The Little Italian Hotel
By Phaedra Patrick
Blurb
Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce.
Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of fun, hope and healing.
Our Review
"Hi, It's Ginny Splinter, I'm listening. Tell me your worries."
I loved The Book Share By Phaedra Patrick so this played a large part in my deciding to request to review The Little Italian Hotel. I wasn't totally convinced from the blurb that this would be the book for me, but I am pleased I let me previous experiences sway me because this author is very good at creating engaging characters.
Ginny is a natural at solving problems for her viewers, a seasoned agony aunt on a radio show, she describes empathy as her superpower. Ginny prides herself at having it all together..until she doesn't.
"I need to get away from here, from you. I feel like I'm suffocating, being analysed and told what to do all the time."
She surprises her husband with anniversary tickets to a swanky hotel in Italy...and he tells her he has been thinking of geting a divorce. Ginny is hurt, bewildered and angry, not least when he suggests he takes someone else on their anniversary holiday. Ginny decides to shatter her public image and goes live with her her marital problems before iniviting four strangers to come and holiday with her in Italy.
Ginny arrives at her holiday destination minus her luggage and feeling a little bruised. In an attempt to fix things she suggests that she and her guests take part in activies over the course of the trip and rate their heartbreak score before and after each activity. As the holiday progresses Ginny grows closer to her companions and she begins to evaluate her marriage to her Adrian.
Nico, their host is beyond thrilled to have a booking. His little hotel needs updating and is a little on the shabby side but he is reluctant to betray his dead mother's wishes by making too many changes.
Heather is a schoolteacher who is struggling to cope with her mother's dementia, Eric is grieving the loss of his beloved dog, Edna is missing her family, and Curtis is keeping his heartache hidden from the others.
There were many times I wanted to shake Ginny and pull her head out of the sand. I have to admit to not being wholly satisfied by the ending as well .However, I did enjoy meeting the little group of travellers and Nico.
Our Final Rating...
Read & Shared 17 Times.
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