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The Good Left Undone – Adriana Trigiani

The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani was published just as I was mentally preparing myself for the one-year anniversary of my mother’s passing.

My mother and I used to love talking about Adriana’s books. As soon as we heard that one was coming out, we preordered it so we could get it on pub day. When the book was out, we would read it and discuss it. This was the first time I was not able to share the experience with my mother. Though, I have to admit, I did “talk” to her about it in my head.

The Good Left Undone tells the story of Domenica Cabrielli and her family from 1920 through the present. The story is told in flashbacks as Matelda Roffo is in the end stage of her life.

Domenica is a headstrong young girl growing up in Viareggio, a city on the Tuscan Coast. Her best friend Silvio is known in town as “il Bastardo” because he was born out of wedlock. Even though it was not his fault, the townspeople treated him horribly. When Silvio is injured by the town bully, Domenica discovers her vocation, nursing. Due to the incident, Silvio’s mother decides that it is time to leave Viareggio and start a new life elsewhere. On his last evening in Viareggio, Silvio finally shows his love for Domenica with a kiss.

Domenica’s work as a nurse brings her to Scotland, where she meets a sea captain and falls in love.

As World War II begins, the Italian immigrants face great distrust in their adopted country due to Mussolini’s actions. They are rounded up and sent away. Dominica’s sea captain husband is assigned to work on a ship on which the Italians are transported. What happens on this ship is based on the true story of the SS Arandora Star. Look it up. I had never heard of it.

This family story is full of happiness and tragedy and my Mom would have loved it.

I hope you will give it a try.

You can find the book at your local library, independent bookseller or at Amazon – The Good Left Undone.

Thanks for reading.

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum

Ray McMillan loves playing classical music on his great-grandfather’s violin. There have been many obstacles to his pursuit of a professional music career. His mother thinks he is wasting his time and should get a “real job” at a local fast-food restaurant. As a Black Classical musician, he has had to fight racism from the Classical music community as well as the Black community that thinks he shouldn’t be playing Classical music.

Ray is an exceptional violinist and has entered the Tchaikovsky Competition – the Olympics of Classical Music. The evening before the competition his heirloom violin is stolen. The violin, which was given to Ray’s great-grandfather by the man who owned his family, turns out to be a priceless Stradivarius.

As the pressure from the competition mounts, Ray is determined to get his violin back. Unfortunately, some of his family members as well as the descendants of the slave owner are both claiming the violin belongs to them.

Will Ray find the violin in time to play in the competition? Who stole the violin and why? To find out the answers to these questions, you will need to read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocum.

The book releases on February 1, 2022. You can pre-order it at Amazon or your local independent bookstore.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGally in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for reading.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

I have to admit that I picked up a copy of the Sanatorium based on the creepy cover alone. The building on the cover looked as it was described in the book, remote and ominous.

Detective Elin Warner is taking time off the job to celebrate the engagement of her estranged brother. He has been fixing up an old abandoned sanatorium in the Alps to create a luxury hotel. The sanatorium has a terrifying history, which adds to the dark atmosphere.

When her brother’s fiancé disappears, Elin thinks he had something to do with it. As a Winter storm moves in and strands them at the hotel and strange things begin to happen, the guests become more rattled.

The horrifying history of the sanatorium is explained and the surprising ending made this a decent read.

I believe this is the first book the author wrote with Elin as the main character. If you want a creepy but not too creepy book to read, try out The Sanatorium.

Pick up a copy of The Sanatorium on Amazon or at your local independent book store.

For more info about the author, visit her website at Sarah Pearse.

Thanks for reading.