Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Erika is sitting in the kitchen of her grandfather’s Tuscan estate with friends from America. She can’t believe that just a few months ago she was building a business and a life back in New York until she received a letter from her grandfather’s attorney: he was gone and she inherited everything. There’s a catch though – she had to live on the estate for 5 months before she could assume control. Erika fought that plan and initial wanted to sell the property. But after 5 months, she’s fallen in love with the estate…and so much more.
Casalvento is Gudrun Cuillo’s debut novel, pulling from her own experiences to deliver a beautiful tale of finding yourself in the circumstances in front of you. Capped with a section of delicious story-inspired recipes and wine pairings, this book delivers details of Tuscany only someone living in the area and in love with the community could describe. Cuillo’s own wine estates are the setting for this story of growth, finding your true passion, and giving in to love.
I give Casalvento 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the dialogue between Erika and her staff about the area, the wine making process, and the food – you can tell the author built these off her own interactions. However, I did notice a handful of errors in the timeline for certain migrations to America and other events discussed. These did not impact the storyline, but were a thorn for my personal reading. I also grew frustrated with some of the attention directed towards the housekeeper early on, leading readers to believe she was a dark character looking to do harm to Erika. This frustration popped back up at the end when the cousin who was a true dark character was suddenly very happy and excited for Erika to take over the property. However, I appreciate the slow reveal of the romance between Erika and her true love later in the book. The lack of speed with this development gave it authenticity.
If you love Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun or Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, this book is for you! With the common theme of leaving New York for Italy, loss of a relationship, and finding yourself, this trio of books from writers with very different backgrounds belong together. I would also recommend this book as a book club read – there’s so much to unpack in each chapter!
In October, I realized I was going to have some time open time in my audiobook schedule. I was excited when I saw this on NetGalley and was immediately drawn to it by the cover – a beautiful Tuscan landscape with grape vines and lemon trees. I was not disappointed! If you are looking for your next audiobook, pick this one up. Casalvento is now available for purchase from your favorite bookseller!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Getaway List, Emma Lord
- Current audio book: Under an Outlaw Moon, Dietrich Kalteis
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Tom Lake, Ann Patchett
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