Today is my stop on the blog tour for Casa Paradiso – 300 Years in the Life of a House by Francesca Scanacapra.
Here’s the blurb
Lombardy, Northern Italy, 1637
Cristó Lovetta, a skilled stonemason, arrives in the rural village of Pieve Santa Clara to work on a nobleman’s house.
Haunted by a tragic past, Cristó wonders if he will ever find happiness again. However, as he immerses himself in his work, the warmth of the community and the beauty of the landscape convince him to begin a new life there.
Cristó designs and builds his own house, which he names Casa Paradiso. Over the centuries, Casa Paradiso becomes home to many generations, standing testament to lives beginning and ending, and witnessing the everyday challenges and triumphs of its inhabitants – from love lost and found, to the tragedies of war, the far-reaching consequences of political decisions made by powerful men and the evolving role of women in Italian society.
Casa Paradiso – the fourth instalment of the Paradiso Novels – is a shining, evocative saga spanning three hundred years in the life of a very special house, and a book that explores the enduring strength of the human spirit, contrasted with the transient nature of life itself.
Review
After reading one of the authors other works, The Lost Boy of Bologna, I was keen to read more. Casa Paradiso is actually the 4th book in the series but is very much standalone, so no prior reading needed.
As the title suggests the story follows the life of a house, Casa Paradiso, right from the moment the first brick is laid, and describes the beauty of the house over the years, and the love and skill put into the construction.
Each chapter is it’s own tale, it’s own time point in the life of Casa Paradiso. This made the story fun as the author was able to throw so many tales at us but at no time was it under or overwhelming. Each short tale left me feeling fulfilled and content but eager for more. I especially liked the links to the past when people we’ve met before are mentioned, their connection to the house still there in one form or another.
Each story has it’s own kind of theme too as the author shows the challenges each occupant of Casa Paradiso faced, poverty for example, thefts, marriage troubles, death. At times it’s very light-hearted but at others earth-shatteringly moving..
Casa Paradiso is a vivid and heart warming tale that not only follows the lives of those who moved through the house and the surrounding area, but of the house itself..each brick, changes to the structure that ultimately remove some of it’s beauty but at the same time shows us the changing landscape of the land, railways and such and how this too plays it’s part in the fate of Casa Paradiso.
The only way I can describe the authors writing is beautiful. Francesca Scanacapra has a way of pulling the reader in.. it’s poignant and one of only a handful of novels out there I can truly say will stay with me.. some of the events leave you breathless..the writing is so emotive!
While the story is fairly fast paced with each story contained within a chapter as such, the author did a fantastic job of providing some depth and development for the characters, there’s clear direction and details given to really make the reader feel the emotion within the tale.
When I came to the authors note at the end of the book it was lovely to see where the inspiration for the house came from. It really does make you think.. what if these four walls could talk… we take property for granted sometimes and Casa Paradiso nicely reminds us not to forget history, for there’s always a tale to be told.
Having not read the first three books in the series I can certainly say they will be on the TBR for next year as I forgot how beautiful Francesca Scanacapra’s words are.
A stunning 5*.
To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for having me on the tour. Why not check out the other stops to see what they thought of the book?
Have I convince you yet?
Purchase Link – https://geni.us/CasaParadiso
Author Bio –
Francesca Scanacapra was born in Italy to an English mother and Italian father, and her childhood was spent living between England and Italy. Her adult life has been somewhat nomadic with periods spent living in Italy, England, France, Senegal and Spain. She describes herself as ‘unconventional’ and has pursued an eclectic mixture of career paths – from working in translation, the fitness industry, education and even several years as a builder. In 2021 she returned to her native country and back to her earliest roots to pursue her writing career full time. Francesca now resides permanently in rural Lombardy in the house built by her great-grandfather which was the inspiration for her Paradiso Novels: Paradiso, Return to Paradiso, The Daughter of Paradiso and Casa Paradiso. Her novel The Lost Boy of Bologna was also published by Silvertail Books.
Social Media Links –
Twitter @francescascana2
Insta @francescascana2
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