I GIVE IT TO YOU

Are someone else's stories fair game for a writer? This question is at the heart of Valerie Martin's intriguing glimpse of another time. Cassandra Campbell's superb performance lends credibility to a fascinating story of Italian history and friendship. Jan is a writer and a professor who spends summers at Beatrice's villa in Tuscany, doing research on WWII and Mussolini. As Beatrice shares her aristocratic family's history and the effects of fascism on them, Jan finds herself drawn into their lives. Believing she has permission, she uses Beatrice's stories, which eventually become the story within the story in this novel. Campbell's lovely voice and perfect Italian enhance the lyrical descriptions of Tuscany and Beatrice's remembrances. She delivers the emotional upheavals and the dark revelations with care, making the betrayals all the more poignant. Wonderful listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]