"This enchanting and whimsical literary novel contains themes of friendship, love, and understanding-of-self as it explores Tuscany, coming-of-age and aging with a knowing yet empathetic pen. "
If you are looking for a quietly amusing gift-wrapped package of beautiful writing, evocative setting, delightfully unique characters, and the most gentle of mysteries then allow yourself the pleasure of a visit to Villa Coco. Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer apparently set out to write a ‘charm novel’ and what better location than Tuscany and a wide-age-gap burgeoning friendship in which to settle the charm.
Our young archivist narrator tells of his time in Italy at some point after the Second World War, with the beautifully eccentric and aging Lisabetta, otherwise known as Coco. His initial expectations are not fulfilled, and yet his next few months allow him to explore the magic of a life lived with energy, positivity, and a helping of chaos.
I felt as though I was experiencing a hidden, almost forgotten Tuscany, one off the beaten track and one that called out to me with the turn of every page. The characters are divine, particularly those who have lived their lives with passion. Coco is unforgettable, and the mystery of her great love hovered in place.
The ending made me smile, and this literary feel-good novel just had to be a Liz Pick of the Month. Playful, soulful, and gently amusing, Villa Coco shines its charming light on the developing friendship between coming-of-age and devil-may-care older years characters.
'Absolute joy' Sarah Winman'The funniest of writers. . . Villa Coco is such a sunny book' Kate Atkinson'A great treasure' Katherine HeinyBroke and directionless, our young protagonist takes a job in the Italian countryside as the assistant to Lisabetta - better known to her friends as Coco - a strong-willed, wealthy aristocrat of great local renown. Trained as an archivist, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue the contents of the beautiful, crumbling mansion nestled in the green Tuscan hills. But what?are?his actual duties? Days are spent in a series of increasingly eccentric pursuits: entertaining an endless carousel of guests (from bohemian painters to elderly princesses to unnervingly handsome nephews), attending a funeral in order to make off with the urn, and aiding and abetting Coco's great and final plan - to reunite with the lost love of her life before it's too late. As summer turns into autumn and the Italian countryside begins to work its magic, the secrets of Villa Coco and its inhabitants are slowly brought to light - and with them, an unforgettable story of the enduring power of friendship.A 'charm novel' for our times, Villa Coco is a sun-drenched paean to youth, to age and to the fulfilment of love - filled with great wisdom and a spirit of unadulterated joy.
| Primary Genre | Literary Fiction |
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'Absolute joy' Sarah Winman'The funniest of writers. . . Villa Coco is such a sunny book' Kate Atkinson'A great treasure' Katherine HeinyBroke and directionless, our young protagonist takes a job in the Italian countryside as the assistant to Lisabetta - better known to her friends as Coco - a strong-willed, wealthy aristocrat of great local renown.
Villa Coco features in the following genres: Book Club Recommendations, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Feel-Good Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Literary Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, Literary Fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Diversity, equality, inclusion, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Love and relationships, Narrative theme: Sense of place
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Villa Coco was written by Andrew Sean Greer and published by Sceptre an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton
Villa Coco has 288 pages
