An International Bestseller!A LibraryReads and Indie Next Pick!A trio of second-born daughters sets out on a whirlwind journey through the lush Italian countryside to break the family curse that says they’ll never find love, by New York Times bestseller Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List. Since the day Filomena Fontana cast a curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not … curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not one second-born Fontana daughter has found lasting love. Some, like second-born Emilia, the happily-single baker at her grandfather’s Brooklyn deli, claim it’s an odd coincidence. Others, like her sexy, desperate-for-love cousin Lucy, insist it’s a true hex. But both are bewildered when their great-aunt calls with an astounding proposition: If they accompany her to her homeland of Italy, Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all.
Against the backdrop of wandering Venetian canals, rolling Tuscan fields, and enchanting Amalfi Coast villages, romance blooms, destinies are found, and family secrets are unearthed—secrets that could threaten the family far more than a centuries-old curse.
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A delicious modern fairytale… Bella!
A lovely summer read full of romance, Italian adventure, and the beauty of happy endings!
In The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany, Lori Nelson Spielman has created a stunning, heartwarming, multi-generational story of family secrets and self-discovery, spanning the globe from New York to Italy. Emilia, Poppy, and Lucy’s deeply emotional, life-changing, and life-affirming journeys instantly captured my heart, broke it then put it back together. Spielman will make you believe everything you want to be is possible.
What’s not to love. An Italian bakery in New York City. An old empty barbershop. A proud family of immigrants rooted by a charming curse that the second sister will never marry. Our main character, Lucy, is one of those second-born ladies who is trying to carve her own path within a family she both loves and feels suffocated by.
I love when a book surprises me. I indulged in The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany purely to escape the cold wet afternoon but ended up enthralled by the magic of superstitious relatives, charming characters, and beautiful settings. This book is a wonderful adventure through Italy that explores a family rich with tradition and secrets while also proving it is never too late to follow true love. You’ll find the right amount of superstitious mystique with a twist of movies like Under The Tuscan Sun or Only You. I kept thinking about Moonstruck and My Big Fat Greek Wedding because of the wit and tone, but the story unfolds a completely original tale of unforgettable characters with an ending so satisfying, I was teary and smiling when it ended.
I had the most amazing Live chat with the author on Instagram. Check it out!
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIjO0f2AYmF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
#botm
Also check out my Bookish Mood Boards that reflect my design inspiration for this book as a film Blunt Blog
What an amazing story of personal growth, family secrets, and finding ones peace. Filled with highly relatable and fun characters meshed with the beauty of Italy (past and present) this sweeping story had me glued to the pages. This is one of those rare books where I slowed down my reading toward the end because I didn’t want the story to stop.
WOW! Lori Nelson Spielman the author of “The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany” has written a captivating, magical, intense, intriguing, and heartwarming novel. The genres for this novel are Domestic Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Romance. The timeline for this novel is set in the author’s present and goes back to the past 200 years when it pertains to the characters or events in this story. Three second-born sisters are obsessed to find out if there is a way to break the 200-year family curse, where the second sister is said to never find love. The author describes her colorful characters as complex and complicated. There are family secrets and betrayals.
Not all of the family are true believers that there is a curse, but many do. When Emilia, a second-born sister has the opportunity to go to Italy with her estranged Aunt Poppy, she jumps at the opportunity. I love the way the author vividly describes the events and scenery!
I highly recommend this thought-provoking, memorable, and heartwarming story for other readers.
In this captivating and utterly charming tale of several generations of “cursed” women, Lori Nelson Spielman proves — yet again — that she’s a masterful storyteller.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
What a delightful book! We begin in Trespiano, Italy, with the premise of the book, a curse on the second-born sisters of the Fontana family. Filomena Fontana cast a curse on her beautiful younger sister, and all the second-born sisters of the family, to a life without love. 200 years later, none of the second-born sisters have ever found love. Is it coincidence, or self-fulfilling prophecy? Three second-born Fontana sisters set out to either break the spell, or prove that it never existed in the first place.
Emilia has accepted her lot in life, and no longer seeks love. Her daily life consists of baking at her family’s deli in New York and going home to her cat. Her life is ruled by her Nonna, who raised her since her mother’s death. And Nonna Rosa is a force to be reckoned with. Rosa’s younger sister, Poppy, is the second-born sister, and Rosa has banished Poppy from the family, except for Christmas and Easter. When Poppy insists that Emilia, and her cousin Lucy, another second-born sister desperately seeking love, accompany her to Italy for her 80th birthday, Rosa puts her foot down. But Poppy has promised that she will break the spell, and Emilia defies Rosa and agrees to go to Italy.
We are whisked away to Italy, and Spielman’s writing draws you in to each setting. We can smell the canals and see the gondoliers in Venice, visualize the beautiful fields of Tuscany, imagine walking through the charming villages of the Amalfi Coast, taste each dish served. Her writing is superb! As for the characters, each distinct personality is brought to life. You will come to know and understand them well.
I don’t want to give any more away, as you really need to just let the story slowly wind its tendrils around you. While it may sound like a romance novel, it’s not. It’s a book about love in all its forms, betrayal and forgiveness, grace and kindness, and, most of all, living life to its fullest. There is some serious writing, some humorous writing, and a whole lot of wisdom thrown into the mix, mostly from Poppy. My favorite piece of advice from her:
Life is not always a circle. More often, it’s a tangled knot of detours and dead ends, false starts and broken hearts. An exasperating, dizzying maze, impossible to navigate and useless to map. But not a single corner nor curve should ever, ever be missed.
Now, go read this book!
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An unforgettable, amazing story of love and loss with a mystery and family conflicts. The characters are engaging and colorful, and the beautiful descriptions of Italy include the food, people, and countryside. I experienced a myriad of emotions while reading it and it was hard to put this book down!
Have you ever read a story that just makes your heart sing? A story that is so rich and warm you just want it to go on forever? The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is that book.
Speilman gifts her readers with an amazing story that crosses generations and completely pulls you in. From New York to Italy, The Berlin Wall to a tiny church in Ravello, we hear a story about a love so profound it can cross the ages.
With tears a plenty, we meet the characters who are so different and unique you can’t help but be entranced by their story. Spielman delves deep into the human psyche with shades of manipulation, jealously, heartbreak, profound love, and more. We meet characters we love and those we love to hate. Those deep dark family secrets are so much more than what they seem.
I just wanted this book to keep going. I wanted more for Poppy. I want to know what happens to Emilia. I just want more!
For an amazing story that will leave you with a warm heart and a bit weepy too, this book is one that will set the mark for those yet to come. Speilman brings it with her storytelling skills and the colorful, rich experience we are left with once we close the pages. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany truly does make our heart sing.
Lovely, well told story with engaging characters.
Oh boy; not sure what to read after finishing this as it definitely had me in a book hangover and whatever comes next will have big shoes to fill. What a beautifully written book. Hopes and dreams and family and forgiveness and throw in all the beautiful places in Italy; who could ask for more! I loved this book and the characters were nothing short of amazing! I laughed and cried. Oh boy did I cry! Highly recommend that you don’t miss this one. Thanks to Goodreads and the Publisher for winning an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
This is a feel-good book with characters you’ll love to root for.
Emilia travels to Italy with her cousin and great-aunt presumably to break a centuries old curse on second daughters. She has been estranged from her quirky and unconventional great-aunt due to a longstanding feud with her grandmother. Risking her grandmother’s wrath, Emilia agrees to the trip. On the backdrop of wonderful descriptions of Italy, Emilia’s great-aunt slowly reveals secrets — imparting much wisdom in the process — that are both devastating and life affirming.
Lori Nelson Spielman has been on my radar since I read her first novel, The Life List, so I’ve eagerly anticipated the release of her latest novel, The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany. As Nelson Spielman is wont to do in all her books, she takes a unique premise—this time centering her story around a centuries-old curse that hinders second-born Fontana daughters from finding lasting love—and drops us right into the story. In this case, the story begins in Lucchesi Bakery and Delicatessen in present-day Brooklyn, where Emilia (a second-born Fontana daughter) makes cannoli while dreaming of true love. One day, Emilia receives a letter from eccentric Aunt Poppy, who offers her the gift of a lifetime: a trip to Italy, the country where the family curse began. Emilia and her cousin Lucy accompany Aunt Poppy and spend their days visiting Venice, Tuscany, and eventually, the Amalfi Coast, where Aunt Poppy is supposed to meet the great love of her life, Rico, after having spent decades apart. The storyline is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the vibrant imagery of the Italian countryside makes the reader feel as though she is along for the journey. Anyone who likes novels about love, family relationships, secrets, and self-discovery will truly enjoy this book. I certainly did, and I cannot wait to see what else Nelson Spielman has in store for us.
Song/s the book brought to mind: My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.
There have not been any books lately that have made me want to take a trip as badly as The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman. Oh, the sights you will see through the eyes of the characters in this book, and since it’s all places I haven’t been yet, I want to go EVERYWHERE now! I loved the way the author brought the landscapes and the characters to life, and there really isn’t anything not to love about this book and the story. In fact, just thinking about the story now is bringing tears to my eyes and I would highly recommend keeping some tissues handy! The curse was a fun aspect of the plot, and I was wondering the whole time if it was in fact real based on things that happen.
The food and setting were amazing, but also the CHARACTERS. I fell in love with so many of them and Spielman made them so dimensional and real it’s like I was along for the ride with them. This is a laugh-out-loud funny novel on top of all of that, and there were so many things that made me burst out laughing. However, there are also tough subjects that will make your heart swell and wish you could be there for them. The romance between Poppy and Rico made my heart so happy, and the pull between these characters throughout the whole book had me aching for them. There are some surprises along the way, and I loved the viewpoint changes as well as the mix of past and present chapters. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was a real treat to read, and I can’t believe this is my first time reading Spielman. The audio was also spectacular and narrated by Carlotta Brentan and Kathleen Garrett with a note read by the author. HIGHLY recommend!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
For generations second-born daughters of the Fontana family have been told of their curse…the curse of never finding lasting love. It’s a curse some second-born daughters, like Emilia, do not believe in.
When Emilia’s estranged Aunt Poppy reaches out to invite her on an all-expense paid trip to Italy, against her better judgment, she agrees. Aunt Poppy says she can severe the curse and free all the second-born daughters, both present and future, but what does Emilia care…she doesn’t believe….right?
This is such a cute, and heartwarming story. It was a joy “walking” alongside Emilia and Luce as they both grew into who they were meant to be. Aunt Poppy is an amazing character and I adore her so much!
The only thing that bugged me a tad (hence the 4 instead of 5 stars) is the sister dynamic between Daria and Emilia. They were once close and grew apart to the point where Daria was a downright troll to Emilia. The reasoning behind this distance didn’t make much sense to me.
It’s the same between Poppy and Rosa. Poppy keeps apologizing to Rosa but she should not have been the one to make amends. I don’t have a sister so maybe there is something to these relationships I don’t understand?
At any rate, it’s a fun and sweet read and one I highly recommend.
***A few insights/spoilers so read with caution**
If you’re anything like me you may find the early chapters infuriating and difficult to listen to (audiobook version for me). The author laid wonderful groundwork of who each and every person was and with the exception of Emilia, they were generally a hate filled mean angry group of spineless humans who followed along whatever Nona did and used Emilia as a human dartboard. Emilia was lovely, sweet and had accepted that she was going to fall victim to the family curse so went to work, took their abuse and was pretty much waiting to grow old and die with her cat and Netflix. She so used to the emotional abuse that she just rolled with it and accepted it as her due. It was painful to listen to and my heart went out to her. I stopped listening a few times, but kept going back because I knew something good had to be coming her way. Then comes a call from Aunt Polly, the sister of Nona who was cast out of the family many years ago by the hateful Nona who it turns out had done something so heinous thay she wanted to insulate herself anyone ever learning the truth that Polly knew. Polly offers whirlwind trip a trip to Emilia and Lucy. This is when the story becomes filled with so much adventure, learning, and joy. We get to watch as Emilia and her cousin Lucy discover life, love, happiness and discover who they are when not living under such repressive family obligations and “the curse”. They come to learn why everyone is they way they are and now have the emotional strength to stand up for themselves. Its a wonderful story of love, understanding and redemption.
I was in the mood for a book that would lift my spirits and one to cure my book hangover. This one certainly lifted my spirits but it replaced my book hangover with another.
A wonderfully written book about 2 sisters and their elderly great aunt on a journey to Italy to break a curse that the family believes has been settled upon the second born daughter in each branch of the family. It was believed that the second born daughter would never get married and up until that point the curse was working.
It is a story about secrets (OF COURSE!) love, relationships, kindness, and hope. It is also a story of self discovery…..during this trip each woman learned a lot about themselves.
The book served as a great travelogue with stops in Venice and Tuscany. There were great descriptions of the cities and the countryside. And it was a culinary journey as well.
It is not easy to classify this book. It is more than chick lit, probably heading more towards women’s literature. There was depth to the characters and very interesting dynamics of a multi generational Italian family.
Lastly, it was a emotional book. During 2020 emotions have been close to the surface anyway. This book evoked a lot of emotions. I smiled, I chuckled and I even shed a few tears.
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was an easy and entertaining read. I loved it!
I was sad when I finished this book. I never read anything before by this author but I will be now. Such a heartwarming story of a family & their family issues. When the girls travel to Italy you feel you are there with them. This is a definite must read & I hope they make it into a movie!!