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A Miracle in Monopoli: a novella
On vacation to Southern Italy with her mother, Gemma Wilkins, a singer who suffers from paralyzing stage-fright, learns a life-changing lesson in courage when she meets a tortured soul the British Tabloids have named The Sexiest Man in Italy.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2020
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 15, 2021
A Miracle in Monopoli was a joy to read. It was only short, so I read it cover to cover easily in one sitting, but I would happily have stayed right where I was if the book had been longer. Peter Palmieri drew me in with lush descriptions and evocative accounts of people and places, but what really held me was the humour and dry wit that was threaded all throughout the story.
Our two main characters are Gemma and Lorenzo. Gemma has gone to Italy with her Mum, Rosalie, who is on a mission to research her ancestors. And that is where they meet Lorenzo, who is the manager of the B&B where they are staying.
Gemma and Lorenzo are both fun characters. Gemma’s internal musings had me travelling from sad, to happy, to laughing out loud and by the end, mentally cheering. And Lorenzo is great, too. He started out with me thinking I wasn’t going to like him, as he was being rather unwelcoming to start with, but that didn’t last long. By the end, I was thinking of him as a total romantic.
And Miracle in Monopoli has such a fun selection of secondary characters! My favourite of the support crew is Gemma’s mum, Rosalie. She has perfected the art of ‘how to be an embarrassing mum’, without quite taking it too far. I love that she thinks nothing of sticking her head out of a car window and “shouting out a few choice words that would make a truck driver blush”, but then turns around and a moment later is noting (about Lorenzo, getting out of a pool in Speedo’s) that “it’s like someone got Michelangelo’s David and dipped it in milk chocolate”. She kept me guessing, so I never quite knew what to expect from her.
Peter Palmieri has a way of sneaking in unexpected little observations that add perfectly to the readers mental image of the scene being described, while at the same time keeping it very amusing. An example of this is Gemma’s mental assessment on her first sight of Lorenzo (who is wearing the aforementioned white Speedo bathers at the time). She admires his washboard abs, notes that his eyes look sad & his lips look full, plus that he has no “visible deformities” to his nose (because we all look for that, right?). But for me, it was all about her summary thought of “He was probably the kind of guy that obsessed over his cuticles.” I could totally relate to her assessment of a man that from her first impression, she expects to be vain. (She looks at cuticles – for me it’s eyebrows.)
Another example of a deceptively simple but totally clear image is the depiction of the Monopoli band being a ‘mish-mash’ of instruments, all dressed in something that “parking enforcement might wear”. Can’t you just see those dull coloured, shapeless uniforms now? And there is one more spot, courtesy of Lorenzo, that I found myself reading over again later, as it amused me so much. I can’t tell you too much about it without giving away any of the story, so I’ll just say to keep an eye out for Lorenzo’s offhand (but actually quite sad) comment about what he did that cost 300 Euros…
But underneath all the fun, this story has a heart, too. All of the characters are dealing with their own issues (I’ll let you learn for yourself what they are), but they are all handled gently.
If you’re looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, A Miracle in Monopoli is the way to go. But leave enough time to read the whole thing, because once you start, I doubt you’ll want to put it down.
Thank you to the author for my copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Our two main characters are Gemma and Lorenzo. Gemma has gone to Italy with her Mum, Rosalie, who is on a mission to research her ancestors. And that is where they meet Lorenzo, who is the manager of the B&B where they are staying.
Gemma and Lorenzo are both fun characters. Gemma’s internal musings had me travelling from sad, to happy, to laughing out loud and by the end, mentally cheering. And Lorenzo is great, too. He started out with me thinking I wasn’t going to like him, as he was being rather unwelcoming to start with, but that didn’t last long. By the end, I was thinking of him as a total romantic.
And Miracle in Monopoli has such a fun selection of secondary characters! My favourite of the support crew is Gemma’s mum, Rosalie. She has perfected the art of ‘how to be an embarrassing mum’, without quite taking it too far. I love that she thinks nothing of sticking her head out of a car window and “shouting out a few choice words that would make a truck driver blush”, but then turns around and a moment later is noting (about Lorenzo, getting out of a pool in Speedo’s) that “it’s like someone got Michelangelo’s David and dipped it in milk chocolate”. She kept me guessing, so I never quite knew what to expect from her.
Peter Palmieri has a way of sneaking in unexpected little observations that add perfectly to the readers mental image of the scene being described, while at the same time keeping it very amusing. An example of this is Gemma’s mental assessment on her first sight of Lorenzo (who is wearing the aforementioned white Speedo bathers at the time). She admires his washboard abs, notes that his eyes look sad & his lips look full, plus that he has no “visible deformities” to his nose (because we all look for that, right?). But for me, it was all about her summary thought of “He was probably the kind of guy that obsessed over his cuticles.” I could totally relate to her assessment of a man that from her first impression, she expects to be vain. (She looks at cuticles – for me it’s eyebrows.)
Another example of a deceptively simple but totally clear image is the depiction of the Monopoli band being a ‘mish-mash’ of instruments, all dressed in something that “parking enforcement might wear”. Can’t you just see those dull coloured, shapeless uniforms now? And there is one more spot, courtesy of Lorenzo, that I found myself reading over again later, as it amused me so much. I can’t tell you too much about it without giving away any of the story, so I’ll just say to keep an eye out for Lorenzo’s offhand (but actually quite sad) comment about what he did that cost 300 Euros…
But underneath all the fun, this story has a heart, too. All of the characters are dealing with their own issues (I’ll let you learn for yourself what they are), but they are all handled gently.
If you’re looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, A Miracle in Monopoli is the way to go. But leave enough time to read the whole thing, because once you start, I doubt you’ll want to put it down.
Thank you to the author for my copy of the book in return for an honest review.
October 10, 2024
Cute short story but the spelling and grammar errors on the kindle version were so extensive it bothered me.
December 30, 2020
Happily Ever After
An enjoyable quick read including some descriptive nuggets of Italian towns. The story wrapped up with a happily ever after ending.
An enjoyable quick read including some descriptive nuggets of Italian towns. The story wrapped up with a happily ever after ending.
January 3, 2021
Peter Palmieri brings you the Italian hearts and countryside of southern Italy. This novella was a joy to read.
September 2, 2022
It was fast enjoyable read which made me feel good. I felt engaged with the characters and the region their world was set in. Also I felt desire to visit Monopoli which I would view as a indirect success of the writer. I wanted that novel would be longer and if you want to read more it should definitely make your recommend to read list!
May 5, 2023
This novella is a lovely romp in sensuously delicious Italy. Palmeri’s crisp, efficient writing style allows the locations—and the characters—to bring the story to life; and what a story it is! This book is the perfect summer read: Steamy locals, a beautiful man, and two generations of women finding the courage to pursue their dreams. I’ll definitely read more in Palmieri’s cannon.
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February 11, 2021Fabulous read!
I loved this book with all the good feels you want in a good chic flick book. The woman who is afraid to sing and the soccer star who is afraid to play come crashing together in this light hearted tale of love and courage!
I loved this book with all the good feels you want in a good chic flick book. The woman who is afraid to sing and the soccer star who is afraid to play come crashing together in this light hearted tale of love and courage!
March 9, 2021
I know Peter from his gelato shop, and I enjoy talking to him about equally with reading his books. This novella was a quick and fun read. Along with his novel “Moonlight Over Florence”, I gained some knowledge of Italy and Italian. I heartily recommend this book.
December 20, 2024
Beautiful Story
This is a short beautiful story that is so much more than a romance novella. There are themes of courage, second chances and learning to believe in yourself. I recommend it as I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a novel that continues this short story.
This is a short beautiful story that is so much more than a romance novella. There are themes of courage, second chances and learning to believe in yourself. I recommend it as I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a novel that continues this short story.
August 1, 2021
Beautiful!
I loved this novella, so touching and romantic. It just goes to show you that love can happen at any age. I will definitely read more from this author...so gifted.
I loved this novella, so touching and romantic. It just goes to show you that love can happen at any age. I will definitely read more from this author...so gifted.
January 25, 2025
Short and sweet
I wanted to read a book set in Italy for an upcoming trip to Italy and Greece. This was a perfect short story. The characters are great especially the mother.
I wanted to read a book set in Italy for an upcoming trip to Italy and Greece. This was a perfect short story. The characters are great especially the mother.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews