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Sirakūzai
Niujorkiečiai Maiklas ir Lizė atkeliauja į Italiją su savo draugais iš Meino – Finu ir Teilor bei liguistai drovia jų dukra Snou. Ir nuo pat pradžių aišku, jog atostogos – tai proga Finui ir Lizei pabūti dviese. Slapta aistra liepsnoja, pamažu degindama abiejų santuokų pamatus, ir aišku, jog katastrofa neišvengiama. Visi veikėjai meluoja tiek sau, tiek ir kitiems, viskas supainiota. O bomba po pamatais nepaliaujamai tiksi...
„Sirakūzai" – psichologinis romanas apie santuoką, apie apgavystes, kuriomis maitiname kitus ir save, apie tėvus ir vaikus, apie tai, ką padarome, norėdami santuoką išardyti ir ko griebiamės, norėdami ją išsaugoti. Apie skausmą, kurį sukeliame sau ir kitiems. Tai romanas kaip džiazas: savo įvykių versiją pasakoja kiekvienas iš veikėjų, o mes jaučiame, kaip nepaliaujamai kyla įtampa, versdama romaną trileriu.
„Sirakūzai" – psichologinis romanas apie santuoką, apie apgavystes, kuriomis maitiname kitus ir save, apie tėvus ir vaikus, apie tai, ką padarome, norėdami santuoką išardyti ir ko griebiamės, norėdami ją išsaugoti. Apie skausmą, kurį sukeliame sau ir kitiems. Tai romanas kaip džiazas: savo įvykių versiją pasakoja kiekvienas iš veikėjų, o mes jaučiame, kaip nepaliaujamai kyla įtampa, versdama romaną trileriu.
295 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2016
1198 people are currently reading
14348 people want to read
About the author
Delia Ephron
25 books593 followersBestselling author and screenwriter Delia Ephron's most recent novel is Siracusa. Her other novels include The Lion Is In and Hanging Up. She has written humor books for all ages, including How to Eat Like a Child and Do I Have to Say Hello?; and nonfiction, most recently Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.). Her films include You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Her hit play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (co-written with Nora Ephron) ran for more than two years off-Broadway and has been performed all over the world. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,822 reviews
August 14, 2016
Remind me never to go on a couples’ vay-cay, not that it’s actually an idea that would ever cross my mind in the first place. But this book seals the deal; it’s a testament to how it all can go bad, very very bad.
There are two couples who take a vacation together in Italy. I tell you, you’ve never seen a worse bunch of egotists, jerks, and neurotics! Well, to be honest, some aren’t so bad, but cumulatively, they’re one big sad sack, and frankly I wouldn’t want to hang out with any of them. Each person tells their story in alternating chapters, and this really worked for me. Just hearing the different justifications for things they did was fun, plus hearing their secrets made me feel like I was in on something. And getting different perspectives on the same event is always a kick.
There’s also a really creepy 10-year-old daughter, who doesn’t ever talk to us. Just seeing everyone else’s impression of her made her very intriguing.
Ephron writes with such insight, I was eternally interested. She shows us their weaknesses, their selfishness, their jealousies, their secrets, their internal conflicts, their lies. Now that I think of it, they are all pretty much a bunch of weaklings psychologically.
The dialogue is sharp, the actions believable, the locale a great backdrop. (I definitely want to go to Siracusa now, though I highly doubt that will ever happen.) The plot is well-paced. It’s great soap, but there’s also sophistication and depth. I knew a train wreck was coming—Ephron did a good job of foreshadowing it—but how it unfolded wasn’t at all predictable. My smug feeling about what I thought would happen got blown out of the water.
I really like Ephron’s writing. I’ve gone overboard here with the quotes, but I want to give you a feel for why I loved this book. Here are some favorite lines:
“It’s never good to be honest with Taylor. It’s an invitation for her to fix me.”
“Am I meandering? My mother used to draw her finger across her throat whenever I did that. “You are a long trail through the woods, she said. “And in the woods people prefer a shortcut.”
“I enjoy concealing, lying less so. Some may claim otherwise. I did both, do both. A secret is something you can play with, to keep or give away; a gift or a poisoned dart, it can be either. Concealing may be merely letting other people draw conclusions.”
“If you want to write a woman, put in modifiers.”
“Teasing is unacknowledged hostility.”
“By then I knew I wanted to keep my trap shut, but I wanted to make her happy. Like my pop giving Oscar a steak bone when we knew he was going to be put down the next day.”
“There are some people who dump all their misery into marriage, make wedded bliss their neurotic nest, and the best version of them lives outside that ugly place.”
Okay, okay, I must stop with the quotes. Ephron’s writing feels familiar to me, like her ideas are things that might live in my head but just don’t get squirted out so perfectly, or at all. Man, would I have loved to have had Nora and Delia Ephron as my sisters. (At least I think I would have—I might have been traumatized and paralyzed by their brilliance.) I like their view of the world; they see the absurdity of things. And I’ve stolen the idea from them that “everything is copy” (it’s the title of a 2015 great documentary about Nora) as I go around collecting stories. The phrase also helps when I need to find funny in something that started out unfunny.
I was a huge Nora fan for years, and until she died in 2012, I didn’t even know her sister Delia existed. Hello, Delia wrote the great Meg Ryan comedy “You’ve Got Mail” (among many others), but who knew that? I discovered Delia when I read Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc., her wonderful collection of essays that includes a great chapter about Nora’s death. Turns out Delia has written a lot of books; I’ll have to check them out now.
Speaking of movies, this book would make a great Woody-Allen-ish flick. I hope Delia turns it into a screenplay. Unlike most of her other work I’m familiar with, this isn’t a comedy. It’s damn good drama, and I’m so glad I read it. I’ll be the first in line for the movie.
P.S. I hate the cover of this book! I know it’s supposed to represent the lives that were shattered in Siracusa, but all I could see were extremely loud and ugly Sharpie lines that were destroying a perfectly fine picture—and even destroying the words in the title and author name (perhaps the greater sin, since it looks like messed up deletion marks. Help!). I don’t like looking at it, bigtime!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
There are two couples who take a vacation together in Italy. I tell you, you’ve never seen a worse bunch of egotists, jerks, and neurotics! Well, to be honest, some aren’t so bad, but cumulatively, they’re one big sad sack, and frankly I wouldn’t want to hang out with any of them. Each person tells their story in alternating chapters, and this really worked for me. Just hearing the different justifications for things they did was fun, plus hearing their secrets made me feel like I was in on something. And getting different perspectives on the same event is always a kick.
There’s also a really creepy 10-year-old daughter, who doesn’t ever talk to us. Just seeing everyone else’s impression of her made her very intriguing.
Ephron writes with such insight, I was eternally interested. She shows us their weaknesses, their selfishness, their jealousies, their secrets, their internal conflicts, their lies. Now that I think of it, they are all pretty much a bunch of weaklings psychologically.
The dialogue is sharp, the actions believable, the locale a great backdrop. (I definitely want to go to Siracusa now, though I highly doubt that will ever happen.) The plot is well-paced. It’s great soap, but there’s also sophistication and depth. I knew a train wreck was coming—Ephron did a good job of foreshadowing it—but how it unfolded wasn’t at all predictable. My smug feeling about what I thought would happen got blown out of the water.
I really like Ephron’s writing. I’ve gone overboard here with the quotes, but I want to give you a feel for why I loved this book. Here are some favorite lines:
“It’s never good to be honest with Taylor. It’s an invitation for her to fix me.”
“Am I meandering? My mother used to draw her finger across her throat whenever I did that. “You are a long trail through the woods, she said. “And in the woods people prefer a shortcut.”
“I enjoy concealing, lying less so. Some may claim otherwise. I did both, do both. A secret is something you can play with, to keep or give away; a gift or a poisoned dart, it can be either. Concealing may be merely letting other people draw conclusions.”
“If you want to write a woman, put in modifiers.”
“Teasing is unacknowledged hostility.”
“By then I knew I wanted to keep my trap shut, but I wanted to make her happy. Like my pop giving Oscar a steak bone when we knew he was going to be put down the next day.”
“There are some people who dump all their misery into marriage, make wedded bliss their neurotic nest, and the best version of them lives outside that ugly place.”
Okay, okay, I must stop with the quotes. Ephron’s writing feels familiar to me, like her ideas are things that might live in my head but just don’t get squirted out so perfectly, or at all. Man, would I have loved to have had Nora and Delia Ephron as my sisters. (At least I think I would have—I might have been traumatized and paralyzed by their brilliance.) I like their view of the world; they see the absurdity of things. And I’ve stolen the idea from them that “everything is copy” (it’s the title of a 2015 great documentary about Nora) as I go around collecting stories. The phrase also helps when I need to find funny in something that started out unfunny.
I was a huge Nora fan for years, and until she died in 2012, I didn’t even know her sister Delia existed. Hello, Delia wrote the great Meg Ryan comedy “You’ve Got Mail” (among many others), but who knew that? I discovered Delia when I read Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc., her wonderful collection of essays that includes a great chapter about Nora’s death. Turns out Delia has written a lot of books; I’ll have to check them out now.
Speaking of movies, this book would make a great Woody-Allen-ish flick. I hope Delia turns it into a screenplay. Unlike most of her other work I’m familiar with, this isn’t a comedy. It’s damn good drama, and I’m so glad I read it. I’ll be the first in line for the movie.
P.S. I hate the cover of this book! I know it’s supposed to represent the lives that were shattered in Siracusa, but all I could see were extremely loud and ugly Sharpie lines that were destroying a perfectly fine picture—and even destroying the words in the title and author name (perhaps the greater sin, since it looks like messed up deletion marks. Help!). I don’t like looking at it, bigtime!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.
May 4, 2016
I received a copy of Siracusa by Delia Ephron through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Blue Rider Press and to Delia Ephron for the opportunity.
The pages of this book are deeply embedded in my mind.
Delia Ephron takes you along on a travel destination to sunny Siracusa, a little port dotting the waters with fishing boats and small yachts. Your traveling companions are Lizzie who is married to Michael and Taylor who is married to Finn. Tagging along is Taylor and Finn's precocious ten year old daughter, Snow.
The chapters are divided into the perspectives and voices of each character. Darling Snow is an exception. You'll just have to observe her from afar. Ephron shines the light on each one of these individuals as the spotlight widens slowly, not revealing too much, until the lens is opened full-tilt at the end. She is a master in her hard hitting dialogue and her placement of these characters upon the stage of this story is remarkable. You will laugh out loud at some of the antics, tear up during raw revelations, and express frustration at hopelessness.
"Truth was never my friend, an overrated virtue I thought." And like a multitude of Italian ice cream choices, the lies had an artificial flavor, melting into something far from its original intent. Lies cover the walls like stucco here. There is a scene in an ancient cemetery between Lizzie and Michael in which Ephron uses their exchange of words that bear more heaviness than the weight of the archaic headstones surrounding them.
Human nature is an odd fellow. It presents itself in the attire of the moment and soon becomes a quick-change artist in a blink of an eye. Delia Ephron presents a transformation in the lives of these five characters on an eight day trip. These vacationing friends interact with one another leaving a trail of marks and scars. Ephron's writing is superb and merits the 5-Star review. You will see. And, believe me, those pages will certainly follow you home.
The pages of this book are deeply embedded in my mind.
Delia Ephron takes you along on a travel destination to sunny Siracusa, a little port dotting the waters with fishing boats and small yachts. Your traveling companions are Lizzie who is married to Michael and Taylor who is married to Finn. Tagging along is Taylor and Finn's precocious ten year old daughter, Snow.
The chapters are divided into the perspectives and voices of each character. Darling Snow is an exception. You'll just have to observe her from afar. Ephron shines the light on each one of these individuals as the spotlight widens slowly, not revealing too much, until the lens is opened full-tilt at the end. She is a master in her hard hitting dialogue and her placement of these characters upon the stage of this story is remarkable. You will laugh out loud at some of the antics, tear up during raw revelations, and express frustration at hopelessness.
"Truth was never my friend, an overrated virtue I thought." And like a multitude of Italian ice cream choices, the lies had an artificial flavor, melting into something far from its original intent. Lies cover the walls like stucco here. There is a scene in an ancient cemetery between Lizzie and Michael in which Ephron uses their exchange of words that bear more heaviness than the weight of the archaic headstones surrounding them.
Human nature is an odd fellow. It presents itself in the attire of the moment and soon becomes a quick-change artist in a blink of an eye. Delia Ephron presents a transformation in the lives of these five characters on an eight day trip. These vacationing friends interact with one another leaving a trail of marks and scars. Ephron's writing is superb and merits the 5-Star review. You will see. And, believe me, those pages will certainly follow you home.
November 15, 2016
Update: I LOOOOOVVVVEEEEDDDD Diane's recent review of this book!!! --- If THIS book were to win some -best-book-of-the-year --I wouldn't cry! lol
Its another one of my favorite books of the year! Just sooooooo darn good!!!!!!!!! fun fun fun!!!
Naughty pleasures just fit the bill sometimes!!!
"If anyone had really looked into the scandal, like a reporter, Yale would look bad. Instead the entire incident was swept under the Chinese carpet.
"Several years after the play closed, he started telling people," said Lizzie. "Informally.
At dinners. It wasn't news but it was a great story. We love stories. I'll drink to stories."
"Siracusa" should be come a classic!!!!! ITS MASTERFUL!!!!!!
I thought about another classic "Crossing To Safety", ....tracing the lives of two married
couples...( the ins and outs and the personal issues they each faced)...
Taking it up a notch.....(hush-hush...wicked...teasing....dishonorable),
--Delia Ephron sends two married couples - 1 with a child on a
trip to Italy together. Each marriage is complicated. The child is mysterious and vulnerable. Add all these characters together on the island of Siracusa....and things get messy-juicy-and delicious!!! Reading Heaven!!!!
"Michael is a terrific raconteur, a skill he'd honed over his years. In his retellings, he plays with the facts, and I loved that."
ME TOO!!!!!! I loved the way our author told this ENTIRE TALE. There are dozens of wonderful - punch-you-in-the-gut quotes ... but even more than that ... you get inside these characters heads -- you get to know them - and you are hungry for more - more - more... You'll be dying to know where Ephron is going to take us.
THE STORIES continue ... and continue......
DELIA EPHRON is a writing genius!!!!!
The blurp say:
"An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from the bestselling author Delia Ephron, that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily where the secrets they have hidden from each other are exposed and relationships
are unraveled". AS A READER....I WAS ON *FIRE*!!!
Fasten your seat belts. The adventure ride taken with Michael, Lizzie, Finn, Taylor, and Snow, includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and flow velocity in space and time.
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!!
Thank You Penguin Group, Netgalley, and *Delia Ephron*
Its another one of my favorite books of the year! Just sooooooo darn good!!!!!!!!! fun fun fun!!!
Naughty pleasures just fit the bill sometimes!!!
"If anyone had really looked into the scandal, like a reporter, Yale would look bad. Instead the entire incident was swept under the Chinese carpet.
"Several years after the play closed, he started telling people," said Lizzie. "Informally.
At dinners. It wasn't news but it was a great story. We love stories. I'll drink to stories."
"Siracusa" should be come a classic!!!!! ITS MASTERFUL!!!!!!
I thought about another classic "Crossing To Safety", ....tracing the lives of two married
couples...( the ins and outs and the personal issues they each faced)...
Taking it up a notch.....(hush-hush...wicked...teasing....dishonorable),
--Delia Ephron sends two married couples - 1 with a child on a
trip to Italy together. Each marriage is complicated. The child is mysterious and vulnerable. Add all these characters together on the island of Siracusa....and things get messy-juicy-and delicious!!! Reading Heaven!!!!
"Michael is a terrific raconteur, a skill he'd honed over his years. In his retellings, he plays with the facts, and I loved that."
ME TOO!!!!!! I loved the way our author told this ENTIRE TALE. There are dozens of wonderful - punch-you-in-the-gut quotes ... but even more than that ... you get inside these characters heads -- you get to know them - and you are hungry for more - more - more... You'll be dying to know where Ephron is going to take us.
THE STORIES continue ... and continue......
DELIA EPHRON is a writing genius!!!!!
The blurp say:
"An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from the bestselling author Delia Ephron, that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily where the secrets they have hidden from each other are exposed and relationships
are unraveled". AS A READER....I WAS ON *FIRE*!!!
Fasten your seat belts. The adventure ride taken with Michael, Lizzie, Finn, Taylor, and Snow, includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and flow velocity in space and time.
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!!
Thank You Penguin Group, Netgalley, and *Delia Ephron*
August 14, 2016
Some readers have problems when a novel is filled with unlikable characters, for me if the characters are not likable there has to be another draw. Excellent prose, different type of setting or a scenario, plot that can keep me interested. This book is certainly full of unlikable characters. My take: Finn, a charming player, Michael a self centered sleaze, Taylor a controlling neurotic, Snow, at ten is creepiness personified, Lizzie, while she irked and had quirks, I am giving a break, I actually kind of liked her. So, these two couples and the creepy Snow, vacation in Syracuse, and I did love the setting, this tour through a place I had not preciously heard of. There relationships change, fall apart, there is a tragedy, lies are exposed, true colors waved brazenly, and those left standing try to pick up the pieces.
Narrated alternately by all four adults we learn of different situations from many different sides, allows us to form our own opinions. This was an intriguing scenario and I enjoyed how it was written, put together. Ended up really liking this novel. Hard to do, to put together a story where you dislike the people but still find yourself immersed in the story. This author did just that.
Funny aside, after reading this I started another novel and Siracusa was mentioned within the first few pages. So from going to never having heard of a place I heard of it twice within a matter of days.
ARC from publisher.
Narrated alternately by all four adults we learn of different situations from many different sides, allows us to form our own opinions. This was an intriguing scenario and I enjoyed how it was written, put together. Ended up really liking this novel. Hard to do, to put together a story where you dislike the people but still find yourself immersed in the story. This author did just that.
Funny aside, after reading this I started another novel and Siracusa was mentioned within the first few pages. So from going to never having heard of a place I heard of it twice within a matter of days.
ARC from publisher.
July 20, 2017
4.5 stars
Beautiful old-world charm, rich culture and the lure of forbidden fruit; it all comes together and lends a sexy undertone to this exceptional story. Sure, this cast of characters comes off as pompous, arrogant and there’s no denying it makes them unlikeable, but honestly, that was kind of the best part. There’s some shock value and even a touch of humor in their actions and thoughts that I personally found intriguing.
The author’s words transported me to what I pictured in my mind as a breathtaking city. Is it crazy, there’s a part of me that’s dying to check out Siracusa now? Believe me, if it ever does happen, it won’t be a trip my husband and I take with another couple.
Michael, a famous and wholly arrogant writer, and Lizzie, a not so successful journalist, travel to Siracusa with their “friends” - Finn, a restaurateur that comes off as immature, his annoyingly vapid wife Taylor, and their daughter Snow, who can only be described as odd. I use the word “friends” loosely, because when it really boils down to it, the couples don’t have much of anything in common. Their connection hinges on the history between Lizzie and Finn. This is where the forbidden lust and longing comes in.
There are layers upon layers of lies, betrayal, infidelity and even a twist that’s sure to knock your socks off. I was thoroughly impressed with how this story unfolded. There were so many unexpected moments that caught me completely off guard. Things that almost managed to add up to the perfect story—almost. My one and only wish, I wanted a little more for the ending. I wanted the person responsible to be outed. To face some sort of consequences. For there to be more of an acknowledgement of what truly went down.
Based on performance alone, I consider this to be one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to this year. The narrators captured the selfish nature of the characters so perfectly. I might’ve despised the couples for many different reasons, but I can say, I pretty much enjoyed every moment of this story.
Beautiful old-world charm, rich culture and the lure of forbidden fruit; it all comes together and lends a sexy undertone to this exceptional story. Sure, this cast of characters comes off as pompous, arrogant and there’s no denying it makes them unlikeable, but honestly, that was kind of the best part. There’s some shock value and even a touch of humor in their actions and thoughts that I personally found intriguing.
The author’s words transported me to what I pictured in my mind as a breathtaking city. Is it crazy, there’s a part of me that’s dying to check out Siracusa now? Believe me, if it ever does happen, it won’t be a trip my husband and I take with another couple.
Michael, a famous and wholly arrogant writer, and Lizzie, a not so successful journalist, travel to Siracusa with their “friends” - Finn, a restaurateur that comes off as immature, his annoyingly vapid wife Taylor, and their daughter Snow, who can only be described as odd. I use the word “friends” loosely, because when it really boils down to it, the couples don’t have much of anything in common. Their connection hinges on the history between Lizzie and Finn. This is where the forbidden lust and longing comes in.
There are layers upon layers of lies, betrayal, infidelity and even a twist that’s sure to knock your socks off. I was thoroughly impressed with how this story unfolded. There were so many unexpected moments that caught me completely off guard. Things that almost managed to add up to the perfect story—almost. My one and only wish, I wanted a little more for the ending. I wanted the person responsible to be outed. To face some sort of consequences. For there to be more of an acknowledgement of what truly went down.
Based on performance alone, I consider this to be one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to this year. The narrators captured the selfish nature of the characters so perfectly. I might’ve despised the couples for many different reasons, but I can say, I pretty much enjoyed every moment of this story.
July 3, 2016
Don't read Siracusa if you look for books with likeable characters. Do read Siracusa if you like tight tense plots loaded with complicated personalities. Siracusa is told from the perspective of four characters -- two couples -- who travel together for a few days in Italy, including Siracusa in Sicily. It's hard to fathom what drew the two couples together, and even what drew the members of each couple to one another. Each character is deeply flawed, and they all tend to misread each other and what's really going on. Thrown into the mix is Snow, the ten year old child of one of the couples who -- contrary to the adults around her -- seems to know a lot about what is going on around her although -- as the only character without a narrative voice -- she remains quite enigmatic throughout. As a reader, you know that the story is moving toward some kind of nasty denouement, but where it goes is hard to predict -- and I will say no more to avoid spoilers. I suspect this will make for a good summer read -- nothing deep, but Ephron is a very good story teller -- but only if you can stomach a crew of dislikable characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to an advance copy.
May 29, 2016
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
A little soapy, a little sexy, even a little sinister, Delia Ephron's Siracusa is really good. I found myself disliking each character more than the next one, but that made it kind of fun. In fact, this reminded me a little of one of Liane Moriarty's novels—you find the people odious but utterly fascinating and you can't pull yourself away.
Michael and Lizzie are quintessential New Yorkers. He won a Pulitzer for his first play and gained more acclaim for his memoir, but he's having trouble bringing his novel to fruition, and he's fallen behind. Way behind. Lizzie was a writer, too, but somehow she's lost her gift and she can't seem to reclaim it. And she seems to be losing Michael as well—their relationship seems to have lost its spark.
Lizzie decides the solution to everyone's problems is to plan a trip to Italy with friends who live in Maine—Finn, her long-ago boyfriend who still tries to get under her skin; Taylor, his high-maintenance, control-freak of a wife; and Snow, the couple's 11-year-old daughter, who vacillates between almost-painful shyness and hidden manipulation. Michael doesn't want to go on the trip, but Lizzie drags him with her.
The quintet travel from Rome to Siracusa; the latter, which isn't as refined a destination as the former, leaves Taylor unsettled by its lack of luxury and high-end hotels. On this trip, there's flirtation, the revealing of secrets (some intentional, some accidental), feelings of betrayal, the awakening of a strange and potentially dangerous infatuation, and lots and lots of drama.
"And why do most of us want marriage? Crave it for status or for stability that is an illusion. Marriage can't protect you from heartbreak or the random cruelties and unfairnesses life deals out. It's as if we're chicks pecking our way out of our shells, growing into big birds splendid with feathers, and then piece by piece, we put the shells back together, reencasing ourselves, leaving perhaps an eyehole, minimal exposure. Having pecked our way out to live, we work our way back to survive. Deluded, of course. Shells crack easily."
Siracusa is told in alternating points of view among Lizzie, Michael, Finn, and Taylor, in a Rashomon -type style, each one bringing a different perspective to the same incidents, seeing and hearing and feeling something lost on the others. I had this not-unappealing feeling of dread as I read this book, because the characters kept alluded to something, some incident in the future, and I both wanted and didn't want to know what it was. And as I said a thousand prayers of Thanksgiving that I didn't know anyone like this in real life, I found these characters so fascinating in a watching-a-car-crash kind of way.
Perhaps you'll see the ending coming a little quicker than I did, but I don't think it'll detract from your enjoyment of this book if you know what you'll get. I had never read any of Delia Ephron's work, but she is quick with a phrase, skilled with dialogue, and masterful with creating memorable (and perhas a bit creepy) characters. This feels like a beach read but it's so, so much more than that.
First to Read and Blue Rider Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
A little soapy, a little sexy, even a little sinister, Delia Ephron's Siracusa is really good. I found myself disliking each character more than the next one, but that made it kind of fun. In fact, this reminded me a little of one of Liane Moriarty's novels—you find the people odious but utterly fascinating and you can't pull yourself away.
Michael and Lizzie are quintessential New Yorkers. He won a Pulitzer for his first play and gained more acclaim for his memoir, but he's having trouble bringing his novel to fruition, and he's fallen behind. Way behind. Lizzie was a writer, too, but somehow she's lost her gift and she can't seem to reclaim it. And she seems to be losing Michael as well—their relationship seems to have lost its spark.
Lizzie decides the solution to everyone's problems is to plan a trip to Italy with friends who live in Maine—Finn, her long-ago boyfriend who still tries to get under her skin; Taylor, his high-maintenance, control-freak of a wife; and Snow, the couple's 11-year-old daughter, who vacillates between almost-painful shyness and hidden manipulation. Michael doesn't want to go on the trip, but Lizzie drags him with her.
The quintet travel from Rome to Siracusa; the latter, which isn't as refined a destination as the former, leaves Taylor unsettled by its lack of luxury and high-end hotels. On this trip, there's flirtation, the revealing of secrets (some intentional, some accidental), feelings of betrayal, the awakening of a strange and potentially dangerous infatuation, and lots and lots of drama.
"And why do most of us want marriage? Crave it for status or for stability that is an illusion. Marriage can't protect you from heartbreak or the random cruelties and unfairnesses life deals out. It's as if we're chicks pecking our way out of our shells, growing into big birds splendid with feathers, and then piece by piece, we put the shells back together, reencasing ourselves, leaving perhaps an eyehole, minimal exposure. Having pecked our way out to live, we work our way back to survive. Deluded, of course. Shells crack easily."
Siracusa is told in alternating points of view among Lizzie, Michael, Finn, and Taylor, in a Rashomon -type style, each one bringing a different perspective to the same incidents, seeing and hearing and feeling something lost on the others. I had this not-unappealing feeling of dread as I read this book, because the characters kept alluded to something, some incident in the future, and I both wanted and didn't want to know what it was. And as I said a thousand prayers of Thanksgiving that I didn't know anyone like this in real life, I found these characters so fascinating in a watching-a-car-crash kind of way.
Perhaps you'll see the ending coming a little quicker than I did, but I don't think it'll detract from your enjoyment of this book if you know what you'll get. I had never read any of Delia Ephron's work, but she is quick with a phrase, skilled with dialogue, and masterful with creating memorable (and perhas a bit creepy) characters. This feels like a beach read but it's so, so much more than that.
First to Read and Blue Rider Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
July 15, 2016
A solid 4.5 I couldn't stop reading this for very long. This story of two couples and of one of their young daughters on a trip to Siracusa, Italy..all of these individuals kind of messed up and deceitful, made for great entertainment.. I thought it was quite brilliant!
July 8, 2016
Delia Ephron masterfully probes the state of two marriages, New Yorkers Michael and Lizzie, and Maine couple, Finn and Taylor with their daughter, Snow. Michael is a well known writer who has won the Pulitzer, but is struggling with his latest offering of a novel. Lizzie is also a writer but has lost her way. Finn and Lizzie used to be lovers. Finn is a restauranteur and Taylor is busy smothering her strange and manipulative daughter, Snow. Both relationships are crumbling but there is resistance in acknowledging just how deep the problems go. The story gives the POV of the four adults, and this technique makes it clear that no one sees things in the same way.
It is Lizzie that is responsible for the two couples going to Italy and Sicily for a holiday, Michael is less than keen, but goes. The holidaying friends find themselves in the position where they are taking chunks out of each other with drama after drama. Each couple has a complex marriage riddled with deceit, infidelities, betrayal, secrets and there is a rising infatuation. As their relationships unravel, Ephron skilfully creates an atmosphere of unsettling fear which sets the stage for the coming ill wind. The suspense and tension drives the novel to its final conclusion.
The dialogue is superb, the author has a keen understanding of relationships and has created remarkably complex characters. None of the deeply flawed characters are likeable. Ephron has weaved a compelling and mesmerising study of marriages in free fall. I found it a wonderful observational novel that gripped right to the end. Thanks to Penguin Blue Rider Press and Plume for an ARC.
It is Lizzie that is responsible for the two couples going to Italy and Sicily for a holiday, Michael is less than keen, but goes. The holidaying friends find themselves in the position where they are taking chunks out of each other with drama after drama. Each couple has a complex marriage riddled with deceit, infidelities, betrayal, secrets and there is a rising infatuation. As their relationships unravel, Ephron skilfully creates an atmosphere of unsettling fear which sets the stage for the coming ill wind. The suspense and tension drives the novel to its final conclusion.
The dialogue is superb, the author has a keen understanding of relationships and has created remarkably complex characters. None of the deeply flawed characters are likeable. Ephron has weaved a compelling and mesmerising study of marriages in free fall. I found it a wonderful observational novel that gripped right to the end. Thanks to Penguin Blue Rider Press and Plume for an ARC.
November 13, 2016
Two married couples and one tween-aged daughter head to Italy for a relaxing vacation. What could go wrong in this scenario? In this clever and addictive tale, pretty much everything.
This was SOOOO good! It grabbed me by the throat and sucked me in right away. I loved the four different narrators and their alternating short chapters. Ephron masterfully crafted their personae via their narration, observations and dialogue with the other characters. What a bunch - flawed, selfish, naive, dishonest, complicated, HUMAN!! And that enigmatic and manipulative kid, Snow. Holy crap.
I didn't see where this story was ultimately going and I have to give kudos to any book that surprises me.
If you don't like books with unlikeable characters, you may want to steer clear. There are plenty of them here but it's so addictive and fascinating! I am hopeful you will be like me - unable to put it down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Rider Press for an ARC of this novel. This review is based on the hardcover version.
This was SOOOO good! It grabbed me by the throat and sucked me in right away. I loved the four different narrators and their alternating short chapters. Ephron masterfully crafted their personae via their narration, observations and dialogue with the other characters. What a bunch - flawed, selfish, naive, dishonest, complicated, HUMAN!! And that enigmatic and manipulative kid, Snow. Holy crap.
I didn't see where this story was ultimately going and I have to give kudos to any book that surprises me.
If you don't like books with unlikeable characters, you may want to steer clear. There are plenty of them here but it's so addictive and fascinating! I am hopeful you will be like me - unable to put it down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Rider Press for an ARC of this novel. This review is based on the hardcover version.
May 9, 2017
This is like A Room with a View turned on its head. Italy is once again called upon to move characters closer to the truth of who they are. But there’s nothing romantic about the rite of passage here. Behind a thin film of sophisticated civility the four characters in this novel are as infantile, sterile, deluded and ultimately deplorable as each other. They barely share a quality between them. It might have been a better book had the author balanced the shortcomings with some qualities, which perhaps she tried to do with two of the characters, Lizzie and Fin, but for me failed to achieve because there’s often something even more despicable about a tyrant’s fawning disciples than the tyrant himself and Lizzie and Fin were a bit pathetic in their craven subservience to their respective egomaniacal spouses.
Each character narrates his or her version of events as if to a psychoanalyst. It becomes a kind of contest as to who is the most reprehensible. I can imagine this would make a lively topic of debate for a book club.
Because the characters are so closeted in their own egos, so uninspiring as individuals, Siracusa dragged a bit for me until about the half way point when it suddenly fizzes into life as we realise all four will get their fully deserved come uppance. The last half I enjoyed immensely. And the delights of Siracusa itself, especially the food, brought some much needed life affirming animation with which to contrast all the competitive self-serving naval gazing.
Each character narrates his or her version of events as if to a psychoanalyst. It becomes a kind of contest as to who is the most reprehensible. I can imagine this would make a lively topic of debate for a book club.
Because the characters are so closeted in their own egos, so uninspiring as individuals, Siracusa dragged a bit for me until about the half way point when it suddenly fizzes into life as we realise all four will get their fully deserved come uppance. The last half I enjoyed immensely. And the delights of Siracusa itself, especially the food, brought some much needed life affirming animation with which to contrast all the competitive self-serving naval gazing.
August 22, 2016
3.5 stars
I've begun to realize that when it comes to mysteries and suspense, I much prefer the effects rather than the causes. I'd much rather read about how an event takes its toll on someone psychologically, emotionally and relationally, than reading about the illusive switchback of events leading up to the breaking point.
And while in this novel, the climax doesn't really come until near the end, and it's not really much of a plot twist, I was still incredibly engaged throughout the story. Mostly because Ephron is able to create four very distinct, disturbing and untrustworthy voices. Michael, Lizzie, Taylor and Finn all have incredibly narcissistic personalities, and their chapters reflect that by telling the same story in different ways. I enjoyed unpacking each narrative and seeing how the stories overlapped to paint similar or even at times quite different pictures.
If it weren't for the great characters and how the author builds up their images piece by piece throughout the story, I would've really disliked this book. The plot is nothing more than following the two couples, plus one couple's daughter, on their Italian vacation. It's really the secrets they withhold from one another and slowly find out about each other on top of their twisted personalities that make this book better than your average mystery.
I've begun to realize that when it comes to mysteries and suspense, I much prefer the effects rather than the causes. I'd much rather read about how an event takes its toll on someone psychologically, emotionally and relationally, than reading about the illusive switchback of events leading up to the breaking point.
And while in this novel, the climax doesn't really come until near the end, and it's not really much of a plot twist, I was still incredibly engaged throughout the story. Mostly because Ephron is able to create four very distinct, disturbing and untrustworthy voices. Michael, Lizzie, Taylor and Finn all have incredibly narcissistic personalities, and their chapters reflect that by telling the same story in different ways. I enjoyed unpacking each narrative and seeing how the stories overlapped to paint similar or even at times quite different pictures.
If it weren't for the great characters and how the author builds up their images piece by piece throughout the story, I would've really disliked this book. The plot is nothing more than following the two couples, plus one couple's daughter, on their Italian vacation. It's really the secrets they withhold from one another and slowly find out about each other on top of their twisted personalities that make this book better than your average mystery.
August 3, 2016
4.5 stars
I felt unsettled but intrigued the whole time I was reading Siracusa—I knew something bad was coming, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly.
When two couples decide to vacation together to Italy, little do they know that their lives will change forever. Lizzie and Michael travel with Finn and his wife, Taylor, and their strange 10 year old daughter Snow, to Italy. The two couples don’t really like each other—part of the dislike comes from the fact that Lizze and Finn dated 15 years ago.
The narrative consists of Lizzie, Taylor, Finn and Michael’s POV’s. The reader isn’t privy to Snow’s perspective:
Lizzie is using the trip to reconnect with her husband, Michael. She feels like she needs to seduce Michael away from the book he is writing—little does she know that there is more than a book that is drawing Michael away from her. Lizzie is also using the trip to ruffle Taylor’s feathers. Even though she and Finn are no longer together, Lizzie knows that their connection is strong and they have a bond that Finn never has with Taylor.
Taylor and Finn’s marriage crumbled long ago, seemingly after Snow was born. Taylor believes that she married beneath her. She is concerned with image and how others view her. She is obsessed with Snow, and views Snow as her mirror image. She thinks that she can read Snow and that they share the same thoughts and feelings—little does she know.
Finn, a restaurateur, plays husband and father, but has a life of his own. He spends little time with Taylor and Snow. He is good-looking and thrives on getting attention. He cares about Lizzie and seems more concerned with her married life than his own.
Michael is self-involved. He often thinks about what his characters would say/do. He thought his marriage to Lizzie was over, as he was ready to leave her for a younger, less intelligent woman prior to their trip. However, in Rome his feelings for Lizzie have reignited and he realizes he wants to stay married to her.
Then there is Snow—there is something very odd about her. Taylor believes it’s because Snow has “extreme shyness disorder,” while Finn thinks nothing is wrong with her. During the trip, Snow has become obsessed with Michael, hanging on his every word.
Events come to a head when the five arrive in Siracusa—truths emerge and a startling event shakes up all of their lives.
The writing of Siracusa drew mean. I didn’t really like any of the characters, but I found them to be developed and their voices felt real. I would recommend if you are in the mood for a suspenseful, read!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I felt unsettled but intrigued the whole time I was reading Siracusa—I knew something bad was coming, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly.
When two couples decide to vacation together to Italy, little do they know that their lives will change forever. Lizzie and Michael travel with Finn and his wife, Taylor, and their strange 10 year old daughter Snow, to Italy. The two couples don’t really like each other—part of the dislike comes from the fact that Lizze and Finn dated 15 years ago.
The narrative consists of Lizzie, Taylor, Finn and Michael’s POV’s. The reader isn’t privy to Snow’s perspective:
Lizzie is using the trip to reconnect with her husband, Michael. She feels like she needs to seduce Michael away from the book he is writing—little does she know that there is more than a book that is drawing Michael away from her. Lizzie is also using the trip to ruffle Taylor’s feathers. Even though she and Finn are no longer together, Lizzie knows that their connection is strong and they have a bond that Finn never has with Taylor.
Taylor and Finn’s marriage crumbled long ago, seemingly after Snow was born. Taylor believes that she married beneath her. She is concerned with image and how others view her. She is obsessed with Snow, and views Snow as her mirror image. She thinks that she can read Snow and that they share the same thoughts and feelings—little does she know.
Finn, a restaurateur, plays husband and father, but has a life of his own. He spends little time with Taylor and Snow. He is good-looking and thrives on getting attention. He cares about Lizzie and seems more concerned with her married life than his own.
Michael is self-involved. He often thinks about what his characters would say/do. He thought his marriage to Lizzie was over, as he was ready to leave her for a younger, less intelligent woman prior to their trip. However, in Rome his feelings for Lizzie have reignited and he realizes he wants to stay married to her.
Then there is Snow—there is something very odd about her. Taylor believes it’s because Snow has “extreme shyness disorder,” while Finn thinks nothing is wrong with her. During the trip, Snow has become obsessed with Michael, hanging on his every word.
Events come to a head when the five arrive in Siracusa—truths emerge and a startling event shakes up all of their lives.
The writing of Siracusa drew mean. I didn’t really like any of the characters, but I found them to be developed and their voices felt real. I would recommend if you are in the mood for a suspenseful, read!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2016
Siracusa by Delia Ephron is a 2016 Blue Rider Press publication.
Edgy, suspenseful, and utterly absorbing!!
The synopsis promises the reader a trip to Italy, to Siracusa, in particular, with two married couples, Lizzie and Michael and Finn and Taylor. What starts off as a seemingly ideal and romantic vacation quickly deflates as the two couples experience marital discord, divulge and uncover secrets and sins, and flirt with disaster until it all blows up spectacularly. But underneath this explosive veneer, something far more sinister is brewing, something that will slowly sneak up behind you, and when it finally taps you on the shoulder, the hair will stand up on the back of your neck and shivers will run down your spine, and ultimately leave you shaken and very, very, uneasy.
Lizzie and Michael have been married for a good while, but are childless. He’s a famous writer, while Lizzie sticks to smaller projects. The couple are vacationing with Finn and Taylor, along with their pre-teen daughter, Snow.
Finn and Lizzie share a romantic past, which immediately brings tension to the situation. Michael’s always working on his novel, even it’s just in his head, and is constantly preoccupied, but, he is also hiding a huge secret, one that has him obsessing, but is weighing him down at the same time.
Taylor is totally disconnected from everyone, but her daughter, to the point of unhealthy obsession, as well as constantly trying to look chic, well dressed and put together, while, Snow suffers from extreme shyness, and quietly lurks in the background, allowing her mother to smother her at will.
The location is central to the story almost like a character in its own right. The old world charm should be soothing, relaxing, and romantic, but turns out to be anything but, as events unravel with lightning speed once they arrive in Siracusa.
Each of the adult characters tells the reader their version of events as they unfold, which highlights their self-absorption, and weaknesses, proving they are flawed on many levels, and I can’t say I sympathized with any of them all that much, but did wind up cheering for one them in the end.
The story is very well written, moves along at a brisk pace, and pops with sassy dialogue, and a bit of dark humor thrown in for good measure.
I was on the edge of my seat almost from the beginning, sensing something catastrophic was going to occur, while I watched the two couples try to create the illusion of a solid marriage, while they duke it out verbally and emotionally, riding a train that was obviously headed for derailment, but I never in a million years could have guessed how things would end up. There is a stunning development that leads to an even bigger and more shocking twist, you will never see coming, one that will change the lives of these five people forevermore.
I really liked this book and appreciated the author’s style, which is original and refreshing.
This story is deceptively clever, deliciously wicked and sly, and will leave you both amused and unsettled!
Fans of contemporary fiction will enjoy this one, but so will those who enjoy novels of suspense and mysteries.
4 stars
Edgy, suspenseful, and utterly absorbing!!
The synopsis promises the reader a trip to Italy, to Siracusa, in particular, with two married couples, Lizzie and Michael and Finn and Taylor. What starts off as a seemingly ideal and romantic vacation quickly deflates as the two couples experience marital discord, divulge and uncover secrets and sins, and flirt with disaster until it all blows up spectacularly. But underneath this explosive veneer, something far more sinister is brewing, something that will slowly sneak up behind you, and when it finally taps you on the shoulder, the hair will stand up on the back of your neck and shivers will run down your spine, and ultimately leave you shaken and very, very, uneasy.
Lizzie and Michael have been married for a good while, but are childless. He’s a famous writer, while Lizzie sticks to smaller projects. The couple are vacationing with Finn and Taylor, along with their pre-teen daughter, Snow.
Finn and Lizzie share a romantic past, which immediately brings tension to the situation. Michael’s always working on his novel, even it’s just in his head, and is constantly preoccupied, but, he is also hiding a huge secret, one that has him obsessing, but is weighing him down at the same time.
Taylor is totally disconnected from everyone, but her daughter, to the point of unhealthy obsession, as well as constantly trying to look chic, well dressed and put together, while, Snow suffers from extreme shyness, and quietly lurks in the background, allowing her mother to smother her at will.
The location is central to the story almost like a character in its own right. The old world charm should be soothing, relaxing, and romantic, but turns out to be anything but, as events unravel with lightning speed once they arrive in Siracusa.
Each of the adult characters tells the reader their version of events as they unfold, which highlights their self-absorption, and weaknesses, proving they are flawed on many levels, and I can’t say I sympathized with any of them all that much, but did wind up cheering for one them in the end.
The story is very well written, moves along at a brisk pace, and pops with sassy dialogue, and a bit of dark humor thrown in for good measure.
I was on the edge of my seat almost from the beginning, sensing something catastrophic was going to occur, while I watched the two couples try to create the illusion of a solid marriage, while they duke it out verbally and emotionally, riding a train that was obviously headed for derailment, but I never in a million years could have guessed how things would end up. There is a stunning development that leads to an even bigger and more shocking twist, you will never see coming, one that will change the lives of these five people forevermore.
I really liked this book and appreciated the author’s style, which is original and refreshing.
This story is deceptively clever, deliciously wicked and sly, and will leave you both amused and unsettled!
Fans of contemporary fiction will enjoy this one, but so will those who enjoy novels of suspense and mysteries.
4 stars
July 17, 2016
Why did this get such good reviews? I thought the characters were one-dimensional and the "surprise" was telegraphed early on in the book. It was well-written and an interesting set-up, but ultimately unsatisfying.
July 1, 2017
Siracusa is a wonderfully small and old town in Italy. The setting for a story told through four perspectives and one I was riveted in from the beginning. I could physically see this book being played out in my head, and got so entangled in the characters- all of which are so unlikable you end up missing them when you set this book down. Two married couples- Lizzie & Michael, and Finn & Taylor head on this trip that Lizzie has coordinated. Taylor and Finn bring their 10 year old daughter Snow, who is as weird as her moniker. The prose is dripping in tension, and I couldn't stop turning the pages in order to find out JUST WHAT happens. It all leads up to an appropriate ending, one I found myself satisfied with, and the writing just carries this one home for me.
The characterizations were strong and invited you in to the characters who you hated and loved all at the same time. Writing was perfectly verbose with hints of snark. I will be reaching for more books by Delia Ephron.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin- Blue Rider Press & Plume for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The characterizations were strong and invited you in to the characters who you hated and loved all at the same time. Writing was perfectly verbose with hints of snark. I will be reaching for more books by Delia Ephron.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin- Blue Rider Press & Plume for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 24, 2016
Looking back now, reading this was similar to reading a Patricia Highsmith novel. Two couples and a very weird child take a trip to Siracusa and nothing will ever be the same again. Love triangles, naughty desires, sophisticated and rich prose--all here. Personally, I quite enjoyed the story as each character and their quirks are revealed, even though I couldn't relate to any of them. Sort of liked Lizzy, though, starting from the point early on when she said she didn't go in for using hand sanitizers. Me neither! They don't remove dust and dirt and are just plain gross. Lizzy, thank you, it needed to be said!
But that has not much to do with the plot of course. Not much can be said about that without ruining all the small reveals that lead up to the BIG reveal. The ending and what all the adults decided to do about the big little problem is just crazy. I highly recommend the audio too.
But that has not much to do with the plot of course. Not much can be said about that without ruining all the small reveals that lead up to the BIG reveal. The ending and what all the adults decided to do about the big little problem is just crazy. I highly recommend the audio too.
October 26, 2017
Siracusa was almost a perfect novel.
Two American couples take a one week trip to Italy (who travels that far for only one week? I know Americans don't get many days of paid leave, still...).
Who are they? Michael Shapner and Lizzie Ross are New Yorkers, Michael is a Pulitzer winner who hasn't written anything in a long time, Lizzie is a free-lance writer. They're joined on the trip by Taylor and Finn Dolan, and their beautiful but extremely shy ten-year-old daughter, Snow. Finn is a successful restaurateur and Taylor works for Portland tourism agency.
They're affluent people, some more snobbish than others. On this trip, they do the usual, visit some tourist attractions, walk the streets and eat out.
Each adult gets to voice their views in alternating chapters and so we get to know all of them, warts and all. Under those polished, sophisticated appearances there are lots of warts. No two relationships are the same, as no two people are the same. The group dynamics change and shift. The seemingly angel-looking child is always present and connects the couples.
There's so much to sink your teeth into. Don't expect to fall in love with any of the characters, they're highly unlikeable, but also extremely realistic.
This is not a feel-good novel, but man, it's so good, so gritty and captivating, with a terrific twist and some fabulously perverse characters.
Highly recommend it.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Two American couples take a one week trip to Italy (who travels that far for only one week? I know Americans don't get many days of paid leave, still...).
Who are they? Michael Shapner and Lizzie Ross are New Yorkers, Michael is a Pulitzer winner who hasn't written anything in a long time, Lizzie is a free-lance writer. They're joined on the trip by Taylor and Finn Dolan, and their beautiful but extremely shy ten-year-old daughter, Snow. Finn is a successful restaurateur and Taylor works for Portland tourism agency.
They're affluent people, some more snobbish than others. On this trip, they do the usual, visit some tourist attractions, walk the streets and eat out.
Each adult gets to voice their views in alternating chapters and so we get to know all of them, warts and all. Under those polished, sophisticated appearances there are lots of warts. No two relationships are the same, as no two people are the same. The group dynamics change and shift. The seemingly angel-looking child is always present and connects the couples.
There's so much to sink your teeth into. Don't expect to fall in love with any of the characters, they're highly unlikeable, but also extremely realistic.
This is not a feel-good novel, but man, it's so good, so gritty and captivating, with a terrific twist and some fabulously perverse characters.
Highly recommend it.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
November 24, 2016
Ephron pulled me in from the start. This author's writing style is so entertaining with her characters' descriptions that you enjoy disliking everyone of them--even the kid--especially for me, the kid. Not a likable one in the bunch! At first, I wondered who was controlling who but that soon became apparent not far into the storyline. The egotism was rampant.
The only uplifting feature of this intense character-based novel was that Ephron would intermittently treat the reader to snippets of Rome. Having been to Italy, I actually felt I was there again, when certain landmarks were visited. I wanted to linger. I didn't want to leave the City. I was enjoying the sightseeing--could practically taste the food and wine--visualize the works of art. Enjoyed the walks through the narrow, ancient streets, in spite of the fictional people I was with. THEN, we find ourselves in "Siracusa," and the book really picks up speed.
What could go wrong in historic, romantic Italy? With Delia Ephron as your tour guide, you're in for a wild journey. What a trip!
Would highly recommend this book.
The only uplifting feature of this intense character-based novel was that Ephron would intermittently treat the reader to snippets of Rome. Having been to Italy, I actually felt I was there again, when certain landmarks were visited. I wanted to linger. I didn't want to leave the City. I was enjoying the sightseeing--could practically taste the food and wine--visualize the works of art. Enjoyed the walks through the narrow, ancient streets, in spite of the fictional people I was with. THEN, we find ourselves in "Siracusa," and the book really picks up speed.
What could go wrong in historic, romantic Italy? With Delia Ephron as your tour guide, you're in for a wild journey. What a trip!
Would highly recommend this book.
April 24, 2017
A snappy literary thriller about two American couples who take a holiday together to the Sicilian island of Siracusa. Shifting between the perspectives of the four main characters, the novel looks back to ask what went so disastrously wrong on that trip. All four voices are distinct and believable. That’s not to say they’re likable, though; the two men, in particular, are fairly despicable. But it’s ten-year-old Snow who’s the most intriguing character here. She is like a blank that the others project their own ideas onto, and struck me as a modern version of the title character in Henry James’s What Maisie Knew. This psychological thriller dramatizes the situation of Americans abroad in a manner reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith’s (especially in The Talented Mr. Ripley) and explores the secrets that haunt many a marriage. A delicious story, ripe for a cinematic adaptation.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
See my full review at The Bookbag.
June 27, 2016
Two couples, both with rocky marriages, travel to Rome and Siracusa on a joint vacation. Michael and Lizzie live in New York City, while Finn and Taylor hail from Portland, Maine. There's also a 5th wheel on their Italian holiday - Snow, 10-year old daughter of Finn and Taylor, and a child I can only describe as peculiar. Actually, the whole group is odd, and downright unlikable, yet I couldn't put this book down. Lots of secrets, lies, and betrayal, and as each of these characters tells his or her side of the story, you have to wonder who's reliable and what it is all leading up to. There was always an ominous feeling that something bad was just around the corner. This was my first Delia Ephron novel, and I enjoyed her writing style very much. Complex, messed up characters and a nice build up of tension.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Penguin's First to Read Program.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Penguin's First to Read Program.
July 18, 2016
What a tangled web they weave as five neurotic individuals - two couples (with romantic history been them) and one child - travel to Siracusa, on vacation. The story is told in short chapters, alternating among the four adults. As secrets are exposed, things begin to fall apart quickly.
This was my first Delia Ephron novel. Her film You've Got Mail is one of my favorites that I seem to watch every year! Her style of writing reminds me of Liane Moriarty's.
I listened to the audio version of this book and thought the narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life.
4.5 stars for an entertaining summer read!
This was my first Delia Ephron novel. Her film You've Got Mail is one of my favorites that I seem to watch every year! Her style of writing reminds me of Liane Moriarty's.
I listened to the audio version of this book and thought the narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life.
4.5 stars for an entertaining summer read!
May 23, 2025
Really good story written by a well known movie script writer and this book could definitely be a movie. Two couples go on a vacation to Italy. The one couple takes their daughter. Their visit to Siracusa changed their lives forever and there's a mystery there because from the beginning you know something major is going to happen but you're never really sure what it is. All the characters have issues! Look forward to reading another book by this author. I did not want to put this one down but life and work kept getting in the way!LOL
September 26, 2016
I LOVE novels about marriages. I have enjoyed author Delia Ephron’s previous literary works. She and her sister are queens of turning abnormal psychology whacky. “Siracusa” is Ephron’s homage to marriage, motherhood, and friendships, with a hefty dose of functional dysfunction (although some would care to differ on the functional aspect).
Two couples decide to vacation together in Italy. The common thread to the friendship is that the wife of one couple long ago dated the husband of the second couple. The story unfolds in retrospect from each person’s POV. From the start, the reader learns that something amiss occurred during the trip. Each character provides their “interpretation” of events that occur up to the climax of the novel.
The only main character who doesn’t have a voice (and I mean that in more ways than one) is one of the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, Snow. Snow suffers from an extreme shyness disorder. She clucks in lieu of verbally responding, and when she does respond, it’s barely a whisper. Snow’s relationship with her mother is beyond ridiculous.
As the story unfolds, the reader is treated with Ephron’s renowned humor to dysfunction. Not only are the individual people in the marriages whacky, their marriages are a mystery, although that could be said of any of our marriages. Ephron adds to the bizarre reflections by having each character under the supervision of their own personal psychology Therapist. Their therapists’ opinions are noted in each characters rendition of the facts. Have you ever had a friend who begins her/his opinion with “my therapist thinks…..” Or “my therapist says…” and that person thinks it’s the word of God??? Well, these are those people.
This is a wonderful depiction of marriage with a mystery involved. Not until the end does the reader fully understand what the turning event was that caused them all to seek therapy. As the story progresses, the ending isn’t much of a surprise, as Ephron foreshadowed the ending in many ways. There were clues.
I strongly recommend this for those who love humor and a great examination of marriage. What are marriages built upon? Is denial necessarily a bad thing? Ephron hits another out of the park!
Two couples decide to vacation together in Italy. The common thread to the friendship is that the wife of one couple long ago dated the husband of the second couple. The story unfolds in retrospect from each person’s POV. From the start, the reader learns that something amiss occurred during the trip. Each character provides their “interpretation” of events that occur up to the climax of the novel.
The only main character who doesn’t have a voice (and I mean that in more ways than one) is one of the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, Snow. Snow suffers from an extreme shyness disorder. She clucks in lieu of verbally responding, and when she does respond, it’s barely a whisper. Snow’s relationship with her mother is beyond ridiculous.
As the story unfolds, the reader is treated with Ephron’s renowned humor to dysfunction. Not only are the individual people in the marriages whacky, their marriages are a mystery, although that could be said of any of our marriages. Ephron adds to the bizarre reflections by having each character under the supervision of their own personal psychology Therapist. Their therapists’ opinions are noted in each characters rendition of the facts. Have you ever had a friend who begins her/his opinion with “my therapist thinks…..” Or “my therapist says…” and that person thinks it’s the word of God??? Well, these are those people.
This is a wonderful depiction of marriage with a mystery involved. Not until the end does the reader fully understand what the turning event was that caused them all to seek therapy. As the story progresses, the ending isn’t much of a surprise, as Ephron foreshadowed the ending in many ways. There were clues.
I strongly recommend this for those who love humor and a great examination of marriage. What are marriages built upon? Is denial necessarily a bad thing? Ephron hits another out of the park!
August 2, 2016
One day recently we were listening to NPR on the way into the city and heard an excellent interview with Delia Ephron about her new book, Siracusa. It sounded so good! I checked to see if it might be available from NetGalley and was thrilled that it was and was later approved for it. Many thanks to Delia Ephron, Blue Rider Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fine, intriguing novel.
The book is basically about marriage and deception, with a dash of travelogue thrown in. Two couples decide to vacation together in Italy, meeting in Rome and continuing on to the island of Siracusa, near Sicily. One is a literary couple from New York City: Michael, who achieved great fame at a young age for a play and a memoir but has been struggling to write his next novel; and Lizzie, who has done free-lance work for magazines in the past but nothing much of late. With them are the Dolans: Finn, who owns a restaurant in Portland, Maine; Taylor, who works in tourism for the city, and their ten-year-old daughter, Snow.
The story is told in turns by the four adults, looking back on what happened on that trip. Finn and Lizzie have a romantic history that is still slightly smoldering. Taylor is completely wrapped up in her daughter who is extraordinarily shy. Michael is hiding a few secrets...but secrets have the nasty habit of coming to light when you least expect them.
By telling the story from these four points of view, Ephron allows the reader to really get into her characters' heads--what they are thinking, planning, feeling. The only unknown is the little girl who rarely speaks but is observing and absorbing everything--things often much too mature for a ten-year-old to understand. Which leads to some very interesting consequences...
The book is basically about marriage and deception, with a dash of travelogue thrown in. Two couples decide to vacation together in Italy, meeting in Rome and continuing on to the island of Siracusa, near Sicily. One is a literary couple from New York City: Michael, who achieved great fame at a young age for a play and a memoir but has been struggling to write his next novel; and Lizzie, who has done free-lance work for magazines in the past but nothing much of late. With them are the Dolans: Finn, who owns a restaurant in Portland, Maine; Taylor, who works in tourism for the city, and their ten-year-old daughter, Snow.
The story is told in turns by the four adults, looking back on what happened on that trip. Finn and Lizzie have a romantic history that is still slightly smoldering. Taylor is completely wrapped up in her daughter who is extraordinarily shy. Michael is hiding a few secrets...but secrets have the nasty habit of coming to light when you least expect them.
By telling the story from these four points of view, Ephron allows the reader to really get into her characters' heads--what they are thinking, planning, feeling. The only unknown is the little girl who rarely speaks but is observing and absorbing everything--things often much too mature for a ten-year-old to understand. Which leads to some very interesting consequences...
July 29, 2016
Don't waste your time
Very disappointed . Was lured in by the Ephron name. Cast of thoroughly unlikable self absorbed people. Glad it was short.
Very disappointed . Was lured in by the Ephron name. Cast of thoroughly unlikable self absorbed people. Glad it was short.
July 14, 2018
I thought this would be a good vacation read but it is so boring and unpleasant that even though I’m on page 209 (of a 279 page book) I’m stopping. I don’t care what happens to any of the characters and I never want to hear from them again.
September 1, 2018
Carnage in salsa barbecue
Quando ho letto con un occhio solo la sinossi - che ormai lo spoiler è praticato da molti, anche dalle case editrici, e quindi sempre in agguato - e subito dopo aver letto i primi due capitoli, ho pensato di avere fra le mani una storia alla Yasmina Reza.
Ora, dopo averlo concluso, mi sono trovata a pensare a che razza di storia ne sarebbe potuta venire fuori se lo stesso romanzo l’avesse scritto Yasmina Reza.
Non mi capita spesso di pensare a come potrebbe essere una storia se a narrarla fosse stato un autore anziché un altro, a pensarci bene, forse, mi è successo solo un’altra volta, quando ho immaginato come sarebbe stata Terry, la moglie tradita di Non abitiamo più qui di Dubus, se a raccontare del loro matrimonio fosse stata Alice Munro.
In quel caso, però, si sarebbe trattato di cambiare il punto di vista della storia, di abbandonare quello di Hank per adottare quello di Terry, mentre qui, immagino, il meccanismo sarebbe potuto essere la stesso scelto da Delia Ephron: due coppie sulla trentina, non particolarmente amiche - anzi, l’unica cosa che Lizzie e Michael, newyorkesi rampanti (giornalista lei, scrittore di successo lui) e Finn e Taylor (lui gestisce un ristorante nel più tranquillo ed elitario Maine e lei è una splendida e iper apprensiva mamma) hanno in comune è il flirt che Lizzie e Finn hanno avuto ai tempi del college - decidono di andare a fare un viaggio insieme in Italia e il racconto di questo viaggio avviene, di volta in volta, ascoltando la voce di uno dei quattro. Sin dall’inizio si rivelano e delineano simpatie e antipatie, gelosie e insofferenze dei quattro (più uno, perché anche Snow, la silenziosa e apatica figlia decenne della coppia del Maine, è in viaggio con loro), e sin dall’inizio si iniziano a creare situazioni e alleanze inattese, che il lettore ha modo di vedere e rivedere, ogni volta facendo un passo avanti nella narrazione, da diverse angolazioni, narrate da uno dei quattro protagonisti.
Il meccanismo, come dicevo, è gradevole, così come gradevole e brillante è la scrittura di Delia Ephron (sorella della più famosa Nora, anche lei sceneggiatrice hollywoodiana - insieme, tra gli altri, sono state autrici del film C’è posta per te), così come sono gradevoli, familiari e rassicuranti, per noi lettori italiani, i luoghi in cui si svolgono gran parte del romanzo e del viaggio: a una prima tappa in una Roma estiva e affollata, segue un soggiorno più lungo (e tanto atteso e desiderato da Lizzie) a Siracusa, dove l’accecante luce del Mediterraneo e del barocco siciliano diventano il teatro dell’entrata in scena del personaggio che farà saltare i già precari equilibri.
Trovo, però, che Delia Ephron l’abbia tirata un po’ troppo per le lunghe, che probabilmente avesse già in mente il film - è molto cinematografico, io lo girerei, e almeno un’interprete l’avrei anche già in mente - e che per questo abbia indugiato in scene, dialoghi e descrizioni, penalizzando una narrazione che all’inizio prometteva di essere non solo scoppiettante, ma anche di avere una buona dose di quel cinismo che mi aveva fatto pensare all’autrice francese. Ecco, se non avesse esagerato, a mio avviso, con qualche lungaggine di troppo, e se non avesse abusato di qualche cliché relativo alla descrizione del Belpaese (non c’è niente da fare, quando gli artisti americani si avventurano a descrivere l’Italia, che sia Woody Allen o che sia Delia Ephron, qualche luogo comune ormai abusato salta sempre fuori), se avesse eliminato qualche pagina, sarei scivolata verso un finale con venature noir a suo modo inatteso e sorprendente, con maggior soddisfazione e sorpresa.
Quando ho letto con un occhio solo la sinossi - che ormai lo spoiler è praticato da molti, anche dalle case editrici, e quindi sempre in agguato - e subito dopo aver letto i primi due capitoli, ho pensato di avere fra le mani una storia alla Yasmina Reza.
Ora, dopo averlo concluso, mi sono trovata a pensare a che razza di storia ne sarebbe potuta venire fuori se lo stesso romanzo l’avesse scritto Yasmina Reza.
Non mi capita spesso di pensare a come potrebbe essere una storia se a narrarla fosse stato un autore anziché un altro, a pensarci bene, forse, mi è successo solo un’altra volta, quando ho immaginato come sarebbe stata Terry, la moglie tradita di Non abitiamo più qui di Dubus, se a raccontare del loro matrimonio fosse stata Alice Munro.
In quel caso, però, si sarebbe trattato di cambiare il punto di vista della storia, di abbandonare quello di Hank per adottare quello di Terry, mentre qui, immagino, il meccanismo sarebbe potuto essere la stesso scelto da Delia Ephron: due coppie sulla trentina, non particolarmente amiche - anzi, l’unica cosa che Lizzie e Michael, newyorkesi rampanti (giornalista lei, scrittore di successo lui) e Finn e Taylor (lui gestisce un ristorante nel più tranquillo ed elitario Maine e lei è una splendida e iper apprensiva mamma) hanno in comune è il flirt che Lizzie e Finn hanno avuto ai tempi del college - decidono di andare a fare un viaggio insieme in Italia e il racconto di questo viaggio avviene, di volta in volta, ascoltando la voce di uno dei quattro. Sin dall’inizio si rivelano e delineano simpatie e antipatie, gelosie e insofferenze dei quattro (più uno, perché anche Snow, la silenziosa e apatica figlia decenne della coppia del Maine, è in viaggio con loro), e sin dall’inizio si iniziano a creare situazioni e alleanze inattese, che il lettore ha modo di vedere e rivedere, ogni volta facendo un passo avanti nella narrazione, da diverse angolazioni, narrate da uno dei quattro protagonisti.
Il meccanismo, come dicevo, è gradevole, così come gradevole e brillante è la scrittura di Delia Ephron (sorella della più famosa Nora, anche lei sceneggiatrice hollywoodiana - insieme, tra gli altri, sono state autrici del film C’è posta per te), così come sono gradevoli, familiari e rassicuranti, per noi lettori italiani, i luoghi in cui si svolgono gran parte del romanzo e del viaggio: a una prima tappa in una Roma estiva e affollata, segue un soggiorno più lungo (e tanto atteso e desiderato da Lizzie) a Siracusa, dove l’accecante luce del Mediterraneo e del barocco siciliano diventano il teatro dell’entrata in scena del personaggio che farà saltare i già precari equilibri.
Trovo, però, che Delia Ephron l’abbia tirata un po’ troppo per le lunghe, che probabilmente avesse già in mente il film - è molto cinematografico, io lo girerei, e almeno un’interprete l’avrei anche già in mente - e che per questo abbia indugiato in scene, dialoghi e descrizioni, penalizzando una narrazione che all’inizio prometteva di essere non solo scoppiettante, ma anche di avere una buona dose di quel cinismo che mi aveva fatto pensare all’autrice francese. Ecco, se non avesse esagerato, a mio avviso, con qualche lungaggine di troppo, e se non avesse abusato di qualche cliché relativo alla descrizione del Belpaese (non c’è niente da fare, quando gli artisti americani si avventurano a descrivere l’Italia, che sia Woody Allen o che sia Delia Ephron, qualche luogo comune ormai abusato salta sempre fuori), se avesse eliminato qualche pagina, sarei scivolata verso un finale con venature noir a suo modo inatteso e sorprendente, con maggior soddisfazione e sorpresa.
May 20, 2016
I received this book from Net Galley. Thank you.
I really liked this book which is amazing as I didn't like any of the characters. Not one. They all deserve each other and what happens. Yet it oddly doesn't effect how good this book really is. Two married couples, one with a 10 year old daughter named Snow, vacation together in Italy. They first visit Rome and then go to Siracusa in Sicily.
The childless couple, Michael and Lizzie, have based their marriage on lies. They both know that and revel in it. Michael is a semi famous author. Lizzie is also a writer whose work is drying up. The other couple, Finn and Taylor, have quite an interesting marriage. Taylor is wrapped up in Snow who apparently suffers from extreme shyness. Taylor talks for her and interprets her grunts. Both Taylor and Snow are a little in love with Michael.
As they interact with each other, the veils in their marriages come off to reveal the faults and patches of it. It's really interesting because I didn't find anyone to root for so I just sat back and let the story evolve.
This was a very satisfying read, surprisingly, and I highly recommend it.
I really liked this book which is amazing as I didn't like any of the characters. Not one. They all deserve each other and what happens. Yet it oddly doesn't effect how good this book really is. Two married couples, one with a 10 year old daughter named Snow, vacation together in Italy. They first visit Rome and then go to Siracusa in Sicily.
The childless couple, Michael and Lizzie, have based their marriage on lies. They both know that and revel in it. Michael is a semi famous author. Lizzie is also a writer whose work is drying up. The other couple, Finn and Taylor, have quite an interesting marriage. Taylor is wrapped up in Snow who apparently suffers from extreme shyness. Taylor talks for her and interprets her grunts. Both Taylor and Snow are a little in love with Michael.
As they interact with each other, the veils in their marriages come off to reveal the faults and patches of it. It's really interesting because I didn't find anyone to root for so I just sat back and let the story evolve.
This was a very satisfying read, surprisingly, and I highly recommend it.
November 21, 2017
An Italian setting, unlikable characters, a creepy "shy" 10 year old, dysfunction, lies and secrets. What's not to like? We find out from the first pages that things don't turn out so well on a week long vacation in Italy, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough in this well-written novel to find out what happened.
I won't go into the plot. I think it's best for readers to go in knowing little to nothing, but I will say the story is told in 4 alternating voices that allows us to get inside each character's messy head. It's great to read the different perspectives of the same events. The twist near the end was well executed.
I read this on vacation and I'm very happy to be enjoying a week alone with my husband :)
I won't go into the plot. I think it's best for readers to go in knowing little to nothing, but I will say the story is told in 4 alternating voices that allows us to get inside each character's messy head. It's great to read the different perspectives of the same events. The twist near the end was well executed.
I read this on vacation and I'm very happy to be enjoying a week alone with my husband :)
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