Taking Tuscany

A.J. #2

by Renee Riva

A. J. Degulio loved the idea of a visit to the Old Country... until her family decided to stay. It's 1972 and she's turning fourteen in a crumbling castle on a hill in Tuscany, wishing she were back in Idaho with her beloved dog, Sailor. In Italy, her blonde hair makes her stick out like a vanilla wafer in a box of chocolate biscotti, and she's so lonely her best friend is a nun from the local convent.
The challenges of roots and relatives are nothing new to A. J., but she's going to need more than the famous Degulio sense of humor to survive. Can't anyone see that Italy isn't really home? It will take a catastrophe - and a few wise words from a friend - for A. J. to understand that sometimes the only thing you can change is your perspective.

Genres: Italy, Christian, Fiction, Family, Animals, Christian Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Renee Riva has been writing humorous stories ever since she won her first writing contest in second grade. She now has over 20 titles and writes inspirational fiction for David C. Cook, and clean romance for Forget Me Not Romances. Her main categories are: coming of age, YA, romantic comedies, Historical Romance, chapter books and children's picture books.
Renee's ideas come from a happy childhood that she shared with 6 fun, loud Italians, and wouldn't trade those years or her siblings for anything in the world.
She is currently having her books narrated into audio-books for audio listeners.
Renee is a mom, a wife, an animal lover, and a kid at heart. She loves to hear from her readers and tries to answer all of her letters so drop me a line if you like!

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“A. J. Degulio loved the idea of a visit to the Old Country... until her family decided to stay. It's 1972 and she's turning fourteen in a crumbling castle on a hill in Tuscany, wishing she were back in Idaho with her beloved dog, Sailor. In Italy, her blonde hair makes her stick out like a vanilla wafer in a box of chocolate biscotti, and she's so lonely her best friend is a nun from the local convent.
The challenges of roots and relatives are nothing new to A. J., but she's going to need more than the famous Degulio sense of humor to survive. Can't anyone see that Italy isn't really home? It will take a catastrophe - and a few wise words from a friend - for A. J. to understand that sometimes the only thing you can change is your perspective.”


Series: Book #2 in the “A.J.” series. Review of Book #1 Here!


Spiritual Content- Prayers, talking to God, & blessings over food; Going on a Saint Pilgrimage; A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Talks about God & Heaven; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; AJ’s family is Roman Catholic; Many mentions of God & Jesus; Many mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & praising God; Many mentions of churches/cathedrals, church going, Mass, confessions, priests, sisters, convents, callings, & sins; Many mentions of saints & saint statues; Mentions of those in the Bible & painting of them; Mentions of witnessing & faiths; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of Jews; Mentions of Baptists, a youth group, & becoming a pastor; Mentions of a Catholic School; Mentions of martyrs & saint pilgrimage (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of miracles; Mentions of blessings; Mentions of a cross necklace; Mentions of the first Thanksgiving; A couple mentions of the pope; A mention of taking communion;
*Note: Mentions of Satan in the Garden of Eden; Mentions of wondering if [AJ is] possessed; Mentions of enlightenment & Siddharth in the after world; Mentions of Greek mythology characters (Aphrodite & Hercules); A few mentions of sacrifices to a goddess; A few mentions of cavemen & the stone age; A mention of voodoo; A mention of being sent to Hell; A mention that Hilter put people through Hell.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘buzz off’, a ‘darn’, a ‘heck’, a ‘holy mackerel’, a ‘sucker’, a ‘what the heck’, two ‘blasted’s, three forms of ‘dang’, three ‘oh my gosh’s, six ‘ stupid’s, eight ‘dumb’s, eleven forms of ‘idiot’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Pain & a broke bone (barely-above-not-detailed); Mean girls; Mentions of World War II, deaths, hatred, Nazis, camps, & Anne Frank’s story; Mentions of a 12-year-old girl who was beheaded; Mentions of accidents, injuries, & blood (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of when AJ almost drowned; Mentions of alcohol (including wine) & drinking; Mentions of smoking, tobacco, cigars, & a pipe; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of mean girls, bullies, & pranks; Mentions of animals cooked with their skim still on (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of helping deliver & stitching up bloody animals; Mentions of an animal’s death; Mentions of a (dance) club; A few mentions of almost freezing to death; A few mentions of the mafia; A few mentions of jail;
A couple mentions of roadkill;
*Note: Mentions of Pop culture, books, TV shows, movies, celebrities; A few mentions of Barbie; A mention of Girl Scouts; A mention of Starbucks; A mention of aliens.


Sexual Content- A bit of noticing; Playing spin-the-bottle at a party & AJ says she doesn’t want to lose her virgin lips; A ‘baby’, a few ‘hunk’s; Mentions of writing a romance novel & writing a boarder-line semi-detailed kiss; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of hand holding with a boy; Mentions of when AJ’s sister wouldn’t let boys kiss her & break her heart; Mentions of cute boys, boyfriends, girlfriends, dates, blushes, crushes, & bikinis; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of boys/men gawking at AJ’s sister; A couple mentions of married men asking AJ’s sister to dance; A couple mentions of a bombshell; A couple mentions of married couples kissing; A couple mentions of a romantic ice skating dance;
*Note: Mentions of the David statue (no details besides it being completely naked; AJ says that ought to at least put a fig leaf on him; AJ’s mother also has a mini replica, which AJ doesn’t understand why a married woman would want a state of another man who’s naked; AJ’s Nonna says only a pervert would wasn’t a statue of that and paints pants on him); A couple mentions of fannies & buns; A couple mentions of butting into a conversation; A couple mentions of designers that are like “this class of people stuck somewhere in between feminine and masculine”; A mention of being hormonally out of wack; A mention of a woman’s hips; A mention of a betting a booty; A mention of a name meaning Immaculate Conception.

-Angelina Juliana “AJ” Degulio, age 13-14

1st person P.O.V. of AJ
Set in 1972 {Epilogue in 1974}
266 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
For some reason, I was thinking that I wasn’t going to enjoy this sequel as much as “Saving Sailor”. Oh, I was wrong! I enjoyed it just as much and laughed just as much. “Taking Tuscany” was just as fun and now I’m giddy that I get to read the third book!


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter and I read this together. The author is local and we met her at the Farmer's Market. It's a fun summer read and great for early teens.

[Abi Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 Stars.

I was worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first book, but it was amazing!! A.J. and her family are hilarious.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this YA series. I just adore A.J.! Looking forward to the third installment.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cute read, great for summer! I do want to read the rest of the books in this series. A.J. is so cute! And I love her family.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just DELIGHTFUL

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten-year-old A.J. Degulio burst onto the scene in Renee Riva's first novel, Saving Sailor, with a voice reminiscent of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. Her quirky sense of humor, crazy Italian family, and animal loving ways quickly earned her a place alongside the best of literature's coming-of-age characters. But as kids grow older, their voices change, and I wondered if our friend A.J. would retain her innocence and wit in Taking Tuscany. No worries. The girl we came to love is still here. She's just a little older and maybe a tad wiser, but she's still A.J. Now thirteen and living with her family in Italy, she's ditched her fake southern accent but still feels like a misfit. It doesn't help that she's the only blonde haired, fair skinned Italian in her family, is more comfortable with animals than kids her own age, and her only friend has become a nun.

If there's a theme to Riva's novels, it's straight from her own life: La famiglia e tutto, family is everything. We see it in Taking Tuscany, just like we did in Saving Sailor. Sure, the Degulios are quirkier than most families. Mom Sophia gets a kick out of pretending she's Sophia Loren, complete with giving out autographs. Grandma Juliani's starting to lose her marbles. Aunt Genevieve and Uncle Nick have painted their villa blue. But through it all the Degulios never lose their love for each other, challenged as it is at times.

There's something incredibly refreshing about Riva's tales of a more innocent time (in this case 1972 Italy), where the biggest challenges at school are an enemy sticking gum in your hair, or deciding whether to let a cute boy walk you home. But no matter what A.J. faces, she knows she will always have her family. And Danny and Sailor. She keeps in touch with her childhood crush and beloved dog still living in Idaho via letter writing, and throughout Taking Tuscany we watch Danny and A.J.'s friendship flourish through pen and ink. A.J. still longs to return to what she'll always call home, but at least Danny's photos and kind words sustain her.

Renee Riva may be an as yet undiscovered gem in Christian fiction, but she won't be for long if she continues to write books like Taking Tuscany. Proficiently mixing deeper themes and spiritual truths alongside the humor, Riva has crafted a lovely tale of longing and belonging readers of all ages will savor.

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet series about family, traditions, friends, growing up, faith, a little romance, and the questions of life, with some funny moments thrown in. I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun read for young adults. A.J. is basically a normal teen who loves animals except that she has been moved to Italy by her eccentric Italian-American parents and cannot stop missing her former life. She has a hard time appreciating her current situation and this book follows her growth as she realizes, with the help of some great characters to love the life she is in. A.J. is lonely. She spends a lot of the summer alone or in the company of an old horse and neighbor’s dog. She is befriended by some nuns in the near-by convent who help her to come around. She also spends some valuable time and has some interesting adventures with her rather confused grandmother. Ultimately, she learns to value her wonderful loving family, her unique friends and some everyday heroes she encounters along with the way.
I think most anyone would enjoy this book. The author treats the material in a very genuine way and A.J.’s voice is unique and lovable. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years have gone by since Saving Sailor. A few tortuous years where poor A.J. Degulio has been forced to live in Tuscany, a half a world away from her beloved dog, Sailor, her friend Danny, and the beauty of Indian Island, Idaho. Sigh! Sure, one might think that living in Italy would be wonderful. Not A.J. In Italy, she is a blond, Yankee Barbie doll, the punch line of every joke at school. To make matters worse, her family is crazy, as usual.

Love, love, love Renée Riva. It’s rare that a book makes me laugh out loud. During this one, my husband kept shooting me weird looks, wondering if I was loosing my mind. Nope. Just reading Taking Tuscany and loving it! The whole time I’m reading it, I’m dying that I don’t have Heading Home waiting on my bedside table. Ug! Renée, please don’t make us wait too long for book three. I need to read the real-life-fiction version of Moon over Milan.

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing my parents promised, and which I, in turn, have promised my own children, is that we would not/will not move during High School. This book is a delightful example of what CAN happen when that unthinkable event happens. A.J. has been uprooted by her family from her home, her beloved dog, the boy she likes and all that is familiar and dumped in Tuscany where her extended family lives and where her parents want to run a b & b. She is lonely, culturally adrift, but does not turn to cutting or drugs, does not get pregnant, instead she finds adults and decent friends to support her. I did not know this was a Christian book (Catholic book some would clarify), but it is so genuine and so typical of the age that I enjoyed it so much. It didn't hurt that it is set in the early 70s when I was A.J.' s age and would have given anything to have an adult let me ride his horse when I was down! Taking Tuscany: A Novel by Renee Riva.

[J. W. Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summer read...

The other comments will tell you all about the story line. I will tell you to simply read it. It is charming, will grab you right away as you wonder what trouble A.J. will get into next. Anyone who has...made it through adolescence in one peace...been the odd man out...dealt with strange relatives...been embarrassed by your parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, out-laws and grandparents will relate to the story.

The references to a religious foundation is gentle, endearing and simply who she is as a child of God. It is a book that can stand alone even if you have not read the first book. It is a book you can hand to your kids to read and know it is safe. The male characters are strong and funny [important for our boys today]. It is a great summer read.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this I had no idea it was a young adult novel or that it was part of a series. I bought it in a thrift shop and thought it had promise. I ended up really liking it due to the positive messages it sends and because of the advanced literary allusions and use of the Italian language.

[Renee Riva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp through Tuscany with a fun Italian family based on my family in real life.

[Lisa Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

So amazing and funny! I was totally AJ during that book, loving her family and Italy but just wanting to get home to Indian Island and Danny! That's why I was so excited for the third!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember when I read this....Probably the year it was published?

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears this book is geared toward teens and young-adults, but it is a nice read. Once in awhile we need something nice and light to read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Why is this series so hard to find in the library system?