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Summer in Tuscany
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Plot Summary of Summer in Tuscany
"

St. Martin's, Jul 2002, 23.95, 368 pp.
ISBN: 031226996X

Thirty-eight year old divorcee Gemma Jericho works extremely hard as resident in charge of Bellevue Hospital Trauma Department as there is never a void of customers. She also feels like the sandwich generation struggling between her mom Nonna and her third generation American teen Livvie.

Nonna receives a letter from Bella Piacere, the village she grew up in Italy, but has not been back to in four decades. The priest informs Nonna that she has inherited property. Using guilt as a sharp sword, Nonna persuades her two descendants to come with her to Italy so she can see her home for the last time and to learn what has been bequest to her.

Though they kind of met in Rome, Gemma and Long Islander Ben Raphael formally meet in Tuscany. He claims to own the same villa that the priest insists has been bestowed on Nonna. Though Gemma and Ben are very attracted to one another, the villa more than the past failures in relationships stand in the way of anything permanent.

Fans of relationship dramas will want to read SUMMER IN TUSCANY as the tale contains strong characters representing three generations struggling to connect with one another. The story line is well written though the bias is clearly pointed towards the fresh rural countryside over the smoggy urban areas. However, the key that makes the plot succeed is the rotation of voices, though mostly Gemma, so that the audience understands what each of the protagonists feel and thus can discern why relationships are difficult to form and tougher to maintain.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Summer in Tuscany
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - upbeat
Time/era of story - present (2000-2010)
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - GENERAL--no other subplots apply
Culture clash? - family young v. old guard
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - Italian
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - doctor
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Italian
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Unusual Style: - a lot of stream of consciousness - No single main character?
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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