The Mermaid Garden - Teaser Tuesday and First Chapter/First Paragraph

The Mermaid Garden by Santa Montefiore is such an engrossing book! Montefiore tells two stories--one set in Tuscany in 1966, the other in Devon, England, in 2009--and they eventually come together in the end. The author's lovely descriptions make the scenes come alive (you can tell that from the beginning paragraph), and the characters have depth, each one with a unique voice. I believe this is the first book I've read where the author let me inside each character's head, so I had an idea where everyone was coming from. You'd think that would be confusing, but Montefiore handled it well. I recommend this book as a good read for anyone who enjoys a story with substance that spans decades.  


Beginning:
Prologue, Tuscany, 1966
The little girl stood outside the imposing black gates of Villa La Magdalena and peered up the drive. A long avenue of cypresses cut straight through the grounds, climaxing at the end in a tantalizing glimpse of a primrose-yellow palazzo. La Magdalena sat with the dignity and poise of a grand empress. Her tall, shuttered windows were an elegant teal green, her crown a decorative balustrade built along the top of the facade, her walls as resplendent as silk; she belonged to a world as enchanting and inaccessible as fairy tales.

Teaser (from Page 70 of trade paperback):
She was always neatly dressed, with crisp white shirts and slacks, or pretty dresses in summer, never jeans. Being short, she always wore heels to give her height. He felt paternal towards her, a feeling he relished, having never married or fathered children.

Genre: Women's Fiction / Saga
Length: 418 Pages (Trade Paperback)
Amazon Link: The Mermaid Garden
More From Santa Montefiore: Amazon Author Page

  

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