In this compelling drama of love, loss and reconciliation, the tragic death of their child precipitates. Olivia and art restorer Paul into the unfamiliar world of a Tuscan hill town. Searching for an emotional refuge, they restore a derelict farmhouse with the help of the enigmatic stonemason, Gianni. Within the vividly contrasting settings of suburban Surrey and a remote valley in Tuscany, Olivia becomes involved in complex, sometimes comic, relationships across generations. Valerie Thornhill, in this finely-written and unusual book, draws on her intimate experience of Italy to create a gripping story that deepens our understanding of the way we adapt and restore our environment, as well as ourselves, in response to the unexpected turns of fate.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This is a very three-dimensional and visual novel - the scenery and actions are beautifully described and intensely felt. It is a stand-alone book that reveals a deeply involved relationship with Italy, her people, landscapes, art and history. The sense of place is acute. It feeds the eye as well as the mind. Valerie Thornhill's is a fresh and distinctive new voice." --Erica Wilkinson, design historian
"With its sensitive interplay between physical setting and human relationships, Valerie Thornhill's In Restoration contains passages of emotional power and brilliance in writing which make her first novel a highly promising work." --Martyn Goff, literary critic
"Books featuring the restoration of houses in Tuscany (or Provence) have become an Anglo-Saxon literary genre, but what sets apart this account is both authenticity - this is the real Tuscany, acutely observed - and the deeply felt quality of experience." --Judith Harris, American journalist and historian
"With its sensitive interplay between physical setting and human relationships, Valerie Thornhill's In Restoration contains passages of emotional power and brilliance in writing which make her first novel a highly promising work." --Martyn Goff, literary critic
"Books featuring the restoration of houses in Tuscany (or Provence) have become an Anglo-Saxon literary genre, but what sets apart this account is both authenticity - this is the real Tuscany, acutely observed - and the deeply felt quality of experience." --Judith Harris, American journalist and historian
About the Author
Valerie Thornhill studied at Cambridge before living through student protests while at the Sorbonne in Paris and during the Red Brigade era in Rome where, inadvertently, she became entangled in the underworld. She has written since childhood, followed in the footsteps of five generations of her family in India to travel widely, and has taught in America and Asia as well as Europe. Her publications include The Children of Kumbhalgarh and Other Stories, a collection of short stories set in India, the USA, Russia, Japan, Italy and England; a novella The Tycoon's Tale and Cynthia Loves her Fiat 500, a story of 'swinging' Rome in the Sixties. She gardens speculatively, creates outside sculpture from random natural objects and divides her time between Yorkshire and Italy. valeriethornhill.org.uk
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful Story about Tuscany,
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This review is from: In Restoration (Paperback)
Valerie Thornhill's novel, In Restoration, is an unusual story of a stranger coming to Tuscany. Her tale about Olivia's life, both in England and in Tuscany, is a fine study of human relationships, love, loss, and healing, as well as a facinating tale of a more familiar genre, "fixing up a house in a foreign land." In this case, the telling of the tale includes wonderful insights into the history and daily life of Olivia's new neighbors. This is a powerful novel, told from the background of Thornhill's rich life experiences.
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