Emma's Review: The Postcard from Italy by Angela Petch

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Italy, 1945. ‘Where am I?’ The young man wakes, bewildered. He sees olive trees against a bright blue sky. A soft voice soothes him. ‘We saw you fall from your plane. The parachute saved you.’ He remembers nothing of his life, or the war that has torn the world apart… but where does he belong?

England, present day. Antique-shop-owner Susannah wipes away a tear as she tidies her grandmother’s belongings. Elsie’s memories are fading, and every day Susannah feels further away from her only remaining family. But everything changes when she stumbles across a yellowed postcard of a beautiful Italian stone farmhouse, tucked away in Elsie’s dressing table. A message dated from World War 2 speaks of a secret love. Could her grandmother, who never talked about the past, have fallen for someone in Italy all those years ago?

With Elsie unable to answer her questions, Susannah becomes determined to track down the house and find a distraction from her grief. Arriving at what is now a crumbling hotel by the sparkling Italian sea, she feels strangely at home. And after an unexpected encounter with handsome wine waiter Giacomo, she can’t tell if it’s his dark eyes or his offer to help solve her mystery that makes her heart race.

Together they find a dusty chest tucked in a forgotten corner of the building. The white silk of a World War 2 parachute spills out. And the Royal Air Force identity tag nestled in the folds bears a familiar name…

With Giacomo by her side, and before it’s too late for her grandmother, can Susannah discover the truth behind a shocking wartime secret at the heart of her family? Or will it tear her apart? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Postcard from Italy to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.

If the absolutely stunning cover for Angela Petch’s new novel The Postcard from Italy doesn’t want to make you delve straight into this book then the brilliant and captivating story that awaits you most certainly will. Angela once again transports us away to the beautiful country of Italy. That image on the cover is pure perfection and on these cold dreary days where spring hasn’t quite arrived yet, I’d give anything to be sitting at that window looking out on such a beautiful vista. Sadly that wish can’t come true but the excellent descriptions of the Italian countryside within a story full of twists and turns more than make up for it. This is a dual timeline story set between the present day and it follows one women’s search for answers inspired by a letter she finds and also that of a man who falls from the sky in March 1945. 

The Postcard from Italy has an intriguing opening which sets the scene perfectly for the story that unfolds and I found myself quickly settling into the rhythm of the story eager to uncover the answers to so many questions that swiftly arise. The plot, the setting and the pace of the story are all perfect. Nothing is dragged out nor at the same time it doesn’t feel rushed. Instead, things are revealed piece by piece at just the right moments which make for an interesting, engaging and a very much enjoyable read.

In March 1945 on the Italian coast, a man has fallen from the sky and found himself on a beach and subsequently rescued by Domenico and his grandson Anto. Domenico believes this man to be Roberto, the sibling of Anto, but we know this cannot be the case as Roberto was killed in action in Africa. But Domenico’s mind is letting him down and to put him right in his thought process would only add to his confusion and upset. The man who we know as Billy from the chapter headings has no recollection of who he is or where he came from. He needs to claw back his memory and discover what is hiding in the darkest recesses of his mind. Hidden away on the small landholding in the unique building known as a trullo, Billy must heal from his wounds and then he hopes his memories will return. Surrounded by beautiful landscapes and the coast he soon settles in but finds that perhaps Anto hides his own secrets too. For Anto is not all he seems and Billy soon discovers that Anto is in fact a woman named Antonella. Why has Antonella changed her appearance and why is she living in such an isolated place with her grandfather? The reasons for which become apparent fairly early in the story but the fact that this occurs doesn’t in anyway distract from the overall plot. In fact, it only adds more depth and understanding and allows the reader to appreciate how brave and courageous Antonella truly is. 

It’s fairly obvious that there is a connection much more than a friendship of a rescuer developing between herself and her rescue but it’s the path to admit and establish these feelings that dominates a lot of the story. There are many obstacles in their path, not least the real reason that Antonella hastily left her hometown at a time when the Germans were gaining ground and it was dangerous to travel. Her reasons are very much valid but you sense that she is always living on a knife edge and worried about being discovered and is wary of what the consequences will be if this does occur. When Domenico passes away whilst fishing, Billy vows that he will protect Antonella for as long as he possibly can. But what happens when some memories slowly start to return? Will the little ideal they have created amongst the olive groves away from the war that continues to rage on be shattered? Will Billy when he learns the truth of who he is be forced to go back to a time and place that is no longer who he is anymore? For his experiences have changed and moulded him into a new person and he is not sure if his old life is the one that he wishes to live in anymore. I loved the pace of the unfolding of the real story behind Billy. We see him wrestle with his conscious with what he has been brought up to believe is the right thing to do yet this new life that he has established for himself is not one that he feels he can easily walk away from? He feels a duty to Antonella and also a job has presented itself at the restaurant /farmhouse Masseria della Torre where he feels a part of everything but yet the past and his duties come calling.

You hear/read of so many stories of wounded soldiers during the war and how their time away from home changed who they were. That the women and families waiting for them at home whilst they battled in Europe couldn’t comprehend the changes their men have gone through. In Billy’s case, the truth behind who he really is and his background at first made for a cut and dried solution. But delve a little deeper and think about what you are reading and you as a reader will see how Billy is faced with a difficult decision. Perhaps his choice has already been made for him but can he go back on what he did to someone.? Will that someone welcome him once again with open arms? Are they willing to open their heart given the damage that has been done to them and the fear and apprehension that exists for them daily? I am purposefully being vague here regarding specific details as one little slip would give the entire plot away but suffice to say I thought the story told in the past was very well written and really captured and held my attention throughout and I loved how it eventually intertwined with the story in the present.

In the present day, Susannah Ferguson has recently lost her father Frank whom she cared for her in his final illness. Her 97-year-old grandmother Elise recently went to live in a care home and whilst Susannah is cleaning out her house she finds an envelope with a letter from a man in in Puglia, Italy hidden underneath a dressing table. Susannah has always had an eye for things that are old as the bric a brac shop she owns has become her sanctuary. This discovery intrigues her, even more so because there was little love lost between herself and Elsie and Susannah could never out her finger on the reasons for this especially seen as her sister Sybil was always treated with the utmost of respect and love. Susannah is battered and bruised following the death of her father and this chance discovery ignites a small spark in her. What is the significance of the postcard that her father used as inspiration for a painting he once did and does it connect to her grandmother’s letter? Who would have been writing to her grandmother from Italy and even more importantly why did she keep it secret? Maureen, Susannah’s friend, agrees to take care of the shop so she can travel to Italy for a month. She now has a quest and is determined to find answers especially as Elsie is not of sound mind to provide them. Susannah hopes this time away will help her come out of herself and to be more able to go with the flow. She needs to stop overthinking things, take a few risks, open her mind and see where her journey will take her? To happiness or trouble when she discovers the truth?

The scenes where Susannah was in Italy really brought this wonderful country to life. As with Billy in the past, I could really visualise the small streets, the blue sea, the food, the herbs and the heat. Susannah soon discovers the Masseria della Torre and wonders is it the same building that her father had painted from a postcard. She meets the owner Mario and here is the only small criticism I have of the book. At this point I felt the story went a little off track and became too caught up in Mario and Susannah caretaking the farmhouse. It ventured into a ‘chick lit’ type romance and the historical element was lost before once again getting back on track. Mario was like a diversion that wasn’t needed in the book. But once I got passed this part I found I engaged more with Susannah’s story and the journey that she was on to bridge the gap between the past and the present and to find the answers that her grandmother can’t give her. She has always felt something missing and that she didn’t belong. Will she find what she is searching for and just how do the two strands of the story connect? To find out, I would have no hesitation in recommending this wonderful book from Angela Petch whom I feel is an author who is going from strength to strength and the enjoyment she gets from writing is really coming across in her books. I’m already looking forward to her next book. Let’s hope it’s set in Italy again.