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The Love of My Life
‘I miss him with every breath and heartbeat. He should have been my happy ending. Instead, he is the sad beginning to my story.’
When Olivia and Luca fell in love as teenagers and eloped to London, they broke the hearts of those closest to them. Luca’s parents run Marinella’s restaurant, the colourful hub of life in an otherwise bleak seaside town, and his mother, Angela, has never forgiven Olivia for causing such a rift in her beloved family.
On a freezing January night Olivia’s life is shattered when she learns that Luca has been killed in a car accident. Left with nothing, and gripped by an overwhelming grief, Olivia abandons her job and returns home to where Luca has been buried just to be close to him – even though she knows she will not be welcome.
Facing her past and Luca’s family is not easy. When Olivia meets Luca’s married twin brother, Marc, she discovers a man experiencing a loss almost as painful as her own. Their desolation draws them into an affair which both know has no future, but fills the space where Luca should be. And when it spirals out of control, the consequences are both explosive and cruel…
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE is a beautiful novel that portrays both the innocence of childhood, and the dynamics of love and loss with deftness and sensitivity. It is, above all, a stunning debut from an author with a unique and natural narrative voice.
When Olivia and Luca fell in love as teenagers and eloped to London, they broke the hearts of those closest to them. Luca’s parents run Marinella’s restaurant, the colourful hub of life in an otherwise bleak seaside town, and his mother, Angela, has never forgiven Olivia for causing such a rift in her beloved family.
On a freezing January night Olivia’s life is shattered when she learns that Luca has been killed in a car accident. Left with nothing, and gripped by an overwhelming grief, Olivia abandons her job and returns home to where Luca has been buried just to be close to him – even though she knows she will not be welcome.
Facing her past and Luca’s family is not easy. When Olivia meets Luca’s married twin brother, Marc, she discovers a man experiencing a loss almost as painful as her own. Their desolation draws them into an affair which both know has no future, but fills the space where Luca should be. And when it spirals out of control, the consequences are both explosive and cruel…
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE is a beautiful novel that portrays both the innocence of childhood, and the dynamics of love and loss with deftness and sensitivity. It is, above all, a stunning debut from an author with a unique and natural narrative voice.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2008
584 people are currently reading
2941 people want to read
About the author
Louise Douglas
32 books842 followersHello and thank you for visiting my profile page. I write contemporary Gothic novels which are usually inspired by places close to where I live in the Mendips, close to Bristol in the UK, or by places I've visited, especially Italy and Sicily. The House by the Sea won the Jackie Collins Romantic Suspense Award in 2021. The Love of My Life, my first book, was longlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. My second book, Missing You, won the RNA Readers' Choice Award, and my third, The Secrets Between Us was a 2012 Richard and Judy Summer Read.
The next book, The Room in the Attic is due to be published in October 2021 and is a ghost story set in a Victorian asylum-turned-boarding school on Dartmoor.
If you'd like to connect, you'll find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or Twitter: @LouiseDouglas3.
The next book, The Room in the Attic is due to be published in October 2021 and is a ghost story set in a Victorian asylum-turned-boarding school on Dartmoor.
If you'd like to connect, you'll find me on Facebook Louise Amy Douglas or Twitter: @LouiseDouglas3.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 353 reviews
May 6, 2013
Nemojte da vas naslov zavede... Nije u pitanju sladunjava limunadica... Lepa ljubavna priča... i komplikovana... :)
November 22, 2009
I read this over the weekend and loved every page of it - it's certainly up there in this year's favourite books. I'm not usually a 'soppy romantic read' kind of girl but this is so much more than a love story - it's beautifully written and the characters are flawed but believeable and likeable.
There were certain phrases relating the Liv and Luca's relationship and romance that really struck a chord with me and there were times that I was so deeply moved by parts of the story that I had to put the book down for a few minutes to compose myself.
The way that the author portrayed Liv's grief and depression as a 'black dog' was so brilliant - the reader could almost picture the dog alongside her, almost sucking the joy out of her life and burdening her more and more.
Liv (Olivia), the main character is feisty, sad and honest. She's done things that she isnt proud of, she has hurt people and been hurt - I think that there is a bit of Liv in most of us.
A wonderful debut novel - I cant wait to read her next boo
There were certain phrases relating the Liv and Luca's relationship and romance that really struck a chord with me and there were times that I was so deeply moved by parts of the story that I had to put the book down for a few minutes to compose myself.
The way that the author portrayed Liv's grief and depression as a 'black dog' was so brilliant - the reader could almost picture the dog alongside her, almost sucking the joy out of her life and burdening her more and more.
Liv (Olivia), the main character is feisty, sad and honest. She's done things that she isnt proud of, she has hurt people and been hurt - I think that there is a bit of Liv in most of us.
A wonderful debut novel - I cant wait to read her next boo
March 16, 2015
The Love of My Life - Louise Douglas
Beauty, Books and Babble
★★★★✩
I would like start by saying thank you to Bookouture for sending me a copy of this via NetGalley. It's a wonderful story and I gave it 4 heartstring-tugging stars.
"He should have been my happy ending. Instead, he is the sad beginning to my story."
When Liv was a teenager, she never fit in with her family, nor did she fit in with the Felicone family. After falling in love with Luca Felicone, Liv took the giant step of eloping to London with him, and in turn inadvertently burned any remaining bridges she might have had with her family-in-law.
One miserable January night, Liv's exciting, love-filled life is torn apart when Luca is killed in a terrible car accident. Dripping with overwhelming sadness, Liv finds herself left with nothing and so moves back home to bury Luca. Remaining in the town where he lies, Liv finds herself a job working for a grumpy, old professor, and befriends a chef in a quiet café, who both might just help her more than she anticipates. Despite knowing she's not welcome, can Liv face the past and reconnect with Luca's remaining family? And when Liv and Luca's twin brother's painful loss draws them together into a secret affair, can the consequences really be that bad...?
"How could a world have evolved where such sadness was the inevitable result of love?"
Let me just quickly warn you that if you are planning on reading this book, have some tissues handy. Louise Douglas does an amazing job of delving deep into your body, piercing your heart and yanking on each and every one of your heart strings. From the minute the protagonist said "I miss him with every breath and heartbeat" in the prologue, I felt the emotional butterflies rise in my chest.
The narration flicks from present to past and back again throughout, and as you reveal bits of the past, the present seems to start falling together piece by piece like a puzzle. Each and every character in the book is well fleshed-out and extremely believable. Although the story is told through Liv's eyes, we get to see how not only she, but also the people around her, cope with their grief in their individual ways. As a reader, I found myself both loving and loathing the characters, though felt for each and every one of them as they dealt with the huge hole Luca left in their lives.
"Grief is an illness. Different people respond to it in different ways. And they find different ways of treating the symptoms."
Despite Liv's mistakes and wrong doing throughout the book (I mean, affairs alone are a big no-no, let alone an affair with the married brother of your deceased husband!), I could not help but like her. Whilst I truly felt heartbroken during the entire book, I also had faith that Liv would be happy again. I simply adored her relationships and interactions with the professor and the chef, and her warmth towards them emanated from the page and straight into my skin, causing me to become fully invested in both of these secondary, yet vital, characters.
"People need people, especially when their ties have been cut."
Aside from a few minors errors (which, by the way, didn't lessen my reading enjoyment in the slightest!), Louise Douglas's writing was perfect. It flowed beautifully and the story was pieced together seamlessly. The element of secrecy was there throughout as I watched the story unfold, and when everything was revealed bit by bit, I found all of my questions being answered and my curiosity satisfied. This was simply a beautiful story with a perfect ending in my opinion.
Packed with deeply developed characters and plenty of emotional twists and turns, The Love of My Life is a heart wrenching tale which will take you through loss, sadness and hope, and every feeling in between. I can't wait to discover more of this author's work in the future, and hope she can evoke emotions from me time and time again.
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September 14, 2014I've been wanting to read one of Louise Douglas' books for quite a while now. I got a copy of Missing You back when it first came out, but it's not appealed to me as of yet. I then picked up The Love of my Life at a charity shop a little while ago and because I was looking for a fairly shortish read, I plumped for it one day. I've heard many great things about the book, but it has to be said, I wasn't entirely enamored with the book.
The central premise of the book is the affair that occurs between Olivia and Marc after the death of Olivia's husband, Luca. Obviously their affair is meant to come across as both of them holding on to a part of Luca, but personally I wasn't convinced. It seemed a rather convoluted explanation, so perhaps I missed the point there. I mean, you've just buried your husband and you jump into an affair with his brother. His twin brother, no less. I find that a bit icky. What makes it worse is that neither Marc nor Olivia are repentant about what they're doing. It's as if their affair is the done thing to be doing, that it's actually OK for them to do that, when it wasn't at all. There was no real guilt shown from them, or anything even resembling it.
Another major part of the novel is the lack of relationship Olivia has with the rest of the Felicones due to the fact they felt Olivia had stolen Luca from them. There was a lot of potential there to develop that story even more, but it was just a passing cause, as far as I could tell. It was like, yes, the Felicones do not like Olivia, but that's it, no real reasoning or anything. It should have been explored a lot lot more because that would have been a really interesting avenue for the book to go down. I mean all the essential ingredients were there for a gripping family saga but the lack of anything substantial really let that down for me.
Due to the lack of guilt or remorse shown by Olivia over her affair with Marc I didn't particularly like her. There were no real redemptive features that I could see. As the narrator I had to like her to get into the story but I couldn't, not really. I had sympathy for her regarding the Felicones but in the end, she deserved their hatred, their scorn. The Felicones make up the rest of the cast of characters in the story and despite their reluctance to accept Olivia, I did like them. They were wrong to abuse her so but they were a real family unit, who protect their own at all costs and I suppose I could understand why they were the way they were to Olivia, it was wrong but understandable.
When I started The Love of my Life I was expecting the gripping and intense read that I've read about in the reviews but it all fell a little flat for me. There's no doubt Douglas has talent, but it was wasted on what could have been an amazing story. I got to 100 pages in and then just skim-read the rest of the book and I didn't miss much, not really. Because nothing happens. The Prologue promises some big blow-out between Olivia and the Felicones but that was just a damp squib. The best part of the novel for me were the flashbacks to Olivia's childhood, they were interesting to me. The book I read previous to this blew me away, so the follow up book was always going to be hard to compete, but The Love of My Life was just disappointing. Plain and simple. The plot had a lot of potential, it just wasn't followed through for me. The book was definitely, for me, trying too hard to be deep and meaningful but I just wasn't convinced sadly.This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
The central premise of the book is the affair that occurs between Olivia and Marc after the death of Olivia's husband, Luca. Obviously their affair is meant to come across as both of them holding on to a part of Luca, but personally I wasn't convinced. It seemed a rather convoluted explanation, so perhaps I missed the point there. I mean, you've just buried your husband and you jump into an affair with his brother. His twin brother, no less. I find that a bit icky. What makes it worse is that neither Marc nor Olivia are repentant about what they're doing. It's as if their affair is the done thing to be doing, that it's actually OK for them to do that, when it wasn't at all. There was no real guilt shown from them, or anything even resembling it.
Another major part of the novel is the lack of relationship Olivia has with the rest of the Felicones due to the fact they felt Olivia had stolen Luca from them. There was a lot of potential there to develop that story even more, but it was just a passing cause, as far as I could tell. It was like, yes, the Felicones do not like Olivia, but that's it, no real reasoning or anything. It should have been explored a lot lot more because that would have been a really interesting avenue for the book to go down. I mean all the essential ingredients were there for a gripping family saga but the lack of anything substantial really let that down for me.
Due to the lack of guilt or remorse shown by Olivia over her affair with Marc I didn't particularly like her. There were no real redemptive features that I could see. As the narrator I had to like her to get into the story but I couldn't, not really. I had sympathy for her regarding the Felicones but in the end, she deserved their hatred, their scorn. The Felicones make up the rest of the cast of characters in the story and despite their reluctance to accept Olivia, I did like them. They were wrong to abuse her so but they were a real family unit, who protect their own at all costs and I suppose I could understand why they were the way they were to Olivia, it was wrong but understandable.
When I started The Love of my Life I was expecting the gripping and intense read that I've read about in the reviews but it all fell a little flat for me. There's no doubt Douglas has talent, but it was wasted on what could have been an amazing story. I got to 100 pages in and then just skim-read the rest of the book and I didn't miss much, not really. Because nothing happens. The Prologue promises some big blow-out between Olivia and the Felicones but that was just a damp squib. The best part of the novel for me were the flashbacks to Olivia's childhood, they were interesting to me. The book I read previous to this blew me away, so the follow up book was always going to be hard to compete, but The Love of My Life was just disappointing. Plain and simple. The plot had a lot of potential, it just wasn't followed through for me. The book was definitely, for me, trying too hard to be deep and meaningful but I just wasn't convinced sadly.This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
October 8, 2012
I really identified with this book. I didn't know what to expect, but it blew me away. The story is about a young woman who has lost her husband, who was Italian with a big family with traditional values and how they treated her during her childhood and after their son had died. This book is SO realistic about how families like this one, believe outsiders are to blame for everything bad that happens, and how they just cannot accept her as one of their own, I related an awful lot as this was how I was treated when something terrible happened to my boyfriend and at the time I felt like a complete outsider, all the emotions this lady felt, I have felt and was pleasantly surprised by this book's twist and turns. You hear of how she grew up in the small seaside town and how much she wished she was part of the Felicone family. This book is deep, not a comedy, not a light hearted read, but a good emotional outlet for someone who has experienced a similar situation.
Well written....Very good.
Well written....Very good.
November 27, 2009
Just horrible! That there is actually a market for this kind of bilge is incredibly depressing!
There was even a lovely continuity error. On page 206 our "heroine" describes her room in a B&B establishment and makes a point of stating that there was no TV in the room. Yet on page 227 she's settling down on her bed for an evening of watching TV!
Apart from this the characters are wooden and the narrator is an immature bitch who seems to measure her success in the world by her success with men and how much more or less attractive she is than other women.
That's several hours of my life I won't get back.
There was even a lovely continuity error. On page 206 our "heroine" describes her room in a B&B establishment and makes a point of stating that there was no TV in the room. Yet on page 227 she's settling down on her bed for an evening of watching TV!
Apart from this the characters are wooden and the narrator is an immature bitch who seems to measure her success in the world by her success with men and how much more or less attractive she is than other women.
That's several hours of my life I won't get back.
February 15, 2015
This book had an interesting premise so I figured I would give it a shot. For those that have issues with cheating or love triangle type stories, just don't bother. Typically I don't have a problem with those stories but this one just didn't sit right with me. At the beginning of the story we meet Olivia, a young woman who has just lost her husband and now has to face his family for the funeral. Despite spending their married years together in London, Liv is having Luca buried back in his home town. It is apparent the tension between Liv and Luca's family, particularly her mother-in-law Angela and her one sister-in-law Nathalie.
The story is told in an alternating past/present style and ultimately it is a retelling of everything in the first person. Through this we eventually see why their is the tension among the characters but for me it just took too long to get there. What is crazy to me is that despite the horrible tension, Olivia seeks comfort in the arms of her husband's twin brother who just happens to be married to Nathalie. Like that is gonna make the situation better.
For me, though the writing was really very good, I just found myself skimming too much to get to the parts that I wanted. There is a side story of Liv working with a professor and for me it was just too much wasted space. Now some person well versed in the nuances of literature may find a deeper meaning to that aspect of the story but for me, solely seeking entertainment, it just was superfluous.
Another issue with the story is that it was really hard for me to find one likable character in the whole book. Olivia is awful as a heroine. Even when I really wanted to feel sorry for her based on the way she is treated by her mom, Luca's mom and Nathalie, I just can't muster any sympathy because she made too many poor choices. It's like she never learned from past mistakes.
Both Luca and Marc make for awful heroes as they are both cheaters. Maurizio, Luca's father could have been the one to save the story, but he after what is revealed at the cemetery near the ending makes him useless as well.
Finally, the biggest letdown is that we get so little of Liv and Luca's love story and I really think that could have been really good. Considering the title of the book you would have thought that the love story deserved at least a few chapters and not just a casual discussion at the end. Overall, I really wanted to like the story and I was anxious to breeze through the pages to get to something of a HEA but that is not what this story was about and honestly I am not actually sure what I was supposed to get out of it.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
The story is told in an alternating past/present style and ultimately it is a retelling of everything in the first person. Through this we eventually see why their is the tension among the characters but for me it just took too long to get there. What is crazy to me is that despite the horrible tension, Olivia seeks comfort in the arms of her husband's twin brother who just happens to be married to Nathalie. Like that is gonna make the situation better.
For me, though the writing was really very good, I just found myself skimming too much to get to the parts that I wanted. There is a side story of Liv working with a professor and for me it was just too much wasted space. Now some person well versed in the nuances of literature may find a deeper meaning to that aspect of the story but for me, solely seeking entertainment, it just was superfluous.
Another issue with the story is that it was really hard for me to find one likable character in the whole book. Olivia is awful as a heroine. Even when I really wanted to feel sorry for her based on the way she is treated by her mom, Luca's mom and Nathalie, I just can't muster any sympathy because she made too many poor choices. It's like she never learned from past mistakes.
Both Luca and Marc make for awful heroes as they are both cheaters. Maurizio, Luca's father could have been the one to save the story, but he after what is revealed at the cemetery near the ending makes him useless as well.
Finally, the biggest letdown is that we get so little of Liv and Luca's love story and I really think that could have been really good. Considering the title of the book you would have thought that the love story deserved at least a few chapters and not just a casual discussion at the end. Overall, I really wanted to like the story and I was anxious to breeze through the pages to get to something of a HEA but that is not what this story was about and honestly I am not actually sure what I was supposed to get out of it.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2012
I liked this more than I thought I would. It was an Amazon cheapy (under £1) so I thought I'd give it a go.
Olivia turns up at her sister's house in tears after leaving her in-laws' restaurant. Lynette, her ever faithful older sister, tucks her in to bed and asks no questions. Later, she gives Liv a laptop and suggests that she right it all down, and this is the novel.
We are presented with two timelines - the teenage Liv and the development of her romance with the gorgeous Luca, and the adult Liv, reeling from the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband, trying to deal with her grief.
Liv and her brother-in-law, Marc, find solace in each other's arms. Each is all the other has left of Luca and neither is ready to let that go.
As the story progresses we find out why Angela (her mother-in-law) and Nathalie (sister-in-law) hate her so much and we follow Liv to acceptance and eventual healing.
The story could have been very heavy handed and overly sentimental, but it's not. We follow Liv through her grief, but we're not made to wallow in it. I enjoyed the development of the story and wanted to find out what she had done that was so bad. The conclusion was satisfying and the story interesting enough to keep me turning pages.
Possibly a little heavy for poolside reading, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Olivia turns up at her sister's house in tears after leaving her in-laws' restaurant. Lynette, her ever faithful older sister, tucks her in to bed and asks no questions. Later, she gives Liv a laptop and suggests that she right it all down, and this is the novel.
We are presented with two timelines - the teenage Liv and the development of her romance with the gorgeous Luca, and the adult Liv, reeling from the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband, trying to deal with her grief.
Liv and her brother-in-law, Marc, find solace in each other's arms. Each is all the other has left of Luca and neither is ready to let that go.
As the story progresses we find out why Angela (her mother-in-law) and Nathalie (sister-in-law) hate her so much and we follow Liv to acceptance and eventual healing.
The story could have been very heavy handed and overly sentimental, but it's not. We follow Liv through her grief, but we're not made to wallow in it. I enjoyed the development of the story and wanted to find out what she had done that was so bad. The conclusion was satisfying and the story interesting enough to keep me turning pages.
Possibly a little heavy for poolside reading, but enjoyable nonetheless.
October 31, 2015
I enjoyed this book and couldn't help quite liking Olivia despite the poor choices she made. I was surprised, considering the title, that there was not more focus on the relationship between Olivia and Luca. I thought the characters were well developed and believable and the flowing style of prose made this an easy read.
January 25, 2022
Awesome story!!!
I loved this book from start to finish. Yet another book by Louise Douglas that I had a hard time putting down at the end of the day. I found myself moving from one room to another with book in hand, intent on spending as much of the day as possible reading this incredibly moving story full of raw emotion, grief but mostly love. This one's going to stay with me for a long time.
Personally, I think I would have replace the gravestone.
I loved this book from start to finish. Yet another book by Louise Douglas that I had a hard time putting down at the end of the day. I found myself moving from one room to another with book in hand, intent on spending as much of the day as possible reading this incredibly moving story full of raw emotion, grief but mostly love. This one's going to stay with me for a long time.
Personally, I think I would have replace the gravestone.
September 27, 2017
Just a book about someone trying to deal with grief, I like it a lot, it leaves me sad that he’s not coming back and I feel like their Story shouldn’t have ended so soon. But that’s life it acts up when you least expect it
December 6, 2009
Olivia Felicone has just been made a widow after her husband Luca died in a car accident.
Luca was the love of Olivia’s life, and she’s not sure how she can go on without him. She isn’t close to the Felicone family, but begins an affair with Luca’s twin brother Marc behind everyone’s backs, as it makes them both feel closer to Luca.
But is it really the best thing for both of them?
When I read the plot of the book, I thought it sounded very interesting, and I was intrigued to see how the author was going to tackle the issue of a widow having a relationship with her brother-in-law, and also in trying not to make the lead character of Olivia hateable because of it. Amazingly, Douglas has succeeded in making the story believable and yet allowing you to still like Olivia, and understand why she is continuing in her actions. Olivia is a very likeable character, and because of the way the story is written, you do feel very sorry for her, and almost develop feelings of hatred towards the Felicone family for their treatment of Olivia.
The thing that made this book unique for me was the way in which the author has chosen to approach the story. The book starts in the present day, Olivia telling us her husband has died and it begins around the day of Luca’s funeral. But after this, the book goes into Olivia’s past, beginning with her as a small child and developing with Olivia as she grows into a teenage girl, living a life with boys, love, sex and the Felicone twins. Douglas has chosen to write both the past and present together in the book, with alternating chapters making the book easy to read. One chapter is set in the present, and immediately following that is another chapter on the past, somewhat explaining things mentioned in the previous chapter or earlier in the book.
It is the use of this style of writing which keeps the mystery element of the story alive. From the start, it is obvious that the Felicone family don’t like Olivia, particularly Marc’s wife Nathalie, but we have no idea why this is. Throughout the book, I was shocked at the family’s treatment of Olivia, and the book was fairly slow in revealing the truth and why things were so bad between the two groups. I did get a bit annoyed at having to wait for the vast majority of the book to be read before we found out the truth about why things are so bad, but it does add something to the story, a real mystery and certainly makes you want to keep reading on.
The characters are cleverly used in the book. Olivia is he narrator of the book, telling us the story in the first person. She is likeable and you really feel for her after the loss of her husband. The Felicone family make up the bulk of the other cast members. Luca’s mother and father, Angela and Maurizio are Italians, and work hard, but Angela clearly has a problem with her daughter-in-law although we don’t know why. There are 3 other brothers; Stefano, Carlo and Fabio who we don’t really meet other than briefly at Luca’s funeral, Marc’s wife Nathalie, a horrible woman who I hated throughout the book and had no sympathy for at all, and of course Marc himself. I wanted to dislike him for taking advantage of a grieving widow but I just couldn’t. The writer has made him a sympathetic character and this is why the relationship between he and Olivia works so well, you completely understand why it is happening and the feelings behind it. As well as the Felicone’s, we also briefly meet Olivia’s sister Lynette and her awful mother, a character I couldn’t stand but was well written.
Considering this is a debut novel, I absolutely loved it. Although the blurb of the book proclaims that the book is about the affair between Olivia and her brother-in-law Marc, I felt this wasn’t the total plot. With the story being told in alternate chapters and different points in Olivia’s life, we are led through many different stories, feelings, emotions and stages of Olivia’s life. We learn about her friendship with the Felicone twins growing up, how it changed, and how things turned out so awfully between the couple and the family. The author has really grasped all human relationships and emotions in this book, keeping you guessing about things all the way. It was a joy to read, and I just couldn’t put it down. I was desperate to find out what had happened between Olivia and the Felicone’s, and the story which led up to this was so detailed and well told, you felt like you were right in the middle of it with Olivia. An amazing debut, and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. Superb.
Luca was the love of Olivia’s life, and she’s not sure how she can go on without him. She isn’t close to the Felicone family, but begins an affair with Luca’s twin brother Marc behind everyone’s backs, as it makes them both feel closer to Luca.
But is it really the best thing for both of them?
When I read the plot of the book, I thought it sounded very interesting, and I was intrigued to see how the author was going to tackle the issue of a widow having a relationship with her brother-in-law, and also in trying not to make the lead character of Olivia hateable because of it. Amazingly, Douglas has succeeded in making the story believable and yet allowing you to still like Olivia, and understand why she is continuing in her actions. Olivia is a very likeable character, and because of the way the story is written, you do feel very sorry for her, and almost develop feelings of hatred towards the Felicone family for their treatment of Olivia.
The thing that made this book unique for me was the way in which the author has chosen to approach the story. The book starts in the present day, Olivia telling us her husband has died and it begins around the day of Luca’s funeral. But after this, the book goes into Olivia’s past, beginning with her as a small child and developing with Olivia as she grows into a teenage girl, living a life with boys, love, sex and the Felicone twins. Douglas has chosen to write both the past and present together in the book, with alternating chapters making the book easy to read. One chapter is set in the present, and immediately following that is another chapter on the past, somewhat explaining things mentioned in the previous chapter or earlier in the book.
It is the use of this style of writing which keeps the mystery element of the story alive. From the start, it is obvious that the Felicone family don’t like Olivia, particularly Marc’s wife Nathalie, but we have no idea why this is. Throughout the book, I was shocked at the family’s treatment of Olivia, and the book was fairly slow in revealing the truth and why things were so bad between the two groups. I did get a bit annoyed at having to wait for the vast majority of the book to be read before we found out the truth about why things are so bad, but it does add something to the story, a real mystery and certainly makes you want to keep reading on.
The characters are cleverly used in the book. Olivia is he narrator of the book, telling us the story in the first person. She is likeable and you really feel for her after the loss of her husband. The Felicone family make up the bulk of the other cast members. Luca’s mother and father, Angela and Maurizio are Italians, and work hard, but Angela clearly has a problem with her daughter-in-law although we don’t know why. There are 3 other brothers; Stefano, Carlo and Fabio who we don’t really meet other than briefly at Luca’s funeral, Marc’s wife Nathalie, a horrible woman who I hated throughout the book and had no sympathy for at all, and of course Marc himself. I wanted to dislike him for taking advantage of a grieving widow but I just couldn’t. The writer has made him a sympathetic character and this is why the relationship between he and Olivia works so well, you completely understand why it is happening and the feelings behind it. As well as the Felicone’s, we also briefly meet Olivia’s sister Lynette and her awful mother, a character I couldn’t stand but was well written.
Considering this is a debut novel, I absolutely loved it. Although the blurb of the book proclaims that the book is about the affair between Olivia and her brother-in-law Marc, I felt this wasn’t the total plot. With the story being told in alternate chapters and different points in Olivia’s life, we are led through many different stories, feelings, emotions and stages of Olivia’s life. We learn about her friendship with the Felicone twins growing up, how it changed, and how things turned out so awfully between the couple and the family. The author has really grasped all human relationships and emotions in this book, keeping you guessing about things all the way. It was a joy to read, and I just couldn’t put it down. I was desperate to find out what had happened between Olivia and the Felicone’s, and the story which led up to this was so detailed and well told, you felt like you were right in the middle of it with Olivia. An amazing debut, and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. Superb.
did-not-finish
June 28, 2012Thought I'd give this a go after unexpectedly enjoying The Secrets Between Us by the same author. Unfortunately, it seemed to be about as good as I'd have expected with a title like that. Very awkward and stilted writing style and the plot (from what I could make out) was almost unbearably mawkish. Not my cup of tea.
September 22, 2012
I read this is one day. Well, technically two since I stayed up until 1 in the morning to finish. It is extremely well written with interesting and believable characters. It is not overly sentimental or soppy. So many books about losing a spouse just get bogged down with emotion. This is a woman who has made mistakes, quite a few actually, but manages to learn to live with herself. I absolutely loved it but I don't have the ability in my writing to convey just what a gem it is.
September 29, 2012
I devoured this book - I fell in love with honesty of Liv.
It is about grief and starts with Liv in a bad place following the death of her husband. What follows is the build up to this - Told two fold from Liv, both from the teenage her building up to his death and the weeks following the funeral. We find out why his family hated her so much and share in the love she and her husband had.
Loved it
June 21, 2011
A nice love story. Very touching.
August 24, 2011
Baš je slaka :)
" On je u svakom dahu i otkucaju srca "
" On je u svakom dahu i otkucaju srca "
November 7, 2015
Review originally published here http://twincreatives.com/2015/11/07/b...
I picked this book up in the Great Oak Bookshop in Llanidloes whilst I was holidaying in Wales. It sells a large selection of both new and second hand books, and The Love of My Life is one of six books I picked up that day.
I was drawn to the book at first by the cover, and the deal was clinched by the blurb. I am a huge fan of women’s fiction, and the beautiful pink and purple sunset and blatantly in-love couple that adorned the cover appealed to me instantly. It looked like something I would enjoy reading and although the saying goes ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, the fact of the matter is that books within the same genre have a distinct style for a reason. That reason is to identify to your target market that your book is what they are looking for – this purchase (and many others) proves that this works. Heather covers this briefly in her article here, however I plan on exploring this further (with particular focus on womens’ fiction) in one of my next blog posts.
Douglas writes in first person from the P.O.V of Olivia, the protagonist. The story relies heavily on flashbacks which I liked, although I am aware that this is not everyones cup of tea. I felt like I was getting to know the character on a deep level as I learnt more and more about her. Furthermore, the switch between past and present tense was seamless and engaging, ensuring dynamic pacing throughout.
Douglas’ writing style as a whole is one of the best I have read recently. A quick scout around the internet for other reviews tells me that I am not the only one who thinks this – the Amazon rating is 4.5 stars. She uses vivid descriptions and beautiful metaphors to narrate both the setting where the novel takes place and Olivia’s feelings and emotions. It is a style that I felt very comfortable reading, and one that I didn’t feel like was hard work to understand – it was relaxing and natural.
Another thing that stood out to me was the opening and closing chapters. Douglas writes an extremely good first chapter, and an equally as excellent closing one. At the beginning, I was drawn into the story and left wanting more. At the end, I felt satisfied that all lose ends were tied up. This is exactly what I want, and indeed expect, from a good book. I am confident that Douglas delivered.
Douglas continues this compelling technique throughout the entire book. At the end of most chapters, there were questions still in need of answers, and more to learn about the characters and their circumstances. I was keen to see what happened to the characters that Douglas did an excellent job of making me care so much about – it was hard to put down.
Generally, the characters are well thought out and developed throughout the story. Douglas goes to extra length to ensure that their complicated pasts and relationships are divulged in a teasing manner, teaching the reader more about them a little at a time. This keeps things interesting. It also ensures that although Olivia has made some mistakes, and continues to make them throughout the story, you can’t help but be on her team. The story would not have been able to happen if Olivia was a stable, rational being, and I think that Douglas considered this whilst creating the character.
After scouting around for other reviews, I have noticed that although the majority of reviews are positive, there are a few out there that are anything but complimentary (pretty standard for most books really). Often, people have commented on how Olivia is unlikeable as a character, and that they do not relate to her on a moral level. In my opinion, although I agree that I do not relate to – or agree with – her moral choices in the slightest, I don’t hate her. Far from it in fact. I think this is because by the time you learn enough about her to pass judgement, you are already in her head. I think that it takes a skillful author to make a reader like a character who, on paper, is not the easiest sort of person to like – kudos to Douglas for doing just that.
In this part of the review I will be exploring an element of the book that I have some reservations about, and a component that I would like to delve further into with a less praising, more critical mind. As a writer (and reader) I feel it is important to think critically in order to learn not only for my personal benefit, but as a way of offering insightful viewpoints that may help other writers become the best they can be. Although I have used the word ‘critical’ multiple times in the preluding sentences, it is important to note that this is not something I would go as far as actually calling a criticism, as you can tell from my 4 star review, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
As the blurb states, Olivia begins an affair with her dead husbands twin brother. Not your every day event granted, but one that could potentially happen. Tick. But what strikes me as being unconvincing is how suddenly this all happens. One minute Olivia is seeing Marc for the first time in a while (at Luca’s funeral nonetheless) and the next minute she is embracing him in a kiss. I was taken aback by the suddenness of things, and how it seems to appear out of nowhere.
I am aware of the writing advice kicking around that suggests that you should dive headfirst into the action, and I think this is great. No one wants chapters and chapters of scene setting and back story. However, the speed of which Olivia and Marc’s relationship escalates is something that took me by complete surprise and has stuck with me even after finishing the story.
As a writer, I am all too aware that not much ‘just happens’ in writing. The actions your characters take and the direction in which your story goes should happen are a result of a multitude of things; your characters past, present situation, goals, pitfalls, and desires to name a few, so I am reluctant to think that Douglas just got over excited and dived into the action a little too fast. With the gift of hindsight, I pose a few explanations that seek to justify Olivia and Marc’s whirlwind romance, if not to anyone else but myself.
1. Olivia’s past + her grief-filled present = affair
Olivia is reliable and honest as a narrator yet unpredictable in her actions. Throughout the story, I feel that Douglas succeeded in giving grounds for Olivia’s questionable and oftentimes irrational actions through the use of flashbacks and memories that set her up as a character. She has had an adulterous past and a rebellious streak as a teenager. Coupled with the grief of losing her husband one may not be surprised that she acts irrationally. Additionally, her and Marc have some past together – he has been in love with her before – which goes a long way to explain the escalation on his part at the very least.
2. Revenge
Another explanation could be that Olivia’s actions may have been fueled by her quest for revenge, whether this was conscious or subconscious I am not sure. She has been hurt by the twins’ family in the past, and even after Luca’s death they continue to alienate her – some would argue for good reason. This may have acted to propel Olivia quickly on a path that has the potential to destroy the family that never accepted her.
3. Her actions as a character do no need justifying – she is a grieving widow
Finally, one could argue that Olivia doesn’t need any reasoning at all behind her spontaneous actions, she is grieving and Marc is the closest thing to Luca she has left. That’s it.
In conclusion, whatever Douglas’s intentions, I am 99.9% convinced by the suddenness of Olivia and Marc’s relationship. The other minuscule 0.1% still thinks that the idea of jumping into bed with your dead husband’s twin soon after his funeral is unbelievable, regardless of what has happened in the past. HOWEVER, this did not stop me from enjoying the book. I continue to uphold that it is beautifully written and although I did not relate to any of the characters or situations they found themselves in (a good thing!), I cared about them – and what happened to them – enough to finish the book. I look forward to reading other titles by Douglas for sure, and I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
I picked this book up in the Great Oak Bookshop in Llanidloes whilst I was holidaying in Wales. It sells a large selection of both new and second hand books, and The Love of My Life is one of six books I picked up that day.
I was drawn to the book at first by the cover, and the deal was clinched by the blurb. I am a huge fan of women’s fiction, and the beautiful pink and purple sunset and blatantly in-love couple that adorned the cover appealed to me instantly. It looked like something I would enjoy reading and although the saying goes ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, the fact of the matter is that books within the same genre have a distinct style for a reason. That reason is to identify to your target market that your book is what they are looking for – this purchase (and many others) proves that this works. Heather covers this briefly in her article here, however I plan on exploring this further (with particular focus on womens’ fiction) in one of my next blog posts.
Douglas writes in first person from the P.O.V of Olivia, the protagonist. The story relies heavily on flashbacks which I liked, although I am aware that this is not everyones cup of tea. I felt like I was getting to know the character on a deep level as I learnt more and more about her. Furthermore, the switch between past and present tense was seamless and engaging, ensuring dynamic pacing throughout.
Douglas’ writing style as a whole is one of the best I have read recently. A quick scout around the internet for other reviews tells me that I am not the only one who thinks this – the Amazon rating is 4.5 stars. She uses vivid descriptions and beautiful metaphors to narrate both the setting where the novel takes place and Olivia’s feelings and emotions. It is a style that I felt very comfortable reading, and one that I didn’t feel like was hard work to understand – it was relaxing and natural.
Another thing that stood out to me was the opening and closing chapters. Douglas writes an extremely good first chapter, and an equally as excellent closing one. At the beginning, I was drawn into the story and left wanting more. At the end, I felt satisfied that all lose ends were tied up. This is exactly what I want, and indeed expect, from a good book. I am confident that Douglas delivered.
Douglas continues this compelling technique throughout the entire book. At the end of most chapters, there were questions still in need of answers, and more to learn about the characters and their circumstances. I was keen to see what happened to the characters that Douglas did an excellent job of making me care so much about – it was hard to put down.
Generally, the characters are well thought out and developed throughout the story. Douglas goes to extra length to ensure that their complicated pasts and relationships are divulged in a teasing manner, teaching the reader more about them a little at a time. This keeps things interesting. It also ensures that although Olivia has made some mistakes, and continues to make them throughout the story, you can’t help but be on her team. The story would not have been able to happen if Olivia was a stable, rational being, and I think that Douglas considered this whilst creating the character.
After scouting around for other reviews, I have noticed that although the majority of reviews are positive, there are a few out there that are anything but complimentary (pretty standard for most books really). Often, people have commented on how Olivia is unlikeable as a character, and that they do not relate to her on a moral level. In my opinion, although I agree that I do not relate to – or agree with – her moral choices in the slightest, I don’t hate her. Far from it in fact. I think this is because by the time you learn enough about her to pass judgement, you are already in her head. I think that it takes a skillful author to make a reader like a character who, on paper, is not the easiest sort of person to like – kudos to Douglas for doing just that.
In this part of the review I will be exploring an element of the book that I have some reservations about, and a component that I would like to delve further into with a less praising, more critical mind. As a writer (and reader) I feel it is important to think critically in order to learn not only for my personal benefit, but as a way of offering insightful viewpoints that may help other writers become the best they can be. Although I have used the word ‘critical’ multiple times in the preluding sentences, it is important to note that this is not something I would go as far as actually calling a criticism, as you can tell from my 4 star review, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
As the blurb states, Olivia begins an affair with her dead husbands twin brother. Not your every day event granted, but one that could potentially happen. Tick. But what strikes me as being unconvincing is how suddenly this all happens. One minute Olivia is seeing Marc for the first time in a while (at Luca’s funeral nonetheless) and the next minute she is embracing him in a kiss. I was taken aback by the suddenness of things, and how it seems to appear out of nowhere.
I am aware of the writing advice kicking around that suggests that you should dive headfirst into the action, and I think this is great. No one wants chapters and chapters of scene setting and back story. However, the speed of which Olivia and Marc’s relationship escalates is something that took me by complete surprise and has stuck with me even after finishing the story.
As a writer, I am all too aware that not much ‘just happens’ in writing. The actions your characters take and the direction in which your story goes should happen are a result of a multitude of things; your characters past, present situation, goals, pitfalls, and desires to name a few, so I am reluctant to think that Douglas just got over excited and dived into the action a little too fast. With the gift of hindsight, I pose a few explanations that seek to justify Olivia and Marc’s whirlwind romance, if not to anyone else but myself.
1. Olivia’s past + her grief-filled present = affair
Olivia is reliable and honest as a narrator yet unpredictable in her actions. Throughout the story, I feel that Douglas succeeded in giving grounds for Olivia’s questionable and oftentimes irrational actions through the use of flashbacks and memories that set her up as a character. She has had an adulterous past and a rebellious streak as a teenager. Coupled with the grief of losing her husband one may not be surprised that she acts irrationally. Additionally, her and Marc have some past together – he has been in love with her before – which goes a long way to explain the escalation on his part at the very least.
2. Revenge
Another explanation could be that Olivia’s actions may have been fueled by her quest for revenge, whether this was conscious or subconscious I am not sure. She has been hurt by the twins’ family in the past, and even after Luca’s death they continue to alienate her – some would argue for good reason. This may have acted to propel Olivia quickly on a path that has the potential to destroy the family that never accepted her.
3. Her actions as a character do no need justifying – she is a grieving widow
Finally, one could argue that Olivia doesn’t need any reasoning at all behind her spontaneous actions, she is grieving and Marc is the closest thing to Luca she has left. That’s it.
In conclusion, whatever Douglas’s intentions, I am 99.9% convinced by the suddenness of Olivia and Marc’s relationship. The other minuscule 0.1% still thinks that the idea of jumping into bed with your dead husband’s twin soon after his funeral is unbelievable, regardless of what has happened in the past. HOWEVER, this did not stop me from enjoying the book. I continue to uphold that it is beautifully written and although I did not relate to any of the characters or situations they found themselves in (a good thing!), I cared about them – and what happened to them – enough to finish the book. I look forward to reading other titles by Douglas for sure, and I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
October 18, 2022
Reposting this review (as I'm not sure if Goodreads removed it while I was entering my books on my reading challenge!).
A young woman is grieving the loss of her husband. His large family hold a grudge on her. She embarks on an affair with her husband's twin brother. Will their secret come out?
Despite an interesting idea, I just couldn't really connect with the characters in this one. The characters were a bit flat. I felt like this story was slow and rushed at the same time. The characters did stupid stuff, excusable when they were teenagers perhaps, but even as adults they made stupid decisions. I could buy into Olivia's reasons for an affair, but the twin brother Marc really annoyed me with his pathetic behaviour. He didn't have to marry the mum's adopted daughter Nathalie, but did so anyway, because he had no backbone to stand up to his controlling, stone-cold, prejudiced, and bitchy mother Angela.
Angela had no compassion or sensitivity. She knew Olivia for years, but she got it into her head that she was "bad"? Just because she went a bit "wild" during her teen years. Really? Come on. It's not like she hadn't met Olivia's nasty mother and understood her home life. She always had to compare her to other people and couldn't accept her or even be nice to her without showing attitude. It's was either Angela's way or nothing. She was toxic and manipulative.
The British/Italian family weren't really sketched out much. However, I would say that both their mothers were narcissists. It was a good thing both Olivia and Luca got out from the prying eyes of the small northern town they lived in, to go to London to start their new lives. Maybe they shouldn't have cheated and gone behind people's backs while he was engaged to Nathalie, but it was better they ended it before they had serious regrets.
I didn't understand why the family were still petty and underhand to their deceased son's widow. Bygones should have been bygones. Some people were acting like they had absolutely no choice in this book. And maybe they didn't because they acted brainwashed by their cult leader/mother Angela. This family was a cult. In order to be accepted by the parents, any potential spouse has to be Italian?! Huh. Dumb af. Why didn't they just say they didn't like Olivia and smack her face? They were severely messed up. I cheered when Olivia forced her way into their restaurant and shoved evil Angela to the ground! She had that and a lot more coming to her! Marc thinks Angela acted out of love, but no, doofus, forcing a marriage between two people isn't the definition of love. It's ABUSE!
There was an unnecessary subplots involving a professor. I didn't sense any chemistry between Olivia and him despite the author implying they could be an item later on.
Overall, I think as women's fiction it was decent. Just didn't really set my world on fire.
A young woman is grieving the loss of her husband. His large family hold a grudge on her. She embarks on an affair with her husband's twin brother. Will their secret come out?
Despite an interesting idea, I just couldn't really connect with the characters in this one. The characters were a bit flat. I felt like this story was slow and rushed at the same time. The characters did stupid stuff, excusable when they were teenagers perhaps, but even as adults they made stupid decisions. I could buy into Olivia's reasons for an affair, but the twin brother Marc really annoyed me with his pathetic behaviour. He didn't have to marry the mum's adopted daughter Nathalie, but did so anyway, because he had no backbone to stand up to his controlling, stone-cold, prejudiced, and bitchy mother Angela.
Angela had no compassion or sensitivity. She knew Olivia for years, but she got it into her head that she was "bad"? Just because she went a bit "wild" during her teen years. Really? Come on. It's not like she hadn't met Olivia's nasty mother and understood her home life. She always had to compare her to other people and couldn't accept her or even be nice to her without showing attitude. It's was either Angela's way or nothing. She was toxic and manipulative.
The British/Italian family weren't really sketched out much. However, I would say that both their mothers were narcissists. It was a good thing both Olivia and Luca got out from the prying eyes of the small northern town they lived in, to go to London to start their new lives. Maybe they shouldn't have cheated and gone behind people's backs while he was engaged to Nathalie, but it was better they ended it before they had serious regrets.
I didn't understand why the family were still petty and underhand to their deceased son's widow. Bygones should have been bygones. Some people were acting like they had absolutely no choice in this book. And maybe they didn't because they acted brainwashed by their cult leader/mother Angela. This family was a cult. In order to be accepted by the parents, any potential spouse has to be Italian?! Huh. Dumb af. Why didn't they just say they didn't like Olivia and smack her face? They were severely messed up. I cheered when Olivia forced her way into their restaurant and shoved evil Angela to the ground! She had that and a lot more coming to her! Marc thinks Angela acted out of love, but no, doofus, forcing a marriage between two people isn't the definition of love. It's ABUSE!
There was an unnecessary subplots involving a professor. I didn't sense any chemistry between Olivia and him despite the author implying they could be an item later on.
Overall, I think as women's fiction it was decent. Just didn't really set my world on fire.
January 20, 2022
A young woman is grieving the loss of her husband. His large family hold a grudge on her. She embarks on an affair with her husband's twin brother. Will their secret come out?
Despite an interesting idea, I just couldn't really connect with the characters in this one. The characters were a bit flat. I felt like this story was slow and rushed at the same time. The characters did stupid stuff, excusable when they were teenagers perhaps, but even as adults they made stupid decisions. I could buy into Olivia's reasons for an affair, but the twin brother Marc really annoyed me with his pathetic behaviour. He didn't have to marry the mum's adopted daughter Nathalie, but did so anyway, because he had no backbone to stand up to his controlling, stone-cold, prejudiced, and bitchy mother Angela.
Angela had no compassion or sensitivity. She knew Olivia for years, but she got it into her head that she was "bad"? Just because she went a bit "wild" during her teen years. Really? Come on. It's not like she hadn't met Olivia's nasty mother and understood her home life. She always had to compare her to other people and couldn't accept her or even be nice to her without showing attitude. It's was either Angela's way or nothing. She was toxic and manipulative.
The British/Italian family weren't really sketched out much. However, I would say that both their mothers were narcissists. It was a good thing both Olivia and Luca got out from the prying eyes of the small northern town they lived in, to go to London to start their new lives. Maybe they shouldn't have cheated and gone behind people's backs while he was engaged to Nathalie, but it was better they ended it before they had serious regrets.
I didn't understand why the family were still petty and underhand to their deceased son's widow. Bygones should have been bygones. Some people were acting like they had absolutely no choice in this book. And maybe they didn't because they acted brainwashed by their cult leader/mother Angela. This family was a cult. In order to be accepted by the parents, any potential spouse has to be Italian?! Huh. Dumb af. Why didn't they just say they didn't like Olivia and smack her face? They were severely messed up. I cheered when Olivia forced her way into their restaurant and shoved evil Angela to the ground! She had that and a lot more coming to her! Marc thinks Angela acted out of love, but no, doofus, forcing a marriage between two people isn't the definition of love. It's ABUSE!
There was an unnecessary subplots involving a professor. I didn't sense any chemistry between Olivia and him despite the author implying they could be an item later on.
Overall, I think as women's fiction it was decent. Just didn't really set my world on fire.
Despite an interesting idea, I just couldn't really connect with the characters in this one. The characters were a bit flat. I felt like this story was slow and rushed at the same time. The characters did stupid stuff, excusable when they were teenagers perhaps, but even as adults they made stupid decisions. I could buy into Olivia's reasons for an affair, but the twin brother Marc really annoyed me with his pathetic behaviour. He didn't have to marry the mum's adopted daughter Nathalie, but did so anyway, because he had no backbone to stand up to his controlling, stone-cold, prejudiced, and bitchy mother Angela.
Angela had no compassion or sensitivity. She knew Olivia for years, but she got it into her head that she was "bad"? Just because she went a bit "wild" during her teen years. Really? Come on. It's not like she hadn't met Olivia's nasty mother and understood her home life. She always had to compare her to other people and couldn't accept her or even be nice to her without showing attitude. It's was either Angela's way or nothing. She was toxic and manipulative.
The British/Italian family weren't really sketched out much. However, I would say that both their mothers were narcissists. It was a good thing both Olivia and Luca got out from the prying eyes of the small northern town they lived in, to go to London to start their new lives. Maybe they shouldn't have cheated and gone behind people's backs while he was engaged to Nathalie, but it was better they ended it before they had serious regrets.
I didn't understand why the family were still petty and underhand to their deceased son's widow. Bygones should have been bygones. Some people were acting like they had absolutely no choice in this book. And maybe they didn't because they acted brainwashed by their cult leader/mother Angela. This family was a cult. In order to be accepted by the parents, any potential spouse has to be Italian?! Huh. Dumb af. Why didn't they just say they didn't like Olivia and smack her face? They were severely messed up. I cheered when Olivia forced her way into their restaurant and shoved evil Angela to the ground! She had that and a lot more coming to her! Marc thinks Angela acted out of love, but no, doofus, forcing a marriage between two people isn't the definition of love. It's ABUSE!
There was an unnecessary subplots involving a professor. I didn't sense any chemistry between Olivia and him despite the author implying they could be an item later on.
Overall, I think as women's fiction it was decent. Just didn't really set my world on fire.
September 7, 2020
Read it few years ago and I still remember how it made me feel. This book touched me, sent me in an emotional turmoil, I still remember how I used to put down my Kindle to just reflect on what I am reading. Its really sad though, but brilliantly written.
February 11, 2021
Iako nisam ljubitelj ljubavnih romana, ovaj sam pročitala u jednom dahu. Satkan od boli, čežnje i strasti.
July 6, 2023
A light read. Good story.
March 26, 2015
Olivia and Luca, who grew up together, fall in love and elope to London, breaking the hearts of those closest to them. But Luca dies in a car crash and their happy ending becomes the sad beginning of The Love of my Life by Louise Douglas.
Missing Luca with “every breath and heartbeat”, Olivia returns to their hometown to be close to his grave but has to face the resentment of his family who blame her solely for causing a rift. She seeks solace in Luca’s married twin brother, Mark, who seems to be her only true ally, and their relationship soon grows into a passionate affair which, spiralling in intensity, threatens to increase pain rather than numb it.
The story is beautifully, yet simply written with a natural and sentimental voice that draws on all senses. For example, as Oliva returns home and reflects on the destructive way she’s trying to deal with her grief, she says: “I tried to enjoy the view from the window, the ice crystals on the glass and the magical lightscape on the top surface of the clouds but the wine felt like acid in my stomach and every little jolt and creak of the plane made my heart race and prickled my fingertips.”
The narrative has the feeling of a confessional, coming of age story with the emotional naivety of childhood rebellion in juxtaposition with awakening and remorse in adulthood. Olivia reminisces about her past and lets the consequences guide her decisions in the present. Tragedy, jealousy and apathy are particularly vivid with a clash between free spirits, homemakers and destiny. It’s true that sometimes, loyalty to family can be “worse than law”, as Luca says, yet some people are made for each other regardless of acceptance, entitlement or logic.
If you like a fiery start to a novel, you’ll need a little patience with this one. Intrigue is planted early on but it’s only as clues to the hate shown towards Olivia become clear that things really start to become interesting. I found some omens a little obvious in places, much like in a young adult novel, when organic suspense could have worked fine although I did find this technique stimulated my curiosity...
Read the full Literary Lightbox book review here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/the-l...
Missing Luca with “every breath and heartbeat”, Olivia returns to their hometown to be close to his grave but has to face the resentment of his family who blame her solely for causing a rift. She seeks solace in Luca’s married twin brother, Mark, who seems to be her only true ally, and their relationship soon grows into a passionate affair which, spiralling in intensity, threatens to increase pain rather than numb it.
The story is beautifully, yet simply written with a natural and sentimental voice that draws on all senses. For example, as Oliva returns home and reflects on the destructive way she’s trying to deal with her grief, she says: “I tried to enjoy the view from the window, the ice crystals on the glass and the magical lightscape on the top surface of the clouds but the wine felt like acid in my stomach and every little jolt and creak of the plane made my heart race and prickled my fingertips.”
The narrative has the feeling of a confessional, coming of age story with the emotional naivety of childhood rebellion in juxtaposition with awakening and remorse in adulthood. Olivia reminisces about her past and lets the consequences guide her decisions in the present. Tragedy, jealousy and apathy are particularly vivid with a clash between free spirits, homemakers and destiny. It’s true that sometimes, loyalty to family can be “worse than law”, as Luca says, yet some people are made for each other regardless of acceptance, entitlement or logic.
If you like a fiery start to a novel, you’ll need a little patience with this one. Intrigue is planted early on but it’s only as clues to the hate shown towards Olivia become clear that things really start to become interesting. I found some omens a little obvious in places, much like in a young adult novel, when organic suspense could have worked fine although I did find this technique stimulated my curiosity...
Read the full Literary Lightbox book review here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/the-l...
July 15, 2015
*Kitap Yorumu*
Hani bazı kitaplar vardır, okurken gerçekten bir elin çıkıp, kalbini bulup, seni dayanamamak ile katlanabilmek arasındaki o son sınırda tuttuğunu hissedersin. Sanki kitap bir gıdım bile bir yerde fazlalık gösterse bütün dengeleri alt üst edecek gücü varmış gibi. Böylelikle ne elinden tamamıyla bırakacak kadar ''bu kadar yeter, bu fazla ağır,'' dersin ne de soluksuz okursun. Kitap çok çarpıcı ve yoğun olduğu için arada bir nefes almak umuduyla kitabı elimden bırakıp kafeinsiz bir şeyler içip tekrardan döndüm; ama bitirmem için kendime zaman tanımam gerekti. Benim üzerimde böyle bir etki yaratabilen bir kitabı bulmak zordur kendi adıma konuşmak gerekirse.
Bu noktada kitabı sizden soğuttum mu diye düşünüyorum; ama umarım böyle olmamıştır. Çünkü çok özgün, keskin ve hayatın içinden bir roman. Çoğu kısımda Olivia (ana karakter) ile empati kurabileceğiniz kadar akıcı ve sanki olayı bir ağacın arkasında izliyormuş gibi gerçekçi. Bir diğer sevdiğim yönü de ana karakterlerde yaratılan ''mükemmellik'' tarzı -klişesi de olabilir çoğunuza göre- bu kitapta işlenmemesi. Olivia mükemmel bir kişiliğin yanından bile geçmiyor çünkü. Özellikle bencilliği ve hataları ele alındığında; ama bu kitabı okutmayacak kadar rahatsız etmedi beni. Nadiren bulunan kitaplardan benim kanımca.
Kitabın bir handikap'ı vardı benim için, ya da yazar bunun böyle olmasını istedi o kısmı tam olarak anlayamadım; ama Olivia'nın Luca'nın ailesine baş kaldırıp bir ''ayar çekmesi'' o kadar uzun zamanını aldı ki. Olivia'nın kişiliğinde sabırlı olmak var da Luca'nın ailesi bir taşı ortadan çatlatacak kadar deli ediyor canım! Zira kitabı okurken sinirden köpürdüğüm anlar olmadı değil. Bir de Luca hakkında daha fazla bilgi sahibi olsaydık keşke. Kitabın önemli bir karakteri olduğu göz önünde bulundurulursa, o karakter ile bir bağ oluşturduğumu hissedecek kadar elle tutulur bir şey yoktu ortada. Daha fazla bilginin bunu çözebileceğine eminim halbuki. Yine de keyifle okudum zira tek pişmanlığım daha önce okumamak oldu. :)
Hani bazı kitaplar vardır, okurken gerçekten bir elin çıkıp, kalbini bulup, seni dayanamamak ile katlanabilmek arasındaki o son sınırda tuttuğunu hissedersin. Sanki kitap bir gıdım bile bir yerde fazlalık gösterse bütün dengeleri alt üst edecek gücü varmış gibi. Böylelikle ne elinden tamamıyla bırakacak kadar ''bu kadar yeter, bu fazla ağır,'' dersin ne de soluksuz okursun. Kitap çok çarpıcı ve yoğun olduğu için arada bir nefes almak umuduyla kitabı elimden bırakıp kafeinsiz bir şeyler içip tekrardan döndüm; ama bitirmem için kendime zaman tanımam gerekti. Benim üzerimde böyle bir etki yaratabilen bir kitabı bulmak zordur kendi adıma konuşmak gerekirse.
Bu noktada kitabı sizden soğuttum mu diye düşünüyorum; ama umarım böyle olmamıştır. Çünkü çok özgün, keskin ve hayatın içinden bir roman. Çoğu kısımda Olivia (ana karakter) ile empati kurabileceğiniz kadar akıcı ve sanki olayı bir ağacın arkasında izliyormuş gibi gerçekçi. Bir diğer sevdiğim yönü de ana karakterlerde yaratılan ''mükemmellik'' tarzı -klişesi de olabilir çoğunuza göre- bu kitapta işlenmemesi. Olivia mükemmel bir kişiliğin yanından bile geçmiyor çünkü. Özellikle bencilliği ve hataları ele alındığında; ama bu kitabı okutmayacak kadar rahatsız etmedi beni. Nadiren bulunan kitaplardan benim kanımca.
Kitabın bir handikap'ı vardı benim için, ya da yazar bunun böyle olmasını istedi o kısmı tam olarak anlayamadım; ama Olivia'nın Luca'nın ailesine baş kaldırıp bir ''ayar çekmesi'' o kadar uzun zamanını aldı ki. Olivia'nın kişiliğinde sabırlı olmak var da Luca'nın ailesi bir taşı ortadan çatlatacak kadar deli ediyor canım! Zira kitabı okurken sinirden köpürdüğüm anlar olmadı değil. Bir de Luca hakkında daha fazla bilgi sahibi olsaydık keşke. Kitabın önemli bir karakteri olduğu göz önünde bulundurulursa, o karakter ile bir bağ oluşturduğumu hissedecek kadar elle tutulur bir şey yoktu ortada. Daha fazla bilginin bunu çözebileceğine eminim halbuki. Yine de keyifle okudum zira tek pişmanlığım daha önce okumamak oldu. :)
Read
February 27, 2015When I finished this book I started crying, and I don't cry that easily.
But when I started imagining the number of trees that has been cut just to print this terrible book, I couldn't hold the tears.
I read this awful book based on the recommendation of someone I admired.
Which I regret doing terribly, because according to her the book represents deep and beautiful feelings. which I find that statement laughable.
To me those feelings were sickening, and I'll tell you exactly why.
So, she is a grieving widow who just buried her husband, and she is so heartbroken that she jumps in bed with his twin brother.
And sleeping with him is her way of grieving, because she desperately wants to hold on to anything that reminds her of her dead husband.
So, what is a better way than having an affair with his identical twin?
Even if that's against basic human principals, and is considered cheating since the brother is married with children.
But that is okay, because she is a grieving widow , and somehow in Louises' mind this is romance.
Those writers disgust me confusing lust for love with their repugnant words, sending the wrong messege and representation of love to younger generation over and over again.
But when I started imagining the number of trees that has been cut just to print this terrible book, I couldn't hold the tears.
I read this awful book based on the recommendation of someone I admired.
Which I regret doing terribly, because according to her the book represents deep and beautiful feelings. which I find that statement laughable.
To me those feelings were sickening, and I'll tell you exactly why.
So, she is a grieving widow who just buried her husband, and she is so heartbroken that she jumps in bed with his twin brother.
And sleeping with him is her way of grieving, because she desperately wants to hold on to anything that reminds her of her dead husband.
So, what is a better way than having an affair with his identical twin?
Even if that's against basic human principals, and is considered cheating since the brother is married with children.
But that is okay, because she is a grieving widow , and somehow in Louises' mind this is romance.
Those writers disgust me confusing lust for love with their repugnant words, sending the wrong messege and representation of love to younger generation over and over again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, it was about a woman whose husband had died in a carcrash and it starts off with the family attending the funeral. From early on you begin to learn that 'Liv' is not a welcomed member of the family, and as the book progresses it explains why. The book runs in a very nice way and each chapter alernates between the present and the past, and as the past chapters progress the stoy begins to tie together. The chapter set in the past tell how she met her husband and it came to be that she was seen as the black sheep of the family due to her rebellish ways living in a small town as a teenager, and the things that he does to taint her reputation like this make you cringe a little but you also see them from her honest point of view. She looks back on these memories as a mature adult. The present chapters are about Liv dealing with the grief of losing one of the few people that understand her and loved her for who she is - without him she is stranded. Very good book. x
August 19, 2012
Read this book on holdiay - thought it would just be a quick beach read - and to be fair, I did get through it pretty quickly.... because I couldnt put it down. Douglas uses an easy flowing style to get the reader very quickly interested. It starts with her walking out on her old life after the death of her husband - the rest of the book switches from the 'now' and the 'then' - telling the story of her life within a close knit coastal community and an even closer knit Italian family.
It could be just because I love books that switch between then and now from chapter to chapter, or just because I love anything to do with Italy ... what ever it was, this book reduced me to tears and had me hooked from the first 3 lines.
Highly recommended - makes you appreciate your own 'love of my life' - please read this book!
It could be just because I love books that switch between then and now from chapter to chapter, or just because I love anything to do with Italy ... what ever it was, this book reduced me to tears and had me hooked from the first 3 lines.
Highly recommended - makes you appreciate your own 'love of my life' - please read this book!
May 3, 2022
Olivia Felicone poslije smrti svoga muža Luke odluči iz Londona doći u Watersford gdje je sahranjen. O tome gdje će biti sahranjen odlučila je njegova obitelj, a Olivia im je popustila jer se osjećala krivom zbog onoga što se ranije dogodilo. Luca je poginuo u automobilskoj nesreći. Na njegovu sprovodu, Oliviu baš nisu doživljavali, a poslije pokopa od groba ju je maknuo Lukin brat blizanac s kojim se na kraju poljubila utapajući tugu. Nakon pogreba se vratila u London gdje su ona i Luca živjeli, no nije mogla podnijeti udaljenost od njega pa se vratila u Watersford i iznajmila si stan. Na groblju je susrela Marca s kojim je na kraju završila u krevetu dijeleći bol . Liv je smatrala da Marc nema nikoga tko bi ga podsjećao na brata Luku, dok ona ima njega koji liči na svog brata. Nisu smatrali da su za išta krivi. Nisu se vidjeli neko vrijeme sve dok Olivia nije odlučila otići do Portistona u Marinella`s posjetiti obitelj Felicone. S vrata ju je napala njezina šurjakinja Nathalie da joj objasni razloge zbog kojih je došla i govorila joj je kako je tu nitko ne želi. Ni njezina svekrva Angela nije bila zadovoljna što je Olivia došla, ali nisu je mogle otjerati. Marc joj je u prolazu rekao da će doći do nje. Čekala ga je par dana i kad je odlučila da ga više neće čekati, došao je. Tu je započelo njihovo ljubovanje. Nije ga pitala što Nathalie radi i kako ne sumnja da je vara, nego je samo zadovoljavala svoje, a i Markove potrebe. Dijelovi romana odnose se i na Olivijino djetinjstvo. Njezino odrastanje uz pobožnu majku koja je s njom i njezinom sestrom Lynnette došla živjeti u Portiston. Majka im je rekla da je otac umro, no kasnije, kad je Olivia bila tinejdžerica, priznala je da joj je otac živ, odnosno da ne zna što je s njim. Majka je u crkvi upoznala gospodina Hensleya kojeg je dovodila kući, a kojeg Liv nije mogla smisliti jer je manipulirao njezinom majkom. Liv je u svome djetinjstvu jedino voljela odlaske u Marinella`s. Voljela je veliku obitelj Felicone, a i pažnju koju su joj pridavala braća blizanci. Sviđala joj se i Angela koja je uvijek bila sređena. Sve do srednje škole je bila povezana s braćom Lukom i Markom, odnosno dok kod njih nije došla živjeti Nathalie, Angelina nećakinja. Naime, Nathalie je umrla majka, a Angela je svojoj sestrični na smrtnoj postelji obećala da će se brinuti za nju. Liv je imala i prijateljicu Anneli s kojom se odlično slagala. Zajedno su pravile gluposti i nosile se svakako dok im gospodin Hensley, Oliviana majka i Annelini roditelji nisu zabranili kratko i golo. Družile su se i s Lukom i Markom, te su smišljale kako bi se udale za njih i imale isti dan vjenčanje, dok Luca nije prohodao s Nathalie, ali Anneli je isto neko vrijeme bila s Markom. Dok su Luca i Nahtalie hodali, Liv je bila s jednim dečkom s kojim je isprobala sve što tinejdžeri žele. Olivia je i u zamjenu za svoju sestru Lynnette čuvala djecu i tako je na kraju imala odnose s gospodinom Parkerom koje je zapisala u svoj dnevnik. Dok je Liv odlučivala u školi koji faks želi upisati, njezina majka je našla njezin dnevnik i pročitala ga. Liv je htjela obraniti gospodina Parkera no njegova žena je rekla da je to i prije činio i na kraju je Liv ispala kao razaračica brakova i da je ona kriva za cijelu situaciju, a ne muškarac koji ju je zaveo. Liv su zbog toga izbacili iz škole i nije mogla na fakultet. Poslije je počela raditi u trgovačkom centru Wasbrook i našla se ondje kad je Nathalie isprobavala vjenčanicu za vjenčanje s Lukom. Njihovo vjenčanje se trebalo održati za Božić, no Luca je volio Oliviu i odlučio je s njom pred vjenčanje pobjeći u London, i tako su i pobjegli. Njegova obitelj mu to dugo nije htjela oprostiti i krivili su Oliviju. Kasnije je uspio stupiti u kontakt s braćom pa sa obitelji koja mu je zabranila da dovodi Oliviju, no Marc joj je jednom rekao da ako se vjenčaju, njegova obitelj će je morati prihvatiti. Tako je i bilo, vjenčali su se i Oliviju su pozivali na događanja s Lukom iako je nisu mogli trpjeti. Marc je preuzeo Lukino mjesto i oženio se s Nathalie. Luca i Olivia nisu mogli imati djece jer Olivijina maternica nije mogla zadržati plod. Olivia je dobar dio svog vremena u Watersfordu provela radeći, pretipkavala je bilješke za knjigu o Marian Rutherford, poznatoj književnici za koju se ispostavilo da je bila lezbijka. Radila je s profesorom u njegovom uredu i bila sretna što ne mora pričati s njim. Kad je knjiga izdana, njezin posao je završio. Dok se viđala s Markom on joj je rekao kako je oduvijek bio zaljubljen u nju i da se oženio s Nathalie da ispuni obavezu, ali da je Nathalie oduvijek voljela Luku. Bili su zajedno i na putovanju na kojem je Olivia odlučila da želi prekinuti vezu s Markom jer vidi da to ne vodi nikamo. Neko vrijeme ju je pustio na miru. Onda se jednog dana pojavio i rekao da će ostaviti Nathalie ako želi biti s njim, no Olivia je odlučila. Na dan rođendana Marca i Luke, Olivia je otišla na groblje s pjesmom i prstenom koji je kupila za Luku, no onda se neugodno iznenadila kad je vidjela spomenik i njegov natpis za sina i brata i svih potpisanih Felconea. Nigdje nisu naveli da je bio muž, kao ni njezino ime. Bijesna, otišla je do Marinellas`a i počela im govoriti da su licimjerni i kako su mogli, napala je i Marca da joj je mogao reći neki dan, na što se on počeo braniti, a umiješala se Nathalie. Željela joj je reći da je bila s njezinim mužem, iako joj je Marc davao znakove da ne govori, a pritom je shvatila i da je Nahtalie trudna. Da kaže ono što misli, zaustavio ju je svekar Maurizio koji je poslije izašao za njom i ispričao joj se za sve što joj je njegova obitelj učinila. Olivia se nakon toga vratila u London i došla sestri Lynnette u 3 sata u noći. Lynnette ju je primila i kad se Liv malo oporavila, dala joj je Seanov laptop da sve zapiše. Olivia nikad nije preboljela Luku, ljubav svog žvota.
October 6, 2012
I didn't like this book at all! I didn't find it moving in the slightest, in fact I didn't even like Olivia least of all feel empathy for her. She only seemed to care about her own selfish needs and this propensity was displayed in all three of her affairs described in the book.
I found the plot jolted alarmingly its pace and structure. There were times when the characters behaved incongruously which made it hard to believe in them.
This was just a badly-written sickening mix of forbidden love, controlling families and tragic grief.
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