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The Garden of Letters Alyson Richman 9780425266250 Books

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The Garden of Letters Alyson Richman 9780425266250 Books

Our heroine, Elodie, a young Italian music prodigy with the photographic memory, steps off a ship in Portofino carrying false papers in 1943. As she slowly approaches the German guard checking papers, she is miraculously and inexplicably saved by a stranger, the town doctor. As the story unfolds in flashback and present, we learn how Elodie came to be alone, traveling to a strange town without her cherished cello. The cello given to her by her father who was beaten by the Blackshirts, and her resolve to seek vengeance in her part with the Italian Resistance. Using her musical talent and photographic memory, she communicates messages to the Resistance with her cello playing.

Richman’s touching words take us from Elodie’s home to a secret messenger who plays her cello to The Wolf, a mysterious elder of the Resistance. She meets Luca, and after a series of horrific losses, comes to meet Angelo, the doctor in Portofino with his own history of love and loss.

The story is one of human strength and the enduring power of love. The War has changed Italy and its people forever, but there is resilience of the human spirit and imagination, and above all, how love, art and humanity overcomes all else.

For fans of Alyson Richman’s other books, you’re in for a very special treat with this one, in my opinion, her best thus far. Her prose is compelling, and the very human characters draw the reader in. The history is well-researched, as there is little known about the Italian Resistance. So the facts are as fascinating as the characters and the places in the Italian countryside. It’s an easy read and will tear at your heart the whole way.


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The Garden of Letters Alyson Richman 9780425266250 Books Reviews

I am a fan of Alyson Richman, loved the velvet hours and lost wife, and plan on reading her other books. This one left me dissatisfied. I felt no deep emotional connection with Elodie or the doctor, and their romance at the end of the book didn't feel right. They were living together purely for need, and I didn't feel like they were attracted towards each other, quite frankly I assumed the doctor was much older than her, and he was replacing his lost wife and baby with Elodie. The ending just fell off a cliff, no resolving of her reconnecting with her mother, and the German general that was in charge of the town, who was suspicious of Elodie to begin with isn't addressed. All of a sudden the doctors 3rd cousin shows up, and then they're in a romantic relationship and 4 months pregnant? Red flags for the German general to be sure. As far as Elodie's parents, it was unbelievable that her father would be tortured for playing his music too loud, and her mother being cool with her gone for long periods of time during the unrest in Italy. I honestly could not put the book down, but left me wanting much much more.
Once again, Alyson Richman demonstrates her talent and meticulous knowledge in a fervent novel. As I wrote in my previous review of THE LOST WIFE, she enhances the customary (if there is a typical) novel of the Holocaust from a different angle. In that wonderful book, she grabbed the reader's attention with painting and art as a sharp contrast to the horrors of the Nazis.

In this treasure, the author finds music as the powerhouse to transport the reader to the agonies, bravery and love of the German's victims. She brings beauty to a vicious story; this novel takes places in Italy. I learned about the Italian Resistance, who seemed to single-handedly try and push back the Germans. Not much was mentioned of the Italian army except for Mussolini's efforts to be on the "right" side for his own victory.

Highlighting the Bertolli family, from Verona, whose only child, Elodie is a remarkable cello musician with a photographic memory. Elodie joins the Resistance after the Fascists beat her father for playing music. Once again, the cruelty is almost impossible to comprehend. This small group of Italians, trying to avoid annihilation of their families and homeland, are boundless in their courage and intellect.

Elodie has special jobs to pass messages and they require her musical talent and perfect memory. Not all goes well, of course, and the fate of her mentor and lover robs her of all that is good. She is a strong character, however, and continues to fight for her country, her mother and her own survival.

Richman brings in another intelligent character, a medical doctor who also suffered an imaginable loss. She is able to intertwine their lives, without too much coincidence but some scenes are a bit sappy. This slight weakness did not trump her elegant writing and providing a musical point of view with passion and clarity against the ruthlessness of the Nazis. This book emphasized the Nazi's equal opportunity liquidation of Jews and non-Jews. There is beauty in the story written with love of a classical music for the cello and the surreal beauty of Italy.
In The Garden of Letters, Alyson Richman has once again written a book that reached deep into my soul. Taking place in Italy during WWII, this is a story of extreme heroism, deep love and devastating loss. Alone and afraid, Elodie arrives in Portofino where she is taken in by Angelo, a doctor who has suffered his own heartbreak. Elodie's and Angelo's stories are brilliantly interwoven until their lives make a connection of their own. The depth of feeling among each character in this heartfelt, heart pounding book are so evident, pulling the reader in to truly care about them. In this book, we are also brought into the world of music, and it is as though we can hear and feel every note that Elodie plays on her cello. Every sentence, every paragraph of this book is like reading poetry. Here is one of my favorite quotes ""There is a silent looping between them as their eyes meet and they touch. Beneath his hands, he feels the life growing just beneath her skin. It strikes him so deeply, he feels it like a wound that has been unbandaged and finally allowed to meet the sting of the air."
Our heroine, Elodie, a young Italian music prodigy with the photographic memory, steps off a ship in Portofino carrying false papers in 1943. As she slowly approaches the German guard checking papers, she is miraculously and inexplicably saved by a stranger, the town doctor. As the story unfolds in flashback and present, we learn how Elodie came to be alone, traveling to a strange town without her cherished cello. The cello given to her by her father who was beaten by the Blackshirts, and her resolve to seek vengeance in her part with the Italian Resistance. Using her musical talent and photographic memory, she communicates messages to the Resistance with her cello playing.

Richman’s touching words take us from Elodie’s home to a secret messenger who plays her cello to The Wolf, a mysterious elder of the Resistance. She meets Luca, and after a series of horrific losses, comes to meet Angelo, the doctor in Portofino with his own history of love and loss.

The story is one of human strength and the enduring power of love. The War has changed Italy and its people forever, but there is resilience of the human spirit and imagination, and above all, how love, art and humanity overcomes all else.

For fans of Alyson Richman’s other books, you’re in for a very special treat with this one, in my opinion, her best thus far. Her prose is compelling, and the very human characters draw the reader in. The history is well-researched, as there is little known about the Italian Resistance. So the facts are as fascinating as the characters and the places in the Italian countryside. It’s an easy read and will tear at your heart the whole way.