Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Her summer escape will awaken the past
In the Golden Age of Hollywood, Kelly Sinclair is on the cusp of becoming the next big movie star. Until then, she’s spending the summer of 1953 on the magical island of Capri…
Sixty years later, on a visit to her elderly grandmother’s cottage, photographer Maddie Williams unearths a box of old film memorabilia featuring a glamorous and beautiful young woman with platinum blonde hair. She also finds a postcard from the island of Capri, detailing the heart-breaking end of a passionate love affair.
Her grandmother now has trouble remembering anything from all those years ago. So when Maddie is commissioned for a photoshoot in Italy, she visits Capri to see if she can find out the truth. Can she unravel the mystery and discover what really happened in the summer of 1953, and will her magical island escape hold some surprises for Maddie, too?
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK via NetGalley for my copy of A Postcard from Capri to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Alex Brown is back with the third book in her Postcard series, A Postcard from Capri. All the books are standalone stories, the common link being the discovery of a postcard which sets the character on a journey of discovery. This book was a joy to read from start to finish and a perfect holiday read as it whisks you away to the famous island of Capri off the coast of Italy. This is a gorgeous story that evokes summer in spades and the reader feels as if they are on the island exploring and discovering secrets with Maddie. Told in dual timeline format the story moves back and forth between the 1950’s and the present day and this format works seamlessly throughout the book and only enhanced my enjoyment of the story. Packed full of wonderful, vivid, rich and evocative descriptions as well as romance, heartbreak and emotion this is a book that you will find difficult to leave when the story ends.
Capri, 1953 and a young woman has left behind Tindledale, the little English village where she grew up. She is following her dreams but yet on occasion she still longs for the simple and easy way of life that she left behind. The woman has entered the glamorous and ambitious world of stage and screen as her ambitions are fast becoming a reality. Whilst enjoying a summer break before filming commences on her new movie she hopes for rest and relaxation, but the holiday will throw up some surprises and twists and turns that will deeply affect her for the rest of her life. This was a very intriguing opening to the book as I wanted to know who the woman was and what was her backstory and just what was ahead for her that would ultimately change things so dramatically? I loved the reference back to Tindledale which has featured strongly in several of the authors previous books and which still long after reading said books the village has a firm place in my heart. So, it’s great to see it not forgotten but the star of the show here is Capri. It provides a brilliant backdrop to the story, both in the past and the present, and thanks to such glorious and rich writing I felt transported from my sofa to a sun soaked island overlooking blue Mediterranean seas with stunning vistas, small cobbled streets, lemon groves and amazing food. I felt I was on holiday and that’s what a good summer read should do.
In the present we follow Maddie who is at a crossroads in her life. Recently made redundant from her job and dumped by her boyfriend she feels like she is swimming against the tide and lost in her life. But she is a big believer in things happening for a reason and now she just has to figure out her next move. She has always had a deep yearning and wanderlust about her and would love to be travelling the world taking pictures for a living instead of remaining in London. She is primed and ready to kickstart a new stage in her life and just go for the career that she has hankered after for so long. When she finds a suitcase on top of her Granny’s wardrobe at Honeysuckle Cottage, which has laid empty since her Granny went to live in a home, inspiration strikes when she uncovers some letters, postcards and memorabilia. Her Granny had always been quite reticent about her past life and Maddie views this as an opportunity to find out more about her. Especially as Granny has been getting very forgetful and saying and asking for someone repeatedly whom Maddie had never heard mentioned before. Of course, Maddie’s interest is piqued and when an opportunity presents itself to travel to Italy for a fashion shoot she grasps it with open arms and ventures to Capri also which was in the front of the postcard in the suitcase.
I loved the sections of the book set in the present, it was as if Maddie was on her own personal journey of discovery gaining confidence in her own abilities both professionally and personally. She was increasing her self-esteem and putting herself back together piece by piece whilst at the same time slowly uncovering a secret that had laid dormant for so many years but which was ready to come out into the open at last. The reader sees Capri through Maddie’s eyes. Breath-taking sights, the rugged beauty and charm of the island, the smells, the sounds, the food just everything was so perfectly captured and only serves to enhance your enjoyment of this really lovely and engaging story. Maddie meets Gio who has his own boat and plans parties for tourists. She feels a strong physical attraction to him and the chemistry between them just leapt off the pages. But Maddie can’t forget she is there to find answers for her Granny and to find the person whom she constantly asks for. Will the island hold all the answers? How will Maddie react when she edges ever closer to the truth? Will Maddie herself find the happiness she so desperately needs and deserves?
Being honest, I wish there had been more of the story in the past. I thought the execution of moving between the past and present was perfect, but I wanted to read more of what went on in the past. Well, that’s how I felt whilst reading but having had time to reflect on the book if we had had this it would have ruined the book and given too much away far too soon. Instead there were tantalising glimpses into things and the reader is left guessing and trying to join the dots and make connections. I could guess as to the basis of the secret but not the reasons for it and how things changed so dramatically and I was glad in the end to not discover until the final moment of reveal when things came full circle so magically and heart-warmingly.
In the 1950’s Kelly Sinclair, is enjoying her newfound fame in Hollywood. She is on the cusp of big things and taking some time out. She is meant to have this untarnished image, someone who is the conventional girl next door- classy, wholesome and unencumbered. There are strict rules and regulations attached to her contract and she to do anything outside of these limits would lead to disaster for her career which has she longed for for many years. But Kelly is caught between her head and her heart and of course loyalty to her family. But when love comes calling can it be ignored? She is trapped in a bubble of fame which she did want but home still calls her too. She knows she has to pay a price for her career but how much is she willing to pay? There are lots of twists and turns to Kelly’s story which feed effortlessly into the main plot and I enjoyed trying to identify some sort of connection between the two main strands. Both of the female characters are trying to find a balance and a perspective in their lives but can this be achievable when so much is thrown in their path to try and derail them?
A Postcard from Capri is a thoroughly enjoyable book and a worthy addition to the Postcard series. I love this style of writing from Alex Brown and the fact that she also continues to write different series as well. The story has a fabulous cast of characters, the setting I still can’t get over it, it was just outstanding for the images it conjured up for me and how it added to the story as a whole. The plot was well developed with plenty of mystery to keep the reader guessing and it was also emotional and romantic at the same time. If you find yourself seeking a god holiday read then you won’t go far wrong with A Postcard from Capri.
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