The Rome Affair by Karen Swan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The glamorous capital city of Italy is brought to startling life in The Rome Affair, a compelling summer novel by Karen Swan.
1974
and Elena Damiani lives a gilded life. Born to wealth and a noted
beauty, no door is closed to her, no man can resist her. At twenty-six,
she is already onto her third husband when she meets her love match. But
he is the one man she can never have, and all the beauty and money in
the world can't change it.
2017 and Francesca Hackett is living
la dolce vita in Rome, leading tourist groups around the Eternal City
and forgetting the ghosts she left behind in London. When she finds a
stolen designer handbag in her dustbin and returns it, she is brought
into the orbit of her grand neighbour who lives across the piazza -
famed socialite Viscontessa Elena dei Damiani Pignatelli della
Mirandola. Though the purse is stolen, Elena greets the return of the
bag with exultation for it contains an unopened letter written by her
husband on his deathbed, twelve years earlier.
Mutually intrigued
by each other, the two women agree to collaborate on a project, with
Cesca interviewing Elena for her memoirs. As summer unfurls, Elena tells
her sensational stories, leaving Cesca in her thrall. But when a
priceless diamond ring found in an ancient tunnel below the city streets
is ascribed to Elena, Cesca begins to suspect a shocking secret at the
heart of Elena's life.
Karen Swan has a gift for creating stories with the right amount of romance, drama and even mystery. The Rome Affair gives us all of that in a beautiful setting.
I liked how complex the characters were and I enjoyed reading the mystery part, even though some bits were a little predictable.
At first it gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes, but as you continue reading you realize there's more to just Elena's story.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Although, it is not my favorite by Karen Swan.
3.5/5
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