The Tuscan Secret

By: Angela Petch

Narrated by: Ellie Heydon

An absolutely gripping, emotional, World War II historical novel

Il Mulino. An old crumbling mill, by a winding river, nestled in the Tuscan mountains. An empty home that holds memories of homemade pasta and Nonna’s stories by the fire, and later: the Nazi invasion, and a family torn apart by a heartbreaking betrayal.

Anna is distraught when her beloved mother, Ines, passes away. She inherits a box of papers, handwritten in Italian and yellowed with age, and a tantalizing promise that the truth about what happened during the war lies within.

The diaries lead Anna to the small village of Rofelle, where she slowly starts to heal as she explores sun-kissed olive groves, and pieces together her mother’s past: happy days spent herding sheep across Tuscan meadows cruelly interrupted when World War Two erupted and the Nazis arrived; fleeing her home to join the Resistenza; and risking everything to protect an injured British soldier who captured her heart. But Anna is no closer to learning the truth: what sent Ines running from her adored homeland?

When she meets an elderly Italian gentleman living in a deserted hamlet, who flinches at her mother’s name and refuses to speak English, Anna is sure he knows more about the devastating secret that tore apart her mother’s family. But in this small Tuscan community, some wartime secrets were never meant to be uncovered....

A stunning tale, inspired by true events, about how the tragic consequences of war can echo through generations, and how love can guide us through the darkest times. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and The Letter by Kathryn Hughes will be captivated.

This book was previously published as Tuscan Roots.

©2019 Angela Petch (P)2019 Bookouture

Wonderful Story

I truly enjoyed this book. The characters were endearing and the story was tremendous, with interesting pieces of history sprinkled in. I highly recommend. This is a nice easy read!

Underwhelming and boring

This book did not keep my interest. I wasn’t enamored by any of the characters except the little mute girl, but it was too boring for me to get to the end to find out what happened to her.

Beautifully written, wonderful story but a little racy at times

I loved everything about it except for several moments of seemingly unnecessary detail during intimate moments for the characters. I wish it could have been less explicit as I don’t feel I can recommend it to friends with parts like that included. But the story was wonderful and Angela Petch is a fantastic writer!

Engaging

As a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I knew little of the Tuscan people’s struggles of betrayal during WWII and learned a lot while enjoying the romance of the story.
It is a story of two eras and the joining together of families torn apart by war. Anna receives a copy of her mother’s diary after her death and seeks to find out more by travelling to Tuscany. Here she meets a widower who assists with translation.
The vivid descriptions of life, food and villages transport the listener into a beautiful part of Italy. The author has done her research well and the narrator makes it an easy listen.

Beautiful love story

An amazing beautiful love story. It captured my heart. It has me dreaming of Italy