Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The House of Serenades by Lina Simoni

 
Wealthy Italian families, lost love, definite class separation, and family secrets are what you will find in the THE HOUSE OF  SERENADES.  Many of the characters had secrets, but Giuseppe Berelli had the biggest secret of them all.   Giuseppe kept a secret his entire life, and he was now becoming afraid the truth would come out and ruin his life.  Giuseppe told stories to cover up his secret and to try to keep his family from losing their class distinction and power.

The storyline focuses on class distinction and prestige and the worry about losing it all by going to any length no matter what the cost. The eloquent, descriptive writing style and the saga of the Berelli family of Genoa, Italy, will keep your curiosity peaked.  And what a saga it was. There was hatred within families, jealousy among neighbors, shady dealings, corrupt doctors, nosy house help, pompous families, death threats to the Berelli family, and things that must be kept secret not only by Giuseppe but also others in the town.  These were secrets that ate at the characters every day of their lives.   Secrets that they never should have told anyone because you never know how things will work out.
The book has different underlying themes, outstanding characters beautifully developed by the author, well-kept secrets, and explanations of the customs and mindset of this era in history. The mindset of different classes not mingling and the sneering of the upper class toward the lower class seemed to cause more trouble and pain than was necessary.  This era also made evident how women were treated so poorly.   Caterina and Matilda's heartbreaking stories describe very vividly the treatment of women and how they had no rights.

If the title and cover are puzzling you, you will need to read this intriguing, very appealing book to find out the significance.  The storyline is unique and very captivating.  My being Italian enhanced the enjoyment with the inclusion of the authentic Italian names and phrases.  Each character had a story of his/her own and each of their lives, their evilness, their innocence, and their secrets were entangled to create an unforgettable tale of love, treachery, tragedy, and unforgivable acts.  I hope my review does justice to this amazing book......the content, the setting, and beautiful flow of the story are worth the read. 5/5


CymLowell



16 comments:

  1. This is going on my Favorite List.

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  2. Elizabeth, If you don't mind, I'd like to add your blog to my list of book review blogs on my sidebar. This was an excellent review. Now I want to read the book!

    KarenG

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  3. Haha, I went to add you and you were already there!

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  4. GREAT!!!! It is easy to forget who is who. :) Glad I was already there. :)

    You will love the book. It is amazing as you can tell from my review.

    ENJOY when you get it.

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  5. First I've seen this one. Beautiful review. Thanks!

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  6. My husband and I almost went to Italy this summer...next year, perhaps...and I'm Italian, too, so this just might be a good read for me.

    I haven't been by in here in a while either and that's a shame. I will return soon.

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  7. Hi just popped by, to return your greetings & to wish you well.

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  8. Hi Elizabeth - just dropped by to say hello and thanks for visiting my blog.
    The House of Serenades is a book I haven't heard of before but it sounds like one I'd like so adding to my list.

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  9. I have not read this one- but your review made me add it to my list. I hope I get to it soon- it sounds amazing.

    Jess

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  10. It "was" amazing, Fairday.

    Thanks for the nice comment.

    Hope you get to read it.

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  11. This sounds like an interesting story. I love the cover! Is that a mandola?

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  12. Yes...A mandolin.

    The book is awesome. I think it should be made into a movie and have music played with the mandolin.

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  13. Oh, this sounds really good. I love anything set in Italy!

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  14. sounds like a good one. love the setting and the cover really appeals too.

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  15. thanks for linking this in to Books You Loved. Cheers

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