‘I miss him with every breath and heartbeat. He should have been my happy ending. Instead, he is the sad beginning to my story.’ Olivia and Luca Felicone had known each other nearly all their lives, but when they fell in love as teenagers and eloped to London, they broke the hearts of those closest to them. Luca’s parents run Marinella’s restaurant, the colourful hub of life in the otherwise bleak north-eastern seaside town of Watersford, and his mother, Angela, has never forgiven Olivia for causing such a rift in her beloved family. On a freezing January night Olivia’s life is shattered when she learns that Luca has been killed in a car accident on the M1. She is left with nothing, and after suffering from weeks of overwhelming grief, she abandons her job and returns North to where Luca has been buried in Watersford, just to be close to him – even though she knows she will not be welcome at Marinella’s. Olivia’s chance meeting with Luca’s married twin brother, Marc, leads to the realization that he is experiencing a loss almost as painful as her own. Their desolation draws them into an affair which both know has no future, but fills the space where Luca should be. It is a course of action that can only spiral out of control, and when it does, the consequences are both explosive and cruel. THE LOVE OF MY LIFE is a beautiful novel that portrays both the innocence of childhood, and the dynamics of love and loss with deftness and sensitivity. It is, above all, a stunning debut from an author with a unique and natural narrative voice. ‘Sad and lovely. I'm now having trouble finding a book good enough to fill the very deep hole she's left’ Milly Johnson, author of The Yorkshire Pudding Club
--This text refers to the
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Love of my Life - a beautiful love story,
By Amy James "Amy" (Manchester) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Love of My Life (Hardcover)
There are two love stories in this book which is mainly set in a small seaside resort in the North of England. The first real love story is between Olivia and her beloved husband Luca. They have been friends since childhood and their friendship develops into a secret teenage romance and then into a beautiful, intense and, in the eyes of their families, unforgivable love. Without giving the story away, Luca's family never forgives Olivia for the fact that he chose her over them, so when he dies, and she goes back to her hometown to be close to his grave, they don't treat her very kindly.
The second love story happens after Luca's death. Oliva begins an affair with his brother, Marc, because they both remind each other of Luca and it's a way of coping with their grief. This 'wrong' affair is contrasted with the real love story of Olivia's life, her relationship with Luca, and the result is poignant and moving without ever becoming maudlin or oversentimental. At the end, we find out why Luca's family is so anti-Olivia and the conclusion is life-affirming. A lovely, clever, well-written book, with a superficially simple story which actually works on a deeper level as a tribute to real love, with all its joys, wherever it may be found. Very highly recommended.
4.0 out of 5 stars
From The Aussie Zombie,
By KatSmith (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Love of My Life (Paperback)
I have a confession to make. I brought this book just before my 2011 summer holiday, thinking it would be a nice fluffy chick-lit type read for the beach. I didn't read it on my holiday, and when I was coming to the very end of my 24 read-a-thon last weekend, I started reading it because I thought it would be an `easy' read.Now I'm a little stuck how to describe it, because it is an easy read in terms of how it is written, but the content is much more complex than it appears. The Love of My Life sucks you in right from the beginning, and doesn't let you go. The characters are vibrant and real, and I particularly loved Olivia - her grief is compelling and her situation is heartbreaking - I couldn't help but sympathise with her. The Felicone's are as I imagine an Italian family in a small town would be, protective and completely family-orientated. This is a book about a lot of things - grief, comfort, family, friendships, and most of all, love. The flashbacks to Olivia and Luca's childhood help to make the story complete, and link their life together with Olivia's grief in a believable way, and the gradual revealing of the reasons why Olivia does not fit in with the family kept me reading just to find out what happened. The Love of My Life completely surpassed my expectations - I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves....well I don't know how to describe it, it's not my idea of `chick-lit'! ......anyone who loves a good, emotional and heartfelt story.
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