The Italian [Mass Market Paperback]

With the fall of Napoleon, Europe is carved up by the superpowers. Especially winning at the peace is the Austrian Empire, which includes the Italian peninsular as part of its vast holdings. By 1829 Italy is a hotbed of revolutionary activity led by the Carbonari whose goal is a free united country. The members must be extremely careful to avoid exposure as Austrian spies and their Italian supporters abound everywhere.

Years ago Angelo Bartolini and Beatrice Fairweather fell in love, but she returned to England. Now Beatrice, an artist, lives in Tuscany while Angelo is a key player in the Carbonari movement. When these former lovers meet again, the sparks are even greater, but the coming revolution and betrayal will make it impossible for a relationship to flourish between them, but then again love has attained the impossible before.

THE ITALIAN is a strong historical romance filled with vivid descriptions of Italy in the decade following the Congress of Vienna of 1815. As a backdrop to a wonderful star-crossed love story, readers obtain a taste for the fine arts, the political intrigue and espionage that seeps into every niche and cranny, and a close up look at life in an increasingly fervent era where danger is everywhere. The lead couple is a delight as they struggle between love and mistrust. Though fans who prefer blood and guts action need to go elsewhere, those readers who take pleasure in a warm picturesque cozy will want to peruse Elaine Coffman's leisurely look at this period.

Harriet Klausner

First let it be known that I rarely write reviews, and had no plans to do so for this book either -- but I was surprised at the vehemence of the negative reviews left about this book and wanted to leave my own opinion.

I absolutely adored "the italian"; it was one of the very few books that I did not trade back to the bookstore when I was finished with it. Many other reviewers complained about the excess of history, and I can see why -- if you're not interested in history, this book could understandably begin to drag. However, I found the historical background very interesting, and thought that the addition of a side story besides the romance between beatrice and angelo made the book just that much better. It also gave it a verisimilitude that many other period romances don't have. I fell in love with the Italian countryside, the cause, the Bartolinis... and, of course, Angelo... :) I thought Beatrice was remarkable and Angelo... well, Angelo is Angelo. That line should tell you something about the book -- you put it down feeling as if you know the characters personally and have every right in the world to refer to them as such.

To connect the book with some of Elaine Coffman's other books -- I have only read one at this point, "The Fifth Daughter". It is a 'prequel' to The Italian, and honestly? The only reason I made it through the whole stupid story is because I realized early on that the 'fifth daught' Marissa would connect with the dear-to-my-heart Bartolinis. Once she got to Italy, it was Angelo and Serena that kept me reading.

So to finish: I would originally have recommended just buying this book immediately. However, due to the apparent lack of agreement on how good this story is exactly, I would probably reccomend buying it used. That way if you do like it you have a well-loved copy with a history of its own; if you don't like it you're not out all that much. If you are interested in history at all and like romances that aren't entirely "tie the heroine to a bedpost and ravish her", I would hazard a guess that this book will become one of the select few that have a permanent home on your romance bookshelf.

The "Italian" was the first book I read of Elaine Coffman's
I was hooked right away and loved it. I went right back
and got four more of her books and found "The Fifth Daughter"
preceeds the "Italian"!
(I loved discovering that I already knew Angelo and learned
more about him!)
Historical romance is my favorite reading and I appreciate the
gentle love story. (Wish "history" could have been this
interesting in school!)
I don't really need the intimate encounters to be so graphic.
Ms. Coffman's books are a delight to me and I am grateful to
have found someone who is sensitive to the desires of readers
like me!