Grace Quinn loves her job at Cohen’s Convenient Storage Company, finding occasional treasure in the forgotten units that customers have abandoned. Her inquisitive nature is piqued when a valuable art collection and a bundle of letters and diaries are found that date back to the 1930’s.
Delving deeper, Grace uncovers the story of a young English woman, Connie Levine, who follows her heart to Italy at the end of the Second World war. The contents also offer up the hope of a new beginning for Grace, battling a broken heart and caring for her controlling mother.
Embarking on her own voyage of discovery, Grace’s search takes her to a powder pink villa on the cliff tops overlooking the Italian Riviera, but will she unravel the family secrets and betrayals that Connie tried so hard to overcome, and find love for herself?
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK via NetGalley for my copy of A Postcard from Italy to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
For a long time now The Great Christmas Knit Off has been my ultimate favourite book by Alex Brown, I'm still sitting here years later wishing Tindledale was real but sadly that is not the case. But now along comes A Postcard from Italy and boy is it up there trying to nudge said book off its perch as my favourite. If asked to choose I don't think I could pick between the two but without doubt this new book is the best thing Alex has written in quite some time and I absolutely adored it. I spent an afternoon completely and utterly lost in its fabulousness as it hit every nail on the head and more. The idea of going back and forth between the past and present is my favourite kind of read and let's face it it has been done so many times in books but here Alex renewed my faith in the genre after having recently read some not so good books in this category.
It's an excellent read that takes you on an exhilarating journey and you barely look up from the page once you have begun so caught up do you become in the wonderfully crafted story unfolding before you. The pace was superb and the mix of characters and their varied problems, the stunning settings and the intriguing plot-lines all worked so well together. It never felt that I was reading two separate storylines that flitted between the modern day and times gone by instead the connections that become apparent all fuse together to make an outstanding story and one that I was gutted that I read too quickly and that I had to leave such an utter triumph of a book behind as the characters and storyline will long live on in my mind.
I loved at the very beginning how there was a brief connection to Tindledale which I think showed that that very special village has not been forgotten and it holds a special place in Alex's heart just as it does with so many readers. It was a clever way of showing us how one of the main female characters Connie came to be in a situation, the outcome of which was forced upon her, and very much went against her wishes. It set the tone for Connie's storyline and as the story progressed it helped the reader to formulate what exactly had gone on in the subsequent years after we are first introduced to Connie. But it's Grace Quinn who really sets the wheels in motion to uncover Connie's story and I relished every minute of her journey.
Grace was a stand out character so brilliantly written. Every emotion and opinion she had was captured to perfection and I think many readers will identify with her situation and what she was experiencing. I know I saw a small bit of myself in Grace. She was a person trying to break out of the mould some people had created for her because they themselves were unwilling to step up to the plate when necessity wanted them to do. I didn't feel she was weak at all but rather she was loyal and would have felt guilty if she had stood up for herself. She just needed the courage, motivation and a little guidance to take that first faltering step and by stepping outside of her comfort zone through her discovery this would perhaps allow her to do so.
Grace works in Cohen's Convenient Storage Company, it suits her as she can pop back home during lunch breaks to look after her bed bound mother Cora. Grace leads a sheltered and structured life as events in the past led to depression and agoraphobia but she is taking tentative steps to overcome this but still counting the steps to the bus stop is something that must be done every day. Larry and Betty who run the storage company are like surrogate parents to Grace and she feels sheltered and protected in her job and it also gives her a chance to escape the never ending demands of her mother. Cora was an old bag of a character restricted to her bed and using her ill health as a weapon against Grace. She was controlling and manipulative and I didn't always believe she had the best of intentions,surely someone couldn't be that cruel to their own flesh and blood.
Cora ordered her about and made Grace feel as tiny as possible, that she could never do anything right and that really she should be grateful that she was giving Grace a roof over her head and as she had cared for her and brought her up now was the time for Grace to return the favour so to speak. Cora was wearing away at the little self belief and confidence Grace had left following a traumatic event and her siblings really should have stepped up to the plate and helped her out. They shouldn't have allowed Cora dictate whether she moved to a nursing home or not or whether a carer could be brought in to relieve Grace and allow her some freedom and some time for herself. The daily taunts and jibes issued by Cora would have made me want to slap her but I think Grace always had at the back of her mind this is my mother I can't abandon her even though I know I myself would very much would have liked to run out the door if faced with Cora.
So when Grace is tasked with clearing out a storage unit that seems to have been forgotten about, despite repeated attempts to contact the owner, little does she realise that when she unlocks the door a treasure trove of antiques, jewellery, clothing, a diary and a postcard await her and with them a fascinating story. One in which Grace becomes determined to discover just why Constance di Donato left such valuable treasure and memories locked away and seemingly forgotten about in a unit in London. As Grace feels trapped and so deeply stuck in a rut, and she has allowed her grief and anxiety to take over her, she feels the task of piecing together Connie's life and seeking the answers as to whether she is still alive or not will give her the inspiration and strength to break free from the situation that is making her life smaller and smaller.
This quest Grace sets upon makes her come alive and she embarks upon implementing some changes to her home life, whether Cora likes them or not is another matter but I thought bravo Grace you are finally allowing the wool to be pulled from your eyes. That you can't exist long term in the manner in which you have done for quite some time. Through reading the diary entries of Connie, Grace becomes impassioned and is steadfast in her determination in uncovering just what led to Connie going from a life of glamour and luxury to one of obscurity. With Ellis from an important New York auction house who is also the nephew of Larry and Betty by her side at whatever cost Grace will unravel the mystery of the forgotten items in storage unit number 28.
I thoroughly enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and I thought the diary entries were a skilful way of giving Connie a voice and connecting and intertwining the past to the present. Sometimes I can get fed up of diary entries and would rather read chapters from the characters viewpoint but here it didn't matter in the slightest to me. I thought they gave great insight into Connie and they enabled Grace to piece Connie's life story together little by little. I think Grace identified with her as they shared similarities and in a way I wondered did Grace not want the same to happen in her life. Grace has so many constraints in her life and the woman inside her has been sad for too long. Life is too short for regrets and by establishing the truth of Connie and the storage box I think Grace was hoping it would allow her to move on in her life, to gain clarity of thought and to stand up for herself because if Connie had been able to do that then maybe her fortunes would have turned out very differently.
As Italy was mentioned in the title, initially I thought oh this will be another summer holiday romance book but I was delighted to have been proven very much wrong. Italy does feature but more so in the later half of the book and I'm glad it wasn't a dominant strand to the story but more so that it stepped in at just the most perfect time as the strands of the past begin to unravel and Grace and Ellis attempt to weave them into some sort of sense in the hopes of discovering the answers to so many questions which both they and the reader have. I loved the scenes set in Italy they brought added flavour and dimension to the story and I felt as if I was there with Grace and Ellis walking alongside them as they become even more deeply engrossed in deciphering just what happened to Connie. Undoubtedly Grace feels a connection to Connie they are many similarities but also differences between them but will Grace be relieved or upset by what she discovers? Will she remain forever beholden to her mother? You'll have to read this stunning read to discover the answers.
I have not one ounce of hesitation in recommending A Postcard from Italy as your summer read for this year or really to read it at any time of the year. I loved every bit of it from start to finish and you don't notice time slipping you by as you became equally engrossed and engaged with both Grace and Connie's stories. One is not stronger than the other as can happen with books of this nature and that is the mark of an author who has loved writing a story and who has given equally weight to both characters stories. It captured my imagination right from the very beginning and I was easily and readily taken in by the fascinating story that was unfolding. The characters are memorable and walk off the page to meet you and I gladly embraced them as the story they were telling was captivating, honest, emotional and heartfelt. I wish it could have gone on for much longer but all good things must come to an end. Alex Brown has written a book that is undoubtedly one for the keeper shelf. Let's hope there is much more like this to come from Alex in her future books.
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