The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti – Review | Bookouture Books on Tour

An emotional World War Two historical fiction set in Italy.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT

1945, Italy. Two sisters give birth to two little girls on the same night, huddled under blankets, deep in the black woods that surround the village of Bosconero. They hold their babies close as footsteps approach. If they make even the slightest sound, the German soldiers will find them…

2006. Luce Nardini searches the cobbled streets of a remote Italian village for a house with a faded blue door. Since her only child left home, and with her estranged husband more distant than ever, she’s been completely untethered. Discovering why her mother cut all contact with her family and the village she loved feels like Luce’s last hope at understanding who she is.

Inside the house, she’s relieved to find the grandmother she never knew living out her final days. With a longing look at an ornate wooden box on her nightstand, her grandmother is just beginning to tell the heart-wrenching story of a little village ravaged by war, and why Luce’s mother swore never to return, when then the unthinkable happens: an earth-shattering disaster that shakes the little village of Bosconero to its core.

Feeling more lost than ever before, Luce fears that the secrets of her past have been buried forever. Her only hope is to win back the trust of the small community and find her grandmother’s little wooden box amongst the rubble of the village.

But will the surprise arrival of the husband she thought she’d lost help sew Luce’s family back together, or tear it apart for good? And will anything have prepared her for the devastating betrayal she finds hidden inside the box…?

An unputdownable historical novel about the secrets we keep to protect the ones we love by the author of million-copy Amazon No 1. bestseller, Watch Over Me. Perfect for anyone who loves Fiona Valpy, Lily Graham or The Letter by Kathryn Hughes.

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti – Review | Blog Tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti is a gripping, smoothly flowing story.

It has flavors of mystery, romance, and self-discovery. However, it is the mystery that dominates. Luce’s mother, Angelina, has cut off all ties with her family in Italy and has settled in America. What happened in the past that forced Angelina to take such a step?

As if finding these answers was not compelling enough, a tragic event and its repercussions in the middle of the book made it even more difficult for me to leave the book. I could not stop turning the pages to find out if Luce’s family in Italy was safe.

Besides, I did not see the twists coming at the end. They were surprising, to say the least.
The web of lies and deceit that this story weaved left my head spinning.

As you have correctly guessed from the book cover, Sacerdoti has painted vivid descriptions of the breathtakingly beautiful locales of Italy.

Be aware of one thing, though. This is not really a WW2 story. Yes, those events do influence the story, but The Lost Village is more a story of family and relationships. It explores how lies can destroy a family and how truth can rebuild it.

Moreover, most of the story is set in the present time, but there are flashbacks to the past when Luce’s grandmother recounts her story.

However, I do have quibbles with the book. Sacerdoti builds up to the climax so well only to end up with a rushed ending. Also, I noted one inconsistency – why did Luce’s grandmother keep that envelope? I would not ruin the story for you by delving further.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction and mystery.

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti

BOOK DETAILS

Genre: Historical Fiction || Pages: 210  || Published on 16th November 2020 by Bookouture

Buy on Amazon.in || Apple || Kobo || Google

The Amazon.in is an affiliate link. If you purchase from here, I will receive a very small commission at no extra cost to you.

Many thanks to Sarah @ Bookouture for inviting me to this blog tour. Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion on the book. I opted to provide an honest review on my blog.

You can visit the other blogs (mentioned below) discussing this book.

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti – Blog Tour schedule

AUTHOR BIO

Daniela Sacerdoti

Daniela Sacerdoti is the author of the bestselling Glen Avich series which has sold over one million copies in ebook to date, Sacerdoti’s debut novel Watch Over Me was named the eighth bestselling Kindle book of all time in 2015, when she was also ranked as the eleventh top-selling Kindle author. She lives in a small village in the middle of nowhere, with her Scottish husband, two children, a Cocker spaniel and a foundling kitten (who was definitely a witch in a past life).  

Author Link(s): Website || Instagram || Facebook

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