Every now and then, it’s nice to be able to read a book just because I want to, rather than as part of a blog tour – it doesn’t happen anywhere as often as I’d like it to! But it’s a real pleasure today to share my publication day review of The Tuscan Daughter by Tessa Harris – published by HQ Digital today (23rd April), it’s now available as an ebook on all major platforms and as an audiobook, with the paperback to follow on 25th April. My thanks to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy, provided via netgalley.
If you enjoy wartime stories as much as I do, I do hope you’ve discovered Tessa’s wonderful books. Back in December 2020, she joined me to share the fascinating story behind her first book for HQ, Beneath a Starless Sky (you’ll find that post here) – and it certainly lived up to its promise, a sweeping wartime story blending fiction and fact, beautifully written, filled with drama and intrigue (you’ll find my review here). And she followed that with The Light We Left Behind – a romance, an intriguing wartime secret history, and a developing mystery, all so perfectly balanced (here‘s my review). Her most recent book was The Paris Notebook – stunningly original, built around a kernel of truth, with real events, characters and locations (the author’s afterword is almost as fascinating as the book itself) but with an added layer of “what if” that made it a totally compelling story (and one of my 2023 Books of the Year – you’ll find my review here). Her books are now “must reads” for me – and this one was one I was really looking forward to…
A country at war. An impossible choice. A woman who will risk everything to be free.
Tuscany, 1942: having moved from England to the beautiful city of Lucca before the outbreak of war, Lizzie Thornton adores her job as tutor to eight-year-old Cristo – despite the fact that his father, Count Antonio de Falco, is a notable fascist and supporter of Mussolini.
Then war is declared, and Lizzie is suddenly regarded as an enemy in the country she loves so much. When new tutor Vincenzo Baldini arrives, Lizzie is exposed to a new secret world; Vincenzo is actually a member of the Italian resistance, running an anti-fascist propaganda magazine. Lizzie, desperate to be part of the fight, joins Vincenzo’s unit, and soon she is head over heels in love.
But when someone from her past reappears and threatens to overturn her new life, Lizzie must decide if she has the strength to fight for what, and who, she truly wants.
Based on true events, The Tuscan Daughter is a heartbreaking story of one woman’s resilience in the face of fascism, perfect for fans of Mandy Robotham and Kate Quinn.
Always feeling there was more to life than waiting for the return of fiancé Hugh from his time with the RAF, Lizzie Thornton’s independent spirit takes her to Lucca in Tuscany. At first employed as a governess, she also becomes tutor to Cristo, the son of Count Antonio da Falco. But it’s now 1942, and she finds herself isolated during wartime in a hostile country – her employer a prominent fascist, a supporter and friend of Mussolini.
Her sense of isolation is intensified with the news of Hugh’s death in combat – although it also feels like something of an escape from a future of domesticity that she was never sure she wanted. A second tutor, Vincenzo Baldini, joins the household at the Villa Martini, and she fears for her future – but he proves to be an unexpected friend and ally, working with the resistance, and editing an anti-fascist newspaper. They grow closer as she helps him with articles, but their activities are uncovered – he finds himself imprisoned, and she is sent away to a secure convent.
But that’s only the beginning of the story – they finally find each other again, when she joins his partisan unit and supports the fight for liberation. What follows is an intense and gripping story of determination and bravery, of danger and hardship – along with a compelling and moving romance, not without unexpected complications from the past. The book’s focus is very much on the roles played by women – their courage as equals in the struggle, through the actions of a number of quite wonderfully drawn individuals (Lizzie included) who fight shoulder to shoulder with their comrades.
The landscape is vividly drawn, the detail impeccably researched and brought to life, the emotional content harrowing – but the author is also a wonderful storyteller, and the book’s pages turn ever faster. She makes you feel present in the moment, making choices with the brave individuals, facing the danger and feeling the same fear – the writing is superb, combining a slice of very real history with a smaller, more intimate story I found intensely moving.
The whole book is a wonderful tribute to the individuals – especially the women – who believed in their cause and were both strong and selfless in fighting for their freedom. But it’s also a quite unforgettable read – and one I really couldn’t recommend more highly.
About the author
Tessa Harris read History at Oxford University and has been a journalist, writing for several national newspapers and magazines for more than thirty years. She is the author of nine published historical novels. Her debut, The Anatomist’s Apprentice, won the Romantic Times First Best Mystery Award 2012 in the US. She lectures in creative writing at Hawkwood College, Stroud and is married with two children. She lives in the Cotswolds.
