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Review
'The House by the Sea has it all: secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fueled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales - evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder, you will not be able to put this novel down. Unforgettable!' --Adriana Trigiani
'Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades' --Booklist
'Santa Montefiore does sweeping canvases of luxury life to a T' --Daily Mail
'Santa Montefiore is a marvel' --Sunday Express
`Secret Santa: Ten books in ten years and the mother of two children? Chelsea author Santa Montefiore tells Catherine Wilding how she does it' --Resident Magazine
`A sweeping saga taking us from the grandeur of 70's Italian aristocracy to a struggling hotel in contemporary Devon. You won't discover how the two storylines connect until the final pages, but along the way you'll learn how the heartache of a thwarted love affair resonates across generations' --Glamour Magazine
'Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades' --Booklist
'Santa Montefiore does sweeping canvases of luxury life to a T' --Daily Mail
'Santa Montefiore is a marvel' --Sunday Express
`Secret Santa: Ten books in ten years and the mother of two children? Chelsea author Santa Montefiore tells Catherine Wilding how she does it' --Resident Magazine
`A sweeping saga taking us from the grandeur of 70's Italian aristocracy to a struggling hotel in contemporary Devon. You won't discover how the two storylines connect until the final pages, but along the way you'll learn how the heartache of a thwarted love affair resonates across generations' --Glamour Magazine
Review
'The House by the Sea has it all: secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fueled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales - evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder, you will not be able to put this novel down. Unforgettable!' Adriana Trigiani 'Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades' Carol Haggas, Booklist (US) 'Two stories, two generations, and two beautiful European locales are neatly gift-wrapped into one sumptuous tale of love, loss, and redemption ... luxurious and romantic depictions of scenic Tuscany and the beautiful English coast' US Publishers Weekly (May) Marina Turner is advertising for an artist in residence to spend the summer teaching residents of her Devon country house hotel how to paint. Desperate to attract enough guests to Hotel Polzanze to stave off financial disaster, she is thrilled when talented and handsome Rafa Santoro turns up. Sure enough, people flock to the charming painter, including Marina's miserable stepdaughter, Clementine. But Rafa has a hidden agenda, Marina has secrets, and Clementine seems unable to let go of past hurts. It is a testament to Montefiore's talent as a writer that the initially very unpleasant Clementine becomes more likable as the novel progresses and that change is convincingly shown to come about when Clementine finally allows herself to be happy. VERDICT Montefiore (The French Gardener) has written another lovely fairy tale for grown-ups, intertwining two stories separated by time and place. Fans of women's fiction will be moved by the characters and eager to find out what happens to them. Lush descriptions of gardens in Tuscany and Devon add to the novel's charm, and the beautiful cover is sure to attract the eye.--Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA, Library Journal Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 61 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The House by the Sea is a lovely tale that follows two stories - one set in the present in Devon and the other in 1966 Tuscany. I can sometimes have a problem with these types of books where the narrative isn't linear as I have found that I end up enjoying one story more than the other. Not the case with The House by the Sea though - not only does each segment last for about 100 pages, giving the reader ample time to become emmersed in that part, but both the present and past are equally wonderful.
The prologe starts in Tuscany in 1966 and sets the scene perfectly for what is to come. Ten year old Floriana lives with her alcoholic father and no mother and spends her summer wandering up to the huge beautiful house and peering longingly through the wall at the gardens she aches to be in. One day she is spotted by 16 year old Dante who brings her inside and there begins a friendship that will last for years.
The story then shifts to Devon in 2009 and Mariana and her husband Grey are gearing up for the summer at their hotel on the cliff by trying to find an artist in residence to help entice guests to earn enough money to prevent them having to sell the hotel. Enter Rafa, a gorgeous 37 year old Argentinian who wows everyone he meets.
As both stories develop we begin to get hints and clues as to how both stories may interwine and to what secret Rafa may be hiding. The cast of characters is varied and vibrant and and I loved getting to know them all (even the brattish Clementine) and following their stories.
I have never read any books by Santa Montefiore before but I will be on the hunt for more now. She has actually written eleven, I believe, and if they are anything like The House by the Sea I cannot wait to hunt them down and get stuck in.
Verdict: A wonderful, magical read. Quite possibly my favourite book of 2011 so far. If you want a great read for this summer then look no further. Highly recommended!
The prologe starts in Tuscany in 1966 and sets the scene perfectly for what is to come. Ten year old Floriana lives with her alcoholic father and no mother and spends her summer wandering up to the huge beautiful house and peering longingly through the wall at the gardens she aches to be in. One day she is spotted by 16 year old Dante who brings her inside and there begins a friendship that will last for years.
The story then shifts to Devon in 2009 and Mariana and her husband Grey are gearing up for the summer at their hotel on the cliff by trying to find an artist in residence to help entice guests to earn enough money to prevent them having to sell the hotel. Enter Rafa, a gorgeous 37 year old Argentinian who wows everyone he meets.
As both stories develop we begin to get hints and clues as to how both stories may interwine and to what secret Rafa may be hiding. The cast of characters is varied and vibrant and and I loved getting to know them all (even the brattish Clementine) and following their stories.
I have never read any books by Santa Montefiore before but I will be on the hunt for more now. She has actually written eleven, I believe, and if they are anything like The House by the Sea I cannot wait to hunt them down and get stuck in.
Verdict: A wonderful, magical read. Quite possibly my favourite book of 2011 so far. If you want a great read for this summer then look no further. Highly recommended!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The House by the Sea is the first book I've read by Santa Montefiore. The novel consists of two alternating stories, one set in present day England and the other in Italy several decades earlier. The Italian storyline begins in 1966 with Floriana, a ten-year-old girl who lives with her drunken father in a small village in Tuscany. Looking over the crumbling wall of a beautiful villa by the sea, Floriana comes face to face with seventeen-year-old Dante, whose parents own the house. Floriana dreams of one day marrying Dante and escaping from her lonely, miserable life but unfortunately things don't go exactly as she planned.
In 2009 we meet Marina, a woman in her fifties who runs a hotel on the Devon coast. The hotel is in financial difficulties and in an attempt to save her struggling business, Marina advertises for an 'artist-in-residence' to spend the summer at the hotel teaching guests to paint. And so Rafa Santoro, an artist from Argentina, arrives in Devon and proves to be a big success - particularly with Marina's stepdaughter, Clementine. But as Clementine begins to fall in love with Rafa, she starts to suspect that he may be hiding something.
What is Rafa's secret? And what is the link between Floriana's story and Marina's? At first I had no idea; I couldn't understand how the two could be connected. Eventually, though, the answers to these questions started to become clear - and there were a few other interesting sub-plots which also kept me guessing. I found myself completely engaged with both threads of the book. We spend quite a lot of time in each period before switching back to the other one, long enough to really get to know the characters and become absorbed in their lives. All of the characters were interesting to read about, even Clementine, who spent most of the book being completely annoying and irritating.
I thought Montefiore did a wonderful job of bringing two such different locations to life. The Devon chapters, with descriptions of cream teas, fishing trips and the office where Clementine works, have a very `English' feel, while the Tuscan sections conjure up the sights and sounds of Italy. I loved both, though the Italian one felt particularly vivid and magical.
I really enjoyed this book and would be happy to read more books by Santa Montefiore, definitely. With mystery, romance, beautiful settings and well-developed characters, The House by the Sea proved to be a perfect summer read!
In 2009 we meet Marina, a woman in her fifties who runs a hotel on the Devon coast. The hotel is in financial difficulties and in an attempt to save her struggling business, Marina advertises for an 'artist-in-residence' to spend the summer at the hotel teaching guests to paint. And so Rafa Santoro, an artist from Argentina, arrives in Devon and proves to be a big success - particularly with Marina's stepdaughter, Clementine. But as Clementine begins to fall in love with Rafa, she starts to suspect that he may be hiding something.
What is Rafa's secret? And what is the link between Floriana's story and Marina's? At first I had no idea; I couldn't understand how the two could be connected. Eventually, though, the answers to these questions started to become clear - and there were a few other interesting sub-plots which also kept me guessing. I found myself completely engaged with both threads of the book. We spend quite a lot of time in each period before switching back to the other one, long enough to really get to know the characters and become absorbed in their lives. All of the characters were interesting to read about, even Clementine, who spent most of the book being completely annoying and irritating.
I thought Montefiore did a wonderful job of bringing two such different locations to life. The Devon chapters, with descriptions of cream teas, fishing trips and the office where Clementine works, have a very `English' feel, while the Tuscan sections conjure up the sights and sounds of Italy. I loved both, though the Italian one felt particularly vivid and magical.
I really enjoyed this book and would be happy to read more books by Santa Montefiore, definitely. With mystery, romance, beautiful settings and well-developed characters, The House by the Sea proved to be a perfect summer read!
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
What a brilliant book! I thought it was going to be gushing with sloppy bits, but it is simply a really good story that keeps the reader guessing and spanning over a whole life time of Floriana. Taking the reader on a journey that visits Tuscany and Devon the view given is one the reader soon finds themselves transported to. The story will make you laugh, sigh and take a sharp intake of breath.
There is another story at the beginning of the book on how it was written and the struggle to get it from the mind of the author to the page. I loved that the reader had that insight to the author as a little extra.
There is another story at the beginning of the book on how it was written and the struggle to get it from the mind of the author to the page. I loved that the reader had that insight to the author as a little extra.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautifully atmospheric book
This is my first Santa Montefiore book, which I purchased quite by chance, as it was on offer in my local book shop, right next to the book I wanted to buy. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Jan
Inspirational!
Beautiful tale of romance and intrigue spanning a generation. I felt I wanted to be a better person after reading it - truly inspirational.
Published 8 days ago by maria
A slow start.........
Surprisingly a slow start to this new Santa Montefiore book. Having said that, I did enjoy it, but was just a little disappointed.
Published 14 days ago by Pollyanna
Not the sweeping read I had hoped for.
There were charming descriptions of Italy and England in this book. I so wanted to be taken into this world and swept away. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Nina
Starts slowly, finshes well
Having just finished The Affair, which had gripped me from start to finish, I couldn't wait to start this new novel by one of my favourite writers. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Book Worm Camberley
Another Montefiore gem
I have read all Santa Montefiore's books and have not been disappointed with any of them. This was no exception. I bought it to take on holiday with me and read it in a few days. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Mrs. M. R. Evans
The House By The Sea
Loved the book a really good read, loved the settings for the book, Italy and UK. Be prepared to shed a few tears
Published 1 month ago by RosieP
House by the Sea
I found this a very intersting story, it had you guessing. It went from an early year then forward and then back. It kept you geussing.
Published 2 months ago by Alexandra
Really enjoyable read!
What a great book to get absorbed in. Great characters and you could really picture the people and places described.... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Allie
Intriguing and absolutely riveting!
I finished this book in three days which is quite a feat considering I have two small children. Every single time I had to put it down, I'd steal another ten pages before... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Austen Wannabe
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