With the sunset to his back, Cristo Lovetta walked the step-worn stone of the ancient Via Postumis, following the eastward flow of the Delmona Canal. The waymark he had passed some two hundred paces previously announced only seven more miles to the village of Pieve Santa Clara.
***
The Blurb
Lombardy, Northern Italy, 1637
Cristó Lovetta, a skilled stonemason, arrives in the rural village of Pieve Santa Clara to work on a nobleman’s house.
Haunted by a tragic past, Cristó wonders if he will ever find happiness again. However, as he immerses himself in his work, the warmth of the community and the beauty of the landscape convince him to begin a new life there.
Cristó designs and builds his own house, which he names Casa Paradiso. Over the centuries, Casa Paradiso becomes home to many generations, standing testament to lives beginning and ending, and witnessing the everyday challenges and triumphs of its inhabitants – from love lost and found, to the tragedies of war, the far-reaching consequences of political decisions made by powerful men and the evolving role of women in Italian society.
Casa Paradiso – the fourth instalment of the Paradiso Novels – is a shining, evocative saga spanning three hundred years in the life of a very special house, and a book that explores the enduring strength of the human spirit, contrasted with the transient nature of life itself.
My Review
This was a beautiful book to read, and I loved every page.
In fact, I hardly know where to begin with this book review as it was so lovely to read, and I'm a little bereft that I have now finished the book.
The author is not new to the blog. Last year I posted an excerpt from one of the earlier books, The Daughter of Paradisio. You can read it by clicking here.
The main character in this story is the house itself. The narrative of the titular Casa Paradiso spans a period of 300 years, beginning in 1637 and ending in 1937. It begins with the building of the house by the travelling stonemason, Christo Lovetta. He builds the house with hope of a strong future for the generations to come.
From there we meet the residents of the house throughout the years and experience the highs and lows of their lives. I was gripped by each of the occupants and felt very involved in their stories.
The setting of this book is gorgeous. Set in the Lombardy region of Italy the author created an environment that I could almost feel. She cleverly portrays the area through the lives of the people in her book rather than in long descriptive passages.
This is the fourth novel in this series but it read very well as a standalone. That said, I am so in love with this book that I can hardly wait to read the earlier novels.
Book Details
ISBN: 978 1913727482
Publisher: Silvertail Books
Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited
No. of Pages: 232 (paperback)
About the Author:
Francesca Scanacapra was born in Italy to an English mother and Italian father, and her childhood was spent living between England and Italy. Her adult life has been somewhat nomadic with periods spent living in Italy, England, France, Senegal and Spain.
She describes herself as 'unconventional' and has pursued an eclectic mixture of career paths – from working in translation, the fitness industry, education and even several years as a builder.
In 2021 she returned to her native country and back to her earliest roots to pursue her writing career full time. Francesca now resides permanently in rural Lombardy in the house built by her great-grandfather which was the inspiration for her Paradiso Novels: Paradiso, Return to Paradiso, The Daughter of Paradiso and Casa Paradiso. Her novel The Lost Boy of Bologna was also published by Silvertail Books.
Francesca can also be found at
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(book and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Reads)
(all opinions are my own)
