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jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This book is the perfect holiday read at an time of the year. If you need some warm sunshine, glamour and mystery then this book will tick all those boxes.
It is 1953 and a young girl from a small English village finds herself in Capri. The glamour of stardom and Hollywood has come with her to Capri. But not everything is as it seems and what is meant to be a break and chance to recharge, it turns into something else. Alex Brown transports you to an island where the warmth of the sun, blue skies and seas, the smell of the lemons growing, the taste of the food all come alive from the page.
Back in that English village, in the present day is Maddie. Rather lost at the moment after losing her job and her relationship. With the strong desire to do something for herself and pursue her own dreams, Maddie discovers photos of a glamourous woman and a postcard from Capri in her grandmothers belongings. Sadly her grandmother memory is failing and it seems that Maddie is the one to piece all the clues together.
By taking a trip to Capri.
With any dual timeline, there are cross overs and links between the past and the present, but there is also the future which is starting to pan out for Maddie when she meets Gio. Will she be captured by the island of Capri as well?
A lovely tale of friendships, secrets and sunshine. Will cheer even the greyest of days.
It is 1953 and a young girl from a small English village finds herself in Capri. The glamour of stardom and Hollywood has come with her to Capri. But not everything is as it seems and what is meant to be a break and chance to recharge, it turns into something else. Alex Brown transports you to an island where the warmth of the sun, blue skies and seas, the smell of the lemons growing, the taste of the food all come alive from the page.
Back in that English village, in the present day is Maddie. Rather lost at the moment after losing her job and her relationship. With the strong desire to do something for herself and pursue her own dreams, Maddie discovers photos of a glamourous woman and a postcard from Capri in her grandmothers belongings. Sadly her grandmother memory is failing and it seems that Maddie is the one to piece all the clues together.
By taking a trip to Capri.
With any dual timeline, there are cross overs and links between the past and the present, but there is also the future which is starting to pan out for Maddie when she meets Gio. Will she be captured by the island of Capri as well?
A lovely tale of friendships, secrets and sunshine. Will cheer even the greyest of days.
kypn's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ar1's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Is it the finest literature? No.
Is it a fun beach read? Absolutely!
I found this book fun, light-hearted, and easy to fit in my luggage. I’d recommend it as a holiday read.
Is it a fun beach read? Absolutely!
I found this book fun, light-hearted, and easy to fit in my luggage. I’d recommend it as a holiday read.
b_harrington's review
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
1.0
There’s great potential in the idea of a grand-daughter discovering her grandmother’s glamorous, sad past but the writing isn’t good enough to fulfil it.
The FMC travels to Italy to uncover her family secrets- most of which are found in a suitcase on a wardrobe in her family home.
Plot holes aplenty- she had time to scan/ photograph/ upload her grandmother’s letters to her laptop but not read them? She somehow read them in Italy?
The dad knew about the secret child all along and just didn’t mention it? Lucia knew the story and just didn’t tell anyone, “because it wasn’t her business”?
She’s a 31-year- old self-taught photographer who just happens to get a fashion shoot in Italy?
I really can’t get over her huge crisis of confidence when offered the job- I wish we had a confident, assured, role model.
I cannot understand why a 31- year- old single woman would be so (for want of a better word) frigid with a man she’s attracted to. They both like each other? She keeps saying how hot he is? And yet she’s constantly running away from him and all they do is *hold hands*. She was engaged before and lived with her fiancé? Hardly a mousy virgin?
Gio’s a drip- constantly just asking her if she’s ok.
The biggest, biggest problem is the dialogue. No one speaks the way this author has written these characters. It jarred me out of the story every time one of them spoke.
I found my eyes constantly scanning over huge chunks of description and seriously contemplating giving up on it.
The FMC travels to Italy to uncover her family secrets- most of which are found in a suitcase on a wardrobe in her family home.
Plot holes aplenty- she had time to scan/ photograph/ upload her grandmother’s letters to her laptop but not read them? She somehow read them in Italy?
The dad knew about the secret child all along and just didn’t mention it? Lucia knew the story and just didn’t tell anyone, “because it wasn’t her business”?
She’s a 31-year- old self-taught photographer who just happens to get a fashion shoot in Italy?
I really can’t get over her huge crisis of confidence when offered the job- I wish we had a confident, assured, role model.
I cannot understand why a 31- year- old single woman would be so (for want of a better word) frigid with a man she’s attracted to. They both like each other? She keeps saying how hot he is? And yet she’s constantly running away from him and all they do is *hold hands*. She was engaged before and lived with her fiancé? Hardly a mousy virgin?
Gio’s a drip- constantly just asking her if she’s ok.
The biggest, biggest problem is the dialogue. No one speaks the way this author has written these characters. It jarred me out of the story every time one of them spoke.
I found my eyes constantly scanning over huge chunks of description and seriously contemplating giving up on it.
annarella's review
5.0
Capri is one of my fav places in the world and I wanted to read a story featuring strong characters, emotions, secrets and glamour.
This was the perfect book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author is a talented storyteller and the story kept me hooked and entertained.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This was the perfect book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author is a talented storyteller and the story kept me hooked and entertained.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
thebooktrail88's review
4.0
Visit the locations in A Postcard from Capri
A novel to transport you to the magical island of Capri
These postcard books really should be on your travel list and reading list. I’ve been to Paris and Italy and now Alex Brown is taking me to Capri. I do love a well-travelled author and I’ve never been to Capri so I was really excited to go here. She’d be taking me back in time to 1953 as well……I am in!
With a timeline set between 1953 and the present day, this is a lovely story with depth and mystery. First of all, I found myself in Tindledale, England, a fictional village from Alex’s other books which I found to be a nice touch. There are some nice heartwarming scenes here but it was Capri that I was excited to travel to…
That timeline took me back to 1953. What a time to be on this magical island! TI met the grandmother in the story and was party to her early life, her glamourous life of stage and screen. She’s on holiday and filming is about to begin. However, this holiday is not going to be one of rest and relaxation!Mystery abounds at this point and I was captivated to be there and to witness the backstory to what I knew was going to be a reall good story later on.
The settings are key features of these postcard books and Capri here is definately the star of the show. I was soon flat out on a sun soaked island overlooking the blue Mediterranean sea.That’s before I witnessed some of the most amazingn views and wandered down small and twisty alleyways. Mind the cobble stones though and wear sensible shoes for the time here.
In the present day, I got to meet Maddie who finds a suitcase with letters inside that leads her to Capri and the mystery of the past. I’d to Capri anyway as would she, but when a work opportunity takes her there, she is set for an adventure of her own. Maddie goes on a journey of discovery and I was fascinated to go along with her. She is curious about Capri and its charms so she gives you a brilliantly evocative tour and insight into the island and its history. Oh and she meets a nice guy by the name of Gio. Don’t get distracted Maddie! Oh well, not much anyway
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