It’s an absolute pleasure today to be helping launch the blog tour for the new book from the lovely Jane Lambert, A Scottish Teashop in Napoli, and sharing my publication day review. Published today (3rd July) by Bedford Square Publishers, it’s now available as an ebook (for kindle via Amazon in the UK and US, and for Kobo), and in paperback from your favourite on-line or local bookshop – the audiobook will follow on 18th September. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support (and I really must mention that this is one of two blog tours for this book starting today, the other organised by Anne at Random Things Tours) – and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
It’s rather a long time since the initial release of Jane’s first book – but I was delighted in May of this year to help spread the news that The Start of Something Wonderful was being republished by HQ, and to share my original review once more on publication day (you can read the post again here). It was a book I’d really enjoyed, such a joyous and uplifting read, and I was so pleased it was getting another chance to be enjoyed by a whole new generation of readers who might well love it as much as I did. But I was even more excited when Jane told me that she’d been writing again and there was a new book on its way – and I couldn’t wait to see if this book had the same magic…
When Lucy’s childhood sweetheart stands her up on their wedding day, leaving her alone on a plane eloping to the tropical location of his choosing, their dream – now feeling like just her dream – of their bairn filled future disappears in a heartbeat (or the time it takes for her to listen to the rambling drunken voicemail he left calling off the wedding).
In Naples, Elena is recently widowed and struggling to keep her husband’s family’s beloved and centuries old mozzarella factory afloat, whilst running her language school and bringing up their son. At risk of losing both businesses- and adding even more disruption to their life – she advertises a job and hopes for the best.
The stars seem to align and Elena and Lucy, each suffering from a very different sort of loss and loneliness, set about trying to lift the struggling business and each other.
A charming, tender and funny novel about the power of female friendships, the importance of letting go and the joys of eating pasta!
My heart really went out to Lucy as this book began. Stewart might not have been perfect – or even particularly exciting – but she’d made her choice when she agreed to marry him, only to discover, with the worst possible timing, that he’d changed his mind. And then there was the horror and humiliation of finding herself alone in a Caribbean wedding resort, waiting for a flight home to Glasgow – the rose petals hastily cleared from the bed in the bridal suite, and thank goodness for the wonderfully caring and attentive hotel staff.
But she wasn’t the only individual in this book I really felt for. In Naples, recently widowed Elena, despite the help of the family and the support of her husband Giancarlo’s best friend – police officer Dario – is struggling both with her grief and her many responsibilities. She’s mother to six-year-old Stefano, and he’s now the most important person in her life – but she’s being pulled in too many different directions as she tries to run her language school while taking on all the administrative tasks connected with the family mozzarella factory when she knows so little about its running.
Lucy needs a fresh start, Elena needs another pair of hands to help out – and perhaps some emotional support too. An advert brings the two women together, Lucy travelling to Naples, staying in Elena’s apartment in the heart of Naples, overlooking the sea – and it soon becomes evident that they’ve both made exactly the right choice. Teaching at the language school isn’t as demanding as Lucy fears, with an eclectic group of students who are particularly keen to learn – and she comes up with an original idea to help the factory’s finances, inspired by the love of Scottish home cooking she learned from her grandmother.
There’s far, far more to the story – but the author tells it so much better, so I won’t go into all the ensuing twists and turns. But I will say that this was a story I absolutely loved – a summery one with all the perfectly handled emotional touches, but an unexpected amount of very well-written edge-of-seat drama too. There’s also a rather special romance – a particularly slow-burn and satisfying one (and I wouldn’t have been able to resist either – what a gorgeous man!) – and some scenes towards the book’s end that made me think “oh goodness, how perfect!”, bringing a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye, reminding me of every Italian-set love story that’s ever thrilled me on the silver screen.
Every relationship – friends and family – is beautifully handled, with exchanges and actions that really touch the heart. But perhaps the most special relationship of all was the one between Lucy and Elena – slowly opening up, sharing their hopes and fears, healing together. But don’t get the impression that it’s all sadness – this book has all the elements of a good romantic comedy too, with plenty of moments of laughter (and sheer joy) along the way. While Lucy’s brother (most definitely Scottish) found his own special place in my heart as he played his important part in the story, the Italian cast is simply fantastic – every individual, however small their part, springing to life on the page, with just enough background detail, and often with their own particular quirks and eccentricities.
And I really can’t finish without mentioning the story’s setting, which the author brings so vividly to life. The whole book provides a quite wonderful insider view of the city of Naples, in all its chaos and complexity, complete with its darker edges, but also sharing its unique and very special beauty – I reached the end feeling that I’d been away on a rather lovely holiday. Such a special book, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed – and, if you like the same books that I do, I think you might just love it too.
About the author
Jane Lambert was brought up on the west coast of Scotland, studied Modern Languages at Stirling University, then taught English in Vienna. Her love affair with Italy began when she married an Italian chef from Naples. Her debut novel, The Start of Something Wonderful, was first published by HarperCollins in 2018 and inspired by her rollercoaster transition from globe-trotting air hostess to aspiring actor. She has appeared in Calendar Girls, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Deathtrap and True West in London’s West End.
Sounds great Anne!
Think it’s one you’d really enjoy!