Like other reviewers, I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise is great, as is the plot line but the characters (especially Ginny) were shallow and I didn't feel that the author had done enough to make me really care about them. What could have been a brilliant read fell short because of lazy (and sometimes downright sloppy) writing.Ginny's constant use of phrases like 'jumping jellyfish' were irritating, and not at all realistic - I can't imagine any teenager speaking like that. These phrases were especially annoying when juxtaposed against the author's occasional use of expletives. Sorry, it just didn't work...come to that, neither did the overuse of ellipsis!On a positive note, the author has a brilliant sense of place. The Sicilian scenes were evocative, with imagery that was so strong that I felt I was sucked into Tess's fishing village. I also enjoyed the 'timeslip' element of the book, but was a bit confused by the dating of the story: Flavia's age at various points in the book just don't stack up to her being 82 in the 'twenty-teens' (as Tess refers to 'now'). Little details like this were really distracting and detracted from my enjoyment of the story.I've given the book 3 stars because it was a lovely story, but it was let down by sloppy writing and poor attention to detail - disappointing considering the author's credentials. This was a great book, with a fab storyline, BUT... It doesn't paint the prettiest picture of Sicily. I've always wanted to go to Sicily, and heard such wonderful things about it, but although this book is fictional, I can't help but feel ever so slightly disenchanted, with the place but also the people. That's really disappointed me, because I always become so absorbed by a book, but a book has never made me kind of judge a place before I've been?!
What do You think about La Villa (2012)?
An easy read, perfect for holiday reading albeit rather predictable and mediocre.
—Pathrycia
Rather typical chic-lit. I had hoped for more
—mdaniel1015
