls in wartime and how hard they worked. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited about the premise of this book, and the prologue pulled me right in. The description of the Tuscan countryside was vivid and alluring. I was immediately intrigued to learn more about the woman and the man in the prologue.
Alas, the book went downhill from there for me. It was a bit confusing to keep track of the characters and dates. However, I enjoyed getting to know Eleanor and following her story from 1942.
I unfortunately could not tolerate Jessica, the present-day granddaughter. She is young and immature. Her reading of the diary is painfully slow. (How could she put it down at all?!) The journal, which should have been the focal point of the story, takes a backseat to her romantic and professional drama.
As much as I tried to plow through it, this one ended up on my DNF shelf. Such a shame, as the story had great potential

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dual timeline story, set in both Yorkshire and Tuscany, it begins in 1943 with the intriguing prologue of an Italian woman tending an injured British soldier in the face of danger from the occupying enemy. My interest was immediately piqued, who were these people and what was their part in the story.

In 1993, the arrival of a young man bringing a battered old journal into the home of elderly widow Eleanor forces the disclosure of long held secrets. He quickly returns to Italy, leaving heartache and devastation in his wake.

I enjoyed the historical aspects featuring Eleanor and her time as a land girl before events resulted in her life taking an unexpected new direction and I would have liked her part to feature a little more. Eleanor’s story is bound together with that of her grand-daughter. Jessica, a rather naive and unworldly 24 year old with ambitions to be a journalist, is keen to improve not only her career prospects but hopefully her love life too. Feeling pressurised by her parents into marrying her long term boyfriend to secure the future of their farm, she wants more from life than to be a business deal and follow her mother into being a farmer’s wife. The existence of the diary gives her the opportunity to travel to Siena, not only to find out more about its writer and maybe further her career in the travel field but there is also the hope of meeting up with the handsome Italian Allesandro again.

With the story primarily set in Siena, the evocative descriptions and sense of place are glorious, Anita’s personal knowledge of the location shines through and although I haven’t experienced the famous Palio horse race, which forms a small part of the story, I have been to Siena and could easily visualise the old walled town and enjoy vicariously soaking up the Italian atmosphere.

Betrayal, deception and romance are plentiful in this warm and engaging story of lost love and a young girl trying to find her path in life whilst also wanting to understand the past. Tuscany is a belated coming of age experience for Jessica and her eyes are opened to new experiences from friendships of all ages – from her new flatmate, fun loving Harriet to working as an au pair/companion for the elderly Sofia. Anita’s stories of life and love with their Italian settings feature such well drawn characters whilst the prospect of romance with all its complications adds an element of intrigue and anticipation. I have to admit if I had been Jessica, I would have read that diary in one go but then patience isn’t my strong point.

The Tuscan Diary was another enjoyable and captivating read from an author who doesn’t disappoint.

[Caroline Mattinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great holiday read about Tuscany

A book about how life can alter and go off at a tangent.A story of a family of 3 generations who all seem to be following unfulfilled lives until the arrival of an old diary arrives. A story that transports the granddaughter to Tuscany to unravel the past.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tuscan Diary is the second book that I have read by Anita Chapman and once again it has a stunning cover which evokes the setting of the book. Initially, I had thought that this would be historical fiction but once I settled into the story I found it to be a more modern read with threads of the past specifically events in World War Two running through it at intervals. I will say for me I don’t think it was quite as good as the previous book, The Florence Letter, but I still enjoyed it. Anita Chapman writes wonderfully descriptive passages of Italy, specifically Siena, and you feel as if you are there with the main character Jess as she experiences the sights, smells and sounds of a country new to her. Jess undergoes a journey throughout the book which leads to a transformation in her life path but along the way plenty of secrets are revealed which affect her family.

An intriguing prologue set in Italy gives us a brief flavour of what is to come. To be honest when the scenes in the prologue popped up again further on in the book I had completely forgotten about the opening and it was pleasantly surprising but it meant I understood more about certain things. The first chapter takes us to 1942 and we meet Eleanor who works in a stationary shop. One day, Peter, the brother of her friend Mabel, appears in the shop. He is about to be shipped out to fight who knows where. They had shared a kiss many years ago and there is a small flicker of affection still present. Peter purchases a leather-bound notebook in which he promises to write all his experiences down. Eleanor spends the night with Peter and soon after she leaves for Yorkshire to go to Birch Farm where she will work as a Land Girl. She soon realises Peter left her with a gift and her dreams are quashed as she has no other option to but to marry Jack the son of the family who reside at Birch Farm.

Fast forward to 1993 and Jess and her mother Mary and grandmother Eleanor are at Birch Farm when an visitor arrives at the door. American/Italian Alessandro comes bearing the diary of Peter whom Eleanor knew to have gone missing in action during the war. Alessandro reveals some surprising information but Eleanor is glad to have the diary but she insists Jess be the one to read it. I felt that there were a lot of reveals in the first quarter of the book. That too much was been given away and that there was no element of surprise or shock. I questioned why was the reader given so much information without a little bit of uncovering a mystery and in turn where could the story possibly go from here? But I needn’t have worried as the author had things fairly plotted out and this is the point where I realised this was more about Jess’ journey in the present and in fact a more modern story was unfolding than I had initially presumed would. Elements of the past would come into play but they only fuelled Jess’ story in the present.

Jess was similar to both her mother and grandmother in that they gave up their dreams for the men they married and this was potentially the case for her as her parents were putting pressure on her to marry Tom. Tom was a neighbouring farmer whom she had been in a relationship with for several years but he is completely different to her and their relationship had been floundering even if Tom didn’t think so. Jess couldn’t see herself marrying a farmer and being tied down to the land for so many years. She has her own dreams and aspirations and with the discovery of the diary and a new friend in Alessandro whose family has ties to her grandfather Peter maybe now is the time for Jess to stretch her wings. To venture out into the big bad world and pursue her aspirations to become a travel writer. You could see that Jess was stilted by the life she was living in Yorkshire and although she has a close relationship with both her mother and grandmother she didn’t want the same life that they had had. Eleanor urges Jess to seize the moment and instead of continuing to be bored with her life and be the people pleaser that she is known for Jess enrols on a three month Italian language course in Siena.

The chapters from this point on were good just detailing Jess’ life in Italy. The people she meets, the food she eats etc but they weren’t earth shattering or overly exciting. I wanted a bit more of rooting through the past to bring the two timelines together for surely the diary as she read through it had her intrigued? Her stay is extended when she becomes an au pair/companion for Alessandro’s grandmother and here a connection with Peter is established but still there wasn’t anything deeply engrossing occurring. Yes there was some developments between Jess and Alessandro but they felt fleeting and there was potential for much more. I was dying for them to come together and research/explore more about Peter as there were plenty of unanswered questions but this didn’t come until much later in the book and in turn it was brief and glossed over.

Jess falls in love with Italy and she is inspired by the diary and especially the famous Palio horse race in Siena. Her writing flows and she hopes to sell her work to a magazine. She becomes determined to find the answers her grandmother needs and the point where the clues dotted together for me was very good. But the last quarter or so of the book was dragged out except for what I mentioned previously regarding Peter which I felt was too rushed. The chapters just passed months in time and yes it showed Jess living her new life back in England but it didn’t really add anything to the story. As a reader I wanted a certain thing to happen but there were too many chapters near the end that seemed like filler in until I got to the point I had longed for. Which was a shame as this aspect of the story had such great potential but could have been more tightly written.

All in all The Tuscan Diary was a bit of mixed bag for me. It was very good in parts but I longed for more historical elements to the story and a bit more mystery. The descriptions of Siena and surrounding Tuscan countryside were fantastic and so evocative but the diary and that aspect of the story should have taken more precedence over Jess’. This is worth a read but would not be my favourite out of the two books that I have read by this author.

[Anne Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book that really captured my imagination from its opening pages – a prologue set in Tuscany in 1943, with an unknown woman caring for a seriously injured foreign soldier. And I was equally drawn in by the wartime life of Eleanor, working in a stationery shop in Leeds, enjoying her time with Peter, the brother of a friend, before he departs for the front. He promises to record his experiences in a leather-bound notebook she sells him – but when, having volunteered to be a land girl, she finds herself in need of his help and support, her letters remain unanswered.

In 1993, at the North Yorkshire farm where she lives with her family, Eleanor’s granddaughter Jessica has an unexpected visitor – Italian-American Alessandro, finally delivering the notebook that had been left with his family. Long hidden secrets are uncovered, and – setting aside the notebook for further exploration – she sets out to find out more about the final days of the man who was her grandfather. Her experiences in Italy rather change her life. Her horizons have been expanded, and she decides to return to Siena – taking leave from her job on the local paper, hoping to gain experience of travel writing, taking an Italian course, caring for Alessandro’s elderly grandmother, and hoping to get rather closer to the man who’s intrigued her so much and made her heart beat rather faster. And as she does so, she examines the notebook’s words more closely – and slowly gains a far greater understanding of her complicated family history.

While I very much enjoyed the historical thread, reading about Eleanor’s experiences during wartime and thereafter – very moving, with some unexpected twists and turns, the whole era so well captured – the majority of the story is contemporary, focused on Jessica’s life in Tuscany. Siena is beautifully drawn, and obviously really well researched, the richness of the descriptions entirely transporting you to its streets and cafes. And, of course, to the approach to the world-famous Palio – with lots of lovely detail about the different contrades and their followers, their flags and colours, and the different elements of the ceremony (it’s always been an experience on my bucket list too).

There’s a strong romantic element, Jessica’s hoped for relationship with Alessandro a little stop-start, but entirely satisfying and convincing. I liked her a lot – she’s delightfully naive, learning about life from the considerably more worldly-wise friend she shares an apartment with. While Alessandro himself is sometimes so laid-back it’s sometimes really difficult to tell whether he’s interested or not – although he always made my heart beat a little faster too, and I always rather hoped he wouldn’t disappoint. And through it all, there’s her slow reading of the notebook, and the secrets it reveals – I think I might have read to its end rather faster than Jessica did, but the pace is just right to allow the full story to emerge and its emotional impact to be fully developed.

I’ll admit there was perhaps a little less historical content than I was expecting – but that was more than made up for by the very real experience of getting to know beautiful Siena. It was such an enjoyable read, a gently told but compelling story with a real emotional punch – and a wholly unexpected outcome to its wider story. Nicely done – and most definitely recommended.

[SHIRLEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dual timeline historical fiction story featured multiple points of view. when Jessica answers her door to an Italian American man who delivers a wartime diary, supposedly written by her grandfather, Peter, her world changes. The diary was given to Alessandro's grandfather who served with Peter in WWII in Italy. Although Peter's family were informed that he was MIA, apparently he died in an ambush by Germans who were tipped off by a member of a resistance group. Alessandro was given instructions from his grandfather to deliver it to her grandmother, Eleanor. Peter was Eleanor's best friend's brother, and he bought the diary from Eleanor the day before his deployment, and promised to write in it every day that he was away. The two went to dinner and later to bed and Eleanor got pregnant.
She joined the Land Girls and worked on a farm during the war along with Peter's sister, and eventually married the farmhand. Although she wrote to Peter, he never replied and she was desperate thinking she would have to go to a home for unwed mothers. Her husband knew of the pregnancy, but felt that it would be a good marriage, which it was.
Jessica and her grandmother decided to go to Siena to investigate Peter's death, and to meet with Al's grandfather. The author beautifully described the charming city of Siena as well as the Tuscan countryside. The diary affected 3 women - Jessica, who read the diary and fell in love with Tuscany, and fulfilled her dream of being a travel journalist, her Grandmother who found closure to the affair with Peter, and Mary, Eleanor's daughter, who found our who her biological father was.
I liked the story but I would have liked Jessica to delve into her family's past and especially, her grandfather. I thought that the love story was predictable, and was disappointed that the diary didn't have a more prominent part in the story although it was the catalyst for changing the character's lives. This is the second book that I have read by Anita Chapman and I enjoyed it for the most part. I rated it 3 1/2 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and am writing this review voluntarily.

[Book Escapes Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a dual timeline book, and this one presented more than the usual viewpoints as the story is multi-generational and encompasses several characters’ accounts of events. At its core, this is the story of Jessica’s grandparents and then Jessica herself as she follows her desire to uncover what happened in war-torn Italy as WW2 came to an end. The link between the past and present is a pocket notebook that her grandmother sold to her grandfather on his last night before being deployed. As Jess slowly works through the notebook, her life begins to mirror that from the past.
Oh my, this is a big story that took me on a full-blown tour of every emotion and left me reeling right up until the final conclusion. I loved Jessica’s character and felt her rush of emotions as she navigated her way through her commitments to her family and the excitement that Siena could offer her. Utterly conflicted by her feelings and discovering more about her grandfather’s story, I can only imagine her emotions' turmoil. One thing for which I was grateful is that Chapman took the time to elaborate on the story and didn’t feel the need to cut it short at an earlier point or take any shortcuts. For this book to work as beautifully as it did, time and development were critical ingredients.
I’ll now move on to Alessandro, whose hot and then cold disposition was often frustrating. While I happily acknowledged the need for time, I did feel like he needed a little more urgency. Despite his laid-back approach, he was a luscious book boyfriend, and I could easily imagine falling for him as well. Most importantly, he knew how to convey his feelings to an Italian woman but struggled to let Jessica understand him. His presence is the catalyst for uncovering the truth about Jessica’s grandfather and leads to a greater understanding of her passion for writing.
An absolute triumph of a book that held my imagination to the final lines. Be patient because the story builds gently until it reaches the most satisfying crescendo, and all your emotions will be at the fore. I cannot recommend this book enough and hope you will find a few quiet hours to enjoy it like a fine glass of Chianti.

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anita Chapman’s books contain my ideal recipe for a story; dual time, mystery and problematic romance and yet each plot is totally different. Only the beautiful country of Italy unites them. In this book we travel to Tuscany from a Yorkshire farm, and we move through time from 1942 to the 1990s. The main voice is Jessica, an intelligent young woman caught in a rut in her mid 20s. Although a journalist at the local newspaper she is still living on her family’s farm and is in a long term relationship, with a local young farmer, which is unexciting.

But we also encounter Eleanor, who in 1942 has a passionate night with Peter, her friend’s handsome brother, before he goes off to war. She is to be Jessica’s grandmother, but she will hear no more of Peter until Alessandro an Italian-American turns up with Peter’s wartime journal. We are given glimpses of Peter’s experiences fighting with the Italian partisans but when Jessica discovers Peter was her grandfather, she decides to go to Italy to find out more. Starting on a language course then working as an au pair for Alessandro’s grandmother she becomes more independent and determined to achieve her ambition to be a travel writer.

It was interesting to experience Jessica’s life changes. Of course she made mistakes and her future happiness could so easily have been destroyed but as so many women in the late 20th century she was able to achieve more than her mother or grandmother had in their youth. Does she discover Peter’s fate and is there a happy ending? You will have to read the book to find out!

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books of Anita Chapman have become a firm favourite with me and the latest, "The Tuscan Diary" is simply beautiful and, like "The Venice Secret" and "The Florence Letter" are like apricity, especially in this time of year and in these tumultuous times. Historical fiction over dual timelines that contain within a finely woven tapestry of secrets, hope, love and loss

Jessica's grandfather promised to write a diary every day he was away at war, to show his love for her grandmother. Neither the diary, or her grandfather returned. This is only the beginning of the story, as one day, out of the blue, the diary appears at Jessica's front door, with a mysterious man attached, Allesandro.

As Jessica reads through the notebook, she is inspired to journey to Tuscany, to her grandfathers final resting place. Jessica is determined to discover more about her family, to uncover the mystery of her grandfather's passing and to work through a myriad of emotions and events that will lead her to understand finally who she is and where she will go

A gorgeous story that held my attention throughout. Cosy up and escape to the warmth of the pages of The Tuscan Diary

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacking something for me😕

I thought the concept sounded good and looked forward to a story divided between the diary thoughts and events and the "contemporary" romance for Jessica and Alessandro. In actuality, the diary entries are few, the WWII era part of the story is a minor part of the plot, and the focus seemed 90 percent on Jessica, the granddaughter of the diarist.

I was not thrilled by the author's writing style or the characters. I did not really find the romance all that believable or special. And Jessica's examination of the diary and search for her grandfather lacked something; there was no feeling of urgency or excitement and the end of the search was a bit disappointing.

On the other hand, the author's descriptions of summer in Siena and the Palio were very evocative (I've been there several times, including for one of the Palio races).

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

[Linda S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tuscan Diary begins during WWII, with Eleanor selling a pricey leather diary to Peter, who is leaving soon to enter the military. On the day before he leaves, they sleep together and Eleanor gets pregnant with their daughter. She sends him a few letters explaining what is going on and telling him that she will probably be forced to give the baby up for adoption. Flash forward to the UK in the 1990s and we meet Jessica, granddaughter of Eleanor, who is struggling to escape from the life that her mother has planned for her - to marry the boy next door and combine the family farms. Enter Alessandro, who visits Eleanor with Peter's diary, which had been given to his grandfather prior to Peter's death decades ago. The diary sets in motion a lot of changes with Eleanor, her daughter (Peter's daughter) Mary, and Mary's daughter Jessica - good changes that help the women grow and become more independent. I enjoyed this story which took place in the UK and Italy - and its surprise ending.

[LindyLouMac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just last year Anita Chapman had her debut novel The Venice Secret. published. In July of this year The Florence Letter was published and now just a few months later her third 'The Tuscan Diary'

A dual timeline story starting in 1942 and 1993, with the settings in Italy and Yorkshire. The narrative follows the main female protagonists Eleanor and her granddaughter Jessica as they wrestle with love and loss. It is the discovery of a wartime diary that sets Jessica's search for the truth about the past in motion.

In short period of time Anita Chapman has established herself place on my favourite authors list with her delightful stories in Italian settings. Very atmospheric and obviously well researched, this is perfect for Italophiles that enjoy contemporary blended with historical and a story to get immersed in.

It is with thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and Anita Chapman that this title was made available for me to read and review.

https://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogsp...

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tuscan Diary is a story of three women, whose paths are changed forever by one man and his diary. Secrets long forgotten are revealed. Hearts are torn & bridges are created. I loved reading this beautiful book. It took me through several time periods and glorious locations and through so many emotions alongside the characters as they experience fear, loss, longing, anxiety and learn to trust, love and be loved. It is a book about the power of love, it isn’t just romantic love that keeps the women in the book going though. It explores the love of family, tradition and friendships love that is powerful and can encourage or protect as well as coddle or consume them. Tradition and expectations have forged the path of the older generations and in this book, North Yorkshire in the 1990’s modern day, Jessica is challenged by secrets of the past and her longing to spread her wings to find her own path. Through her adventures the older generation start to see some things differently.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tuscan Diary is my second book by Anita Chapman. Both books involve beautiful descriptions of Italian towns and countrysides.

The premise of this story was immediately engaging - A unknown American shows up with a diary written during WWII. The diary will bring family secrets to light.

The book is readable and I did want to see what transpired. However, the story fell flat for me in several places. The reading of the diary was slow and the diary itself did not play as prominent a role in the story as I had been expecting. I feel as though the love story that was being told did not need the diary and that it ended up feeling forced.

The main character was quite immature and I found myself checking several times how old she was supposed to be.

Overall, the story was ok but it did not blow me away. However, if you are a fan of women's fiction and especially those told in multiple points of view and in multiple timelines then you should give this one a try.

[Kimberly Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable dual timeline novel, set between England and Tuscany.

During WWII, Eleanor is a young woman from Leeds who falls in love with Peter, before he’s shipped off to fight. In the 1990s, a young Italian-American man, Alessandro, shows up on Eleanor’s doorstep in Yorkshire to deliver a long-forgotten diary Peter left in Tuscany before his wartime death. Stunned by the news, Eleanor entrusts the diary to her granddaughter, Jessica, who seizes upon the mystery to shake up her rather dull life on the family farm.

As she pursues the mystery, Jessica sets off for an adventure abroad, in Tuscany. There, she studies Italian, dreams of a more adventurous life, begins to fall for the charms of handsome Alessandro, and uncovers long-held family secrets.

This was an enjoyable read, with rich descriptions of life in Siena and learning to seize second chances in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

[Dee Groocock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changes for Eleanor, her daughter, Mary, and her granddaughter, Jessica, when Alessandro turns up at their farm with a diary from someone called Peter Hill.

We follow Eleanor and Jessica as they travel to Siena, to get more information about Peter.

This story is told over two timelines; the 1940s and the 1990s.

Beautiful descriptive writing that made me feel as though I was in Siena with Jessica.

There were quite a few characters to try and get my head around, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story.

A tale full of secrets, lies, and also love. A captivating story that I found emotional at times.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Denise Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a young American man turns up at the door of a Yorkshire farmhouse clutching a wartime diary that had been left in the possession of his Italian grandfather, it starts a journey of discovery for Jessica. Finding out that her grandmother had a brief fling during the war and that her grandfather is not who she believed him to be sends her on a quest to Italy to find out more.

This sounded like a great premise for a novel, but I found many of the characters rather two dimensional. I also questioned some of their motivation. The diary, whilst a catalyst to events, seems to be fitted in to the story the author wanted to write, rather than driving the story.

Overall, a pleasant but unremarkable read.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love an escapist read set in Italy and this proved to be perfect.

When Jessica’s grandfather left for war, he promised to keep a record of each day he was apart from her grandmother. The diary was lost along with him – until now, when a mysterious, handsome Italian man named Alessandro shows up at Jessica’s door with the diary in hand. This ends up being quite a change of circumstances for Jessica as she uproots her life in England to go and try living in Siena for a time with Alessandro's family. It completely changes her outlook on things and she decides that she wants to be a travel writer.

Could it also be that her biological grandfather is actually still alive as well.

I highly recommend this book.

[Margo Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect rainy day comfort read – a dual-timeline story, with strands in World War II and the 1990s, with some glorious Italian settings. The story reminded me a bit of the film ‘Letters to Juliet’. My favourite character was the grandmother Eleanor, who narrated some of the chapters – her voice was down-to-earth, chatty, and reminiscent of AJ Pearce’s ‘Dear Mrs Bird’. Overall, this was an enjoyable, easy read with plenty of twists and turns.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

[P.Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




✨ Lies
✨ Full of secrets
✨ Slow paced
✨ Two timelines




✨ located in Siena, a young woman name Jessica has a book from her grandfather during war. It was set in ww2 , even though it was split into two timelines and quite slow paced- the chapters were surprisingly short.
As she discover deep into the book and finding her own, she discovered her grandmothers deceit and lies.

✨ definitely worth the read if you’re into historical fiction with romance.



✨ Thankyou @bookouture for the opportunity to read this book for a honest review.





🫶🏼Shaye.Reads

[Linda Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing dual timeline story set in Italy and the Uk during WW2, and in 1993-1996. This is a journey of discovery for Jessica about her real family, with some heartbreaking moments. The ‘gift’ of a man’s wartime diary leads her to Italy. As a result there’s many interesting changes for Jessica, her Mum Mary, and her grandmother Eleanor. Tuscany and Siena are beautifully described. A hopeful ending.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and Bookouture. I am writing a voluntary, honest review.

[Mystic KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book which I have read written by this author and I loved it. I enjoyed that we have both a dual location and dual timeline cantering about a central cast of characters - within 3 generations and what happens when a certain decision is made by one of them. We follow Eleanor and Jessica (grandmother and grand-daughter) as they both go through love, loss and the ways in which this can have effects on the families involved. This is a story which has been well research in both locations, social norms of the times and as well as the characters.

[Paula Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story of how a soldier’s lost diary brings renewed life to a young journalist. The diary was lost during WWII and the grandson of the man who had the diary returns it to a woman in a small English town. Her granddaughter is tasked with reading the diary. The reading begins a journey for her of discovery and love.
I would rate it higher but there is too much rambling and filler than I considered necessary.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Anita C · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Italian Love Story

I do like Anita Chapman’s writing. From her lovely word paintings I could almost feel that I was in Tuscany where I’ve never been but would love to go. This was a unique love story, in that it took time for the character’s situation to ripen like all the beautiful fruit she describes in the story. this could be a bit frustrating for me at times as I am more of an instant gratification person, but it turned out well at the end. The diary was indeed life-changing for many people.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy-to-read story, but the plot was predictable and similar to other books I have read -- a spark between to characters; one goes off to war; they lose track of each other; there's a journal that a relative finds that the soldier had purchased from the woman he had the spark with; the woman is very old in present day, but is excited to see the journal and what the soldier had written. Readers who enjoy these types of stories will undoubtedly like this book.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

The tuscan diary by Anita Chapman.
This was a good read. I liked the cover. There was a lot of characters but I did like Eleanor and Jessica. The multiple timelines I had to get used to. I had to get used the writing style as well. This did keep me reading as I wanted to know what happened. I did love the romance bit between Jessica and Alessandro. This was a lovely read.

[Sven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read but it seemed like the book had a little too detailed and just dragged the story a bit. Overall a one night stand and quick decisions lead to hurt and betrayal for Jess' mother Mary. An old diary discovered, a story unfolds and Jess sets out to Italy to get to the bottom of the matter while finding herself. There was some romance, details of Tuscany were enchanting, but again this somehow did not really keep my attention.

#netgalley #TheTuscanDiary

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tuscan Diary by Anita Chapman was a beautifully written book that just took your breath away. It was a moving story about a young woman trying to discover her family’s secrets and past. and was set during WW2 and the present day. It was set in Yorkshire and Tuscany which made it an interesting read.

Its a great book to be snuggled in a comfy chair under a blanket reading it on a cold winters day.

I highly recommend it.

Big Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC