One of the Wall Street Journal’s “Six More Books to Read This Winter” * “Required Reading,” The New York Post * Library Journal’s “Spring/Summer Bests” of 2018 * A Sonoma Index-Tribune Bestseller * One of CrimeReads’ “Debuts to Discover Spring 2018” “Deeply funny.” –The New York Times Book Review podcast “[A] sweltering thriller set against the backdrop of what is probably your dream getaway … funny.” —The New York Times Book Review podcast
“[A] sweltering thriller set against the backdrop of what is probably your dream getaway destination: Tuscany.” —Bustle
“Tremendous fun! Wives with big secrets, husbands with bigger ones, swirling around a 1950s Siena teeming with seduction and spycraft.” —Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Travelers
“Seeing the “antiquated” culture of postwar/Cold War Italy through the eyes of Americans, obsessed with modern convenience and progress, sort of mirrors my Italy to America transition in a fun way–plus there are spies! Affairs! and lot of food!!” —Giada De Laurentiis
“Imagine Beautiful Ruins plus horses; Toujours Provence with spies, a mystery and sex. The Italian Party is a fizzy, page-turning delight that begs for a Campari and soda!” —Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me
“I’ve always wanted to take a trip to Italy in the 1950’s and The Italian Party is my ticket. Like the best Italian paintings, this smart and funny book deftly combines the light and the dark. Christina Lynch’s prose pairs well with any hearty Tuscan red.” —Conan O’Brien
Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany’s famous beauty. But the secrets they are keeping from each other force them beneath the splendid surface to a more complex view of ltaly, America and each other.
When Scottie’s Italian teacher–a teenager with secrets of his own–disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael’s dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate and love to a new kind of complicated truth.
Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America’s role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.
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I spent memorable two weeks in Siena the summer of ’19, studying intensive Italian at La Scuola da Vinci. Siena is such a historic and engaging town, located on a Tuscan hill with several arched stone gates in the walled fortress. Siena retains its medieval heritage, both in design and lifestyle. The town is divided into 16 contrada or districts with distinctive flags, banners, and animals. Every July and August, the bare-back paleo race is held in the large Piazza del Campo in the center of town.
Christina Lynch captures all the charm of Siena, it’s history, and interesting people you encounter in her romantic mystery drama. Highly recommend it!
Tremendous fun! Wives with big secrets, husbands with bigger ones, swirling around a 1950s Siena teeming with seduction and spycraft.
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this book when I first started reading it and I’m still not quite sure now that I’ve finished it. It had something of a strange beginning, I thought, and I almost put it down. I think I kept reading out of guilt but I’m glad I did. It was nice to follow it through to its conclusion.
It weirdly felt like the book tried to cover too many topics and yet like nothing really happened. The fear of communism isn’t something I can relate to so that portion of the story was a bit lost on me. I would’ve preferred to see the story told entirely from Michael’s PoV. I didn’t love Scottie; she felt inconsistent.
I’m not upset I read it but it isn’t a book I’d recommend.
t’s 1956 and Michael & Scottie Messina are newlyweds, leaving everything behind in the U.S. and arriving in Sienna, Italy, where Michael will open a Ford tractor business. And maybe do a little spying on the side. His real purpose is to influence the local election to ensure the Communist candidate isn’t elected.
Lynch is a talented writer. The story flows nicely, dialogue is clever and conversational, characters are complex and well-developed, locale descriptions make you believe you are there, and there is just enough dry wit and humor thrown in to give you a smile now and then.
As for the plot, there isn’t much to tell you without giving it all away. It’s a secret! As is much of the book, and the secrets just tumble out one after the other. I will say that you shouldn’t read the book if you are looking for a classic espionage tale. This is the study of what begins as a marriage of convenience between two young people full of secrets and doubts, and ends, well, that’s for you to decide.
So join Michael and Scottie in their sometimes hilarious adventures through the beautiful Italian countryside. It’s a journey that will introduce you to some interesting people, give you a taste of Italian culture, and impart some history along the way. And I bet you can’t read the name Carlo Chigi Piccolomini without an Italian accent and a smile on your lips!.
P.S. After you’ve read the book, I would love to hear your take on the ending. I won’t go any further so there are no spoilers, but I was torn about the ending.
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What a wonderful story. This book had me hooked from the very beginning.
Young married couple, Scottie and Michael are sent to Siena Italy, in the 1950’s so that Michael can sell American tractors to the Italian farmers, or so we think.
This story was wonderfully told, well developed characters and a great story line.
This story has a lot of different components to it and, and we experience a feeling of naivete, from some of these characters, along with secrets, longings and true friendships. There are some complex issues that they go through and it was fun to see how they navigated these challenges.
One really gets the feeling for what life in Italy was like for this couple, and the team work it took to accomplish the mission presented to them.
This is a story very worth reading. I will not give away the plot though others may have. Find out for yourself and enjoy the journey.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book
The Italian Party is a smart, sharp, and satiric take on 1950s American culture and politics.
The newlyweds were picture perfect American ideals in the flesh: Michael, twenty-four, a handsome, well-dressed man who shaved four times a day, and twenty-year-old Scottie, Vassar educated, beautiful, blond haired, and dressed in pearls, heels, gloves, hat– and girdle and underarm perspiration guards.
Their whirlwind courtship and quick marriage was secretly a marriage of convenience for them both. The bride was pregnant and the husband was told a wife was good for his new job. Neither knew much about the other, and they liked it that way.
They are beginning their lives together in Siena, Italy.
“They seemed to have stepped right out of an advertisement for Betty Crocker, Wonder Bread or capitalism itself.”
Post-war Italy was still rebuilding after WWII–both its infrastructure and its political structure. American cultural imperialism was in full swing, hoping to lure Italy away from the Communist Party and Soviet influence. The CIA and the Communists covert operations have converged on Siena’s mayoral election.
Michael works for Ford and has been sent to Siena to sell tractors, hoping to lure farmers into modernization, but the locals are not very receptive.
The newlyweds try to live up to the glossy ideals of advertising, being the kind of husband and wife seen in on a magazine cover. But each is living a lie.
Meanwhile, they are surrounded and befriended by people with hidden agendas, secret liaisons, and complicated backgrounds.
All that is hidden eventually is outed, taking the newlyweds into surprising and very non-Norman Rockwell territory.
I enjoyed the satire and the historical background. The story had lots of twists and complications. The ending felt far-fetched to me in terms of how Michael and Scottie resolve their marital challenges. But the characters are quite happy and eager for new adventures.
I received a free e-book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
The Italian Party by Christina Lynch
Starts out with Scottie and her new husband Michael as they are traveling through Italy towards their new house.
They have relocated to Italy and Michael will sell tractors. He works at Ford but we also learn other hidden screts about him.
Story also follows Scottie and her past life and her hidden secrets.
Love descriptions of the landscape and people and history as they drive along. To arrive and have nothing there I don’t know what I’d do myself.
When the characters are talking in Italian there are Englsih translations so you are not lost.
Robertino is employed by Michael to help him spy on his wife and others. He also takes Scottie around the town aclimating her to the locale.
Lots of action, horses, adventure and mysteries. Just when you think the secrets are out there are more hidden. Sexual scenes and some swearing.
Lots of different plots in this book, easy to keep track of them and I found it interesting to learn of things from so long ago. Resources quoted at the end.
Recieved this review copy via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
This book was different from what I normally read but was still enjoyable. This book is about Michael and Scottie, two Americans who move to Italy about 11 years after WWII ended. They both arrive with a lot of secrets. You follow these two as they make lives in Italy and battle through their secrets. It was interesting to see what the 50s were like in Italy. Though both have lots of secrets from each other and from other people they are still interesting people to follow in this book and see how they get through everything.
*Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this for my honest opinion*
The Italian Party is a blast from the past. Travel back to 1950’s Italy where the Tuscans are still rebuilding after WWII, and the Americans, British and Soviets are each making a play for world domination as the Cold War heats up.
While Christina Lynch’s book provides readers with a lot of interesting Cold War insight, The Italian Party is a fictional tale. It features newlyweds Michael and Scottie Messina, who rushed to the altar without knowing much about each other. Additionally, each has a few deep, dark secrets that have motivated them to marry. Through their trials and tribulations, the foundation of their marriage is shaken. I loved these two characters, and I wholly enjoyed reading of their escapades. Spirited, friendly Scottie easily wins over the townsfolk while her more serious husband works tirelessly to “sell Ford tractors to the local farmers”.
Ms. Lynch’s book is provocative and fun. It blends the glamour of James Bond spy games and rural tourism. The story tension mounts when Scottie’s Italian teacher goes missing and it is apparent that neither Scottie nor Michael should completely trust anyone. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the “jig is up” scene. All the while, Ms. Lynch paints a beautiful picture of the Tuscan landscape, its people and cuisine. The avant-garde view of love and relationships is a bit ahead of its time. The politics, both local and worldwide, were icing on the cake, so to speak.
Newly married, American couple (Michael and Scottie) begin their life together in Italy, but how well do they really know each other? The reader quickly finds out, not well at all, since Michael and Scottie are keeping many, many secrets from each other. What happens when these secrets are revealed?
The story began in 1956 when, in a whirlwind, Michael and Scottie met, married, and moved to Siena, Italy so Michael could sell Ford tractors at a new location. Within the first 30 pages or so, the reader found out what secrets the couple was keeping from each other. I thought this approach was very unique, and I was left wondering how and when the secrets would be revealed to the characters.
Much of the first third of the story moved pretty slowly for me, but once I hit that mark, I was much more engaged. I was especially fascinated by the characters (especially Scottie), the Italian setting, and the political story line, which was reminiscent of the Nov 2016 U.S. election between Trump and Clinton. This story focused on how the CIA interfered in Siena, Italy’s mayoral election in order to stop the spread of Communism and spread American commercialism.
“Making the world safe for democracy is a god-damn hard job.” – thought by Michael
In light of the current political climate, this book was extremely relevant. How much have other countries interfered in each other’s elections, in both the past and the present?
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Reading Group Gold for a free advance copy won in a giveaway! All opinions are my own.
The synopsis of this new book caught my attention, and I was really looking forward to reading it. One marketing blurb proclaimed that it was a great pick for fans of Beautiful Ruins. I loved Beautiful Ruins so I decided to give The Italian Party a chance. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me.
The story is set in 1950’s Italy and centers around two young newlywed Americans, beautiful Scottie and her clean-cut husband, Michael. The two move to Italy, and we quickly learn that they don’t really know that much about each other. In fact, both Scottie and Michael are keeping big secrets from one another. This was all very intriguing, and I really, really wanted to get hooked on this story. But I think the writing style just wasn’t right for me.
The book is written in chapters of course but each chapter is broken up into smaller sections. While this kind of “mini chapter” writing appeals to many readers, it doesn’t to me. Sure, I like short chapters just as much as the next person. It’s easy to sneak in a chapter or two on a lunch break or before bed. But for me, a book needs to either have short chapters or long chapters. I don’t like chapters that are broken up into section after section after section.
Another issue for me was the writing. There was a lot of telling and very little showing. While this story was intriguing and I wanted to be drawn into it, I just couldn’t get there. I wanted to really understand how Scottie and Michael felt instead of just reading descriptions of their physical features and being told what they were feeling. They were always scared, nervous, confused, happy, etc. But there was no showing of these emotions, nothing to draw me in or make the characters relatable.
So it was a miss for me. But I will say I have read several reviews of this book in which readers just raved about it. So I say give it a shot and see if you enjoy it.
Read full review at: KaitsBookshelf.com
The Italian Party