This early novel set in Florence in the fifties is well worth seeking out. The story centres around an absurd and touching pair of lovers, the guileless daughter of the decrepit Ridolfi family and a fiery young doctor from the south. The book is full of wonderfully eccentric characters from the oh so practical English girlfriend to an Aunt who staffs a home for orphaned babies with lonely old ladies because they will love them.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 16 December 2002 ) |
