Lizzie & Dante
by Mary Bly
Publisher: The Dial Press
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Reviewed by PJ
What if falling in love means breaking someone’s heart?
On the heels of a difficult break-up and a devastating diagnosis, Shakespeare scholar Lizzie Delford decides to take one last lavish vacation on Elba, the sun-kissed island off the Italian coast, with her best friend and his movie-star boyfriend. Once settled into a luxurious seaside resort, Lizzie has to make big decisions about her future, and she needs the one thing she may be running out of: time.
She leaves the yacht owners and celebrities behind and sneaks off to the public beach, where she meets a sardonic chef named Dante, his battered dog, Lily, and his wry daughter, Etta, a twelve-year-old desperate for a mother. While Dante shows Lizzie the island’s secrets, and Etta dazzles with her irreverent humor, Lizzie is confronted with a dilemma. Is it right to fall in love if time is short? Is it better to find a mother briefly, or to have no mother at all? And most pressingly, are the delicacies of life worth tasting, even if you will get to savor them only for a short while?
A luscious story of love, courage, and Italian wine, Lizzie & Dante demands to know how far we should travel to find a future worth fighting for.
PJ's Thoughts:
I've been reading historical romances written by Eloisa James for the past 15 years. I adore her wit, her sparkling dialogue, the characters that leap from the page. I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard that she had written a contemporary fiction novel, a love story, but not a romance, under her real name of Mary Bly but I trusted that, whatever the outcome of the story, she would give readers her best. And she has.
First, Bly takes us to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy, a place she knows well as is evidenced in the exquisite descriptions that immersed me in the beauty of black sand beaches, the aroma of mouth-watering food, and the rich cultural heritage of the local populace.
Then she introduces us to a disparate group of people - long-time friends and newly-met strangers - at different stages of life; people who she begins to slowly weave into one another's lives. People who gradually open hearts and minds to the realities of life, to the possibilities of love, and to the impact one special person can have on many. They may experience great sorrow but they also experience great joy, as I did while reading this exquisitely written novel.
Lizzie & Dante is not only a beautifully rendered love story, it's a masterfully written triumph of the human spirit over the worst possible consequences life can throw at us. And, in my opinion, it's the best book Bly has written under any name. She offers readers a moment in time with stunning, emotional, life-changing impact and a woman's courageous and inspiring journey. She assembles a cast of characters who become a chosen family of the heart, not only with one another but with this reader as well. She weaves binding ties among them that may strain under the weight of life's unexpected twists but never break. She enriches those of us fortunate enough to read this book with the gift of a deeply romantic love story that I will not soon forget. And she reminds us that the choice of pure, unconditional love, whether it be romantic, parental, or among friends and chosen family, wholeheartedly given and received, is one to be joyfully treasured each day we are alive, however long that may be, and one that will continue to live on in the hearts of those left behind when one no longer lives.
This beautifully rendered love story reminds us of the fragility of life while celebrating the joy - and strength - to be found in loving and living each day with every fiber of our being. Many tissues were sacrificed in my reading of it but though there are sad parts, Lizzie & Dante is a book that never dragged me down. In fact, I found the journey to be uplifting and inspiring. It's the best book I've read this year and, in my opinion, the best book Mary Bly has written under any name. I don't have enough stars to do it justice.
CW: Cancer
Now that the world is beginning to open up again, I'm dreaming of places I'd like to visit. After reading this book, the island of Elba has surged to the top of that list. Where would you like to visit?
Have you read Lizzie & Dante? What are your thoughts?
One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, June 6 will receive a hardcover copy of Lizzie & Dante, courtesy of the fact that I forgot I had already pre-ordered a copy from one place before ordering a signed copy from another. ;-)
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited
I have not read it but have been seeing all around and it is definitely on my list. So happy you made a mistake and bought 2 (sorry - but lol). Hmm, where to go - some car trips not too far away, am not a big traveler.
ReplyDeleteSome day I'd like to visit Sicily where all my ancestors came from. This book has been getting a lot of buzz!!
ReplyDeleteWould love to visit France, Spain and Italy.
ReplyDeleteI not read this book. Thanks for the chance.
Would love to visit France, Spain and Italy.
ReplyDeleteI not read this book. Thanks for the chance.
This novel sounds fascinating and wonderful. I hope to travel to Italy for sure. So much to enjoy and explore. The history interests me very much.
ReplyDeleteI am extremely interested in this story which sounds enthralling and very special. I would love to travel once again and I do so hope to go to France.
ReplyDeleteI have not yet read this book, but it is on my TBR for sure. I want to travel to Iowa to see my sister and her family first and foremost. We have not seen them in a year which has been crazy. Pre-COVID we saw them about every 6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteBefore venturing to Europe, there's still a lot of places I haven't visited in the US, such as Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteI have not read it yet but would love to, based on your review and Mary's descriptions. I have several European cruises planned for next year, including a stop in Greenland, which has been on my bucket list for a while.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have this book - I'm currently on the waitlist at the library but I have a feeling this one is for the keeper shelf
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautifully written review. Thank you for the opportunity to win this book. I would love to visit Turkey some day!
ReplyDeleteI would like to read Lizzie and Dante.
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit The Amalfi Coast, Scotland, Switzerland , Austria, New Zealand, Montreal, Hawaii and Maine
I enjoyed your review.
I have not read it yet, but I want to!! The reviews have sounded amazing; and of course, I'll read anything Eloisa writes! I would love to visit Scotland, Spain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Great Britain in general...and many more places in the United States I haven't visited yet.
ReplyDeleteI both long for and dread reading this book. The reviews have been incredible, but I really don't like sad stories. I will definitely read it though, so I had better stock up on tissues.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Italy, but not to Elba. I told Eloisa on her video chat yesterday that Elba will probably see an upsurge in tourism after this book.
I love to travel, and we are hoping to finally go on some planned trips that were cancelled last year. Next up is Ireland and Scotland this fall if those countries open up. Next year we are going to Spain and Portugal.
No, I haven't read the book yet. I'd love to visit Elba, thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteSo generous of you, PJ! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win this book! I am looking forward to this book and now Elba is on my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to receive this book. Since I lost my job in March, my book budget is non existent and I would love to read this.
ReplyDeleteDiana Gould
Haven't read yet but it's on my list! Eloisa james writes the beat dialogue, witty and sweet.
ReplyDeleteI read her book, Paris In Love, and really liked it. I would love to read Lizzie and Dante. My mother was born near Oxford, England, and it would be wonderful to visit there. I'd go in the spring when the bluebells are in bloom. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteComment from Amanda Hunt:
ReplyDeleteThank you for a wonderful review! I have read Eloisa’s books for years now and look forward to reading this one by Mary. I was lucky enough to visit the countryside of Umbria and surrounding cities in grad school, for a week of writing workshops, and look forward to being transported back this summer—through her words. This will be a great staycation in the midst of taking care of my two small daughters this summer. Thank you for providing this opportunity!
About a year before the pandemic, I found a small stone cottage to buy in France. I could afford it. It had a beautiful view of the country side. Walking distance to a small village. And it was perfect for me. Unfortunately, I figured out that I would enjoy it for about a week before I starved to death because I don't speak French.
ReplyDeleteI wish that I might visit Scotland, Wales, England and France. All the places where my ancestors originated. And in reality one place I would love to visit is St Petersburg Russia. The Hermitage Museum is a place I would really like to tour.
I hope everyone is well and happy and safe.
One day I hope to visit Sicily, where most of my family is from. Thank you for a great review, PJ!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be on a quiet beach vacation for a week
ReplyDeletedenise
I would love ANYWHERE that I could sit peacefully on a porch sipping some fruit tea and reading a fabulous book (hopefully this one). :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really curious to read a contemporary 'Eloisa James' - but my theory is 'a good writer, is a good writer' and I've always enjoyed Eloisa's stories.
ReplyDeleteThis story sounds amazing and all the reviews I've read about it have been amazing. The library is holding a copy for me to pick up right now. I can't wait to delve in. Thanks for the great review PJ!!
ReplyDeleteI love Eloisa's books and am sure I'll love Lizzie and Dante when I do read it. Thanks for the great review PJ! I really want to go back to Italy - maybe even Elba, to visit Scotland, and a lot of other places!
ReplyDeleteShe is one of my favorite authors for all the reasons you mentioned above. I am glad to see her tackle this topic and this type of situation. We never know how much time we have, even if we don't have a terminal illness. We need to face life as it is and not waste a single minute. Someone in the best of health, with their life ahead of them could die in an accident tomorrow. Someone with a serious illness, knows their time is limited and has the opportunity to make the best of it. We dealt with such a situation (my husband's cancer gave him a 23% chance of making it 5 years) and learned that you look at the way you have lived your life. Luckily, we discovered we wouldn't have done anything differently and decided to take what time we had left and live it the best we could. We were so very lucky. The surgery was awful, but they got it all and he beat the odds. Surgery was in 1991 and he is still well and with us. We cherish every day and the fact that together we got to see our children and our grandchildren grow. Elba is just the place to go to celebrate, but it will likely be closer to home this year. We will likely visit family we haven't seen in over a year. I would like our next big trip to be Costa Rica and Machu Picchu (before we get too old & gimpy to handle the climb and altitude).
ReplyDeleteThank you for a lovely review and bringing this book to our attention.
I haven't yet read Lizzie and Dante! We've never visited Elba. I'd love to see Australia, and the kids are eager to explore Japan and Korea :) Looking forward to being able to travel again!
ReplyDeleteSounds amazing!! I want to travel to the eastern coast.
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit Ireland. I haven't read the book.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read Lizzie & Dante. I've read every book Eloisa James has written and always enjoyed her social media posts about her family and her love for her husband's country. I live on the East Coast of the U.S. but would badly like to see the ancient Redwoods in the Northwest before they all burn down.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading this book ... love that travel opportunities are opening back up. On our list of places to visit - England, Scotland and Wales hopefully on a 2 week visit in a year and up the CA coast to see the coastal redwoods.
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit France for the food, wine, and lovely hikes. I have not read this book but have been impressed with the excerpt you had shown earlier and your review now.
ReplyDelete