My point is, while I have a very [redacted] opinion of Italy, I’m objective enough to say that it has some allure. Plus, I’m curious to see how others interpret it.

J.P. O’Connell does a pleasant job in that department. The descriptions and the mannerisms are accurate and historically on-point.

[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups] ( )

Forced-in diversity strikes again. Gay drop at 13%. ( )

okay, just not my genre ( )

If you like the television series Downton Abbey, you will enjoy Hotel Portofino. Even though the hotel on the Italian coast has been open for just a few weeks, problems abound. Bella Ainsworth, who has opened the hotel on the Italian Riviera, welcomes a variety of well-heeled English people. Its during the rise of Mussolini after the First World War. Her son, Lucian, suffers PTSD, and is looking for his way in the world, while being ridiculed by his father. This is stressing for Bella as is the slow crumbling to her husband, an upper crust Englishman, who thinks money his wife wants to use to improve the hotel is for him. The setting is lush. And just like Downton Alley the strength of the story relies on the strength of the characters, both the wealthy and the servants. The audio version, narrated by Esther Wane, is well done. Wane has the ability of portray a variety of female, male and Italian voices. I really look forward to the TV series. ( )

As much as I wanted to love Hotel Portofino I must say for me it was just an average read. I neither liked nor disliked it. Despite multiple story lines ranging from young love to blackmail it just never seemed to catch and keep my attention.
It’s the mid 1920’s. The Great War has been over for 8 years and life in Britain is returning to normal. For the English with money trips “abroad “ have resumed. For Bella Ainsworth the owner of the Hotel Portofino this means her new hotel could become “the” destination for visitors, moneyed visitors that is, if she can keep it open. The hotel is Bella’s baby every stick of furniture and color of paint picked out by her. To help with the hotel Bella’s family and trusted servants have come. There is Cecil her husband a ne’er do well Aristocrat who despite being penny less spends his time gambling and racking up debt. Her children have also come. Lucien is Bella’s son who was injured severely during the war and still carries the physical and emotional scars of his wounds. Then there is Alice a war widow and her young daughter Lotie. Add a host of hotel servants and guests including but not limited to, aristocratic women on Holliday, an Italian count and his son, and a black American jazz singer and her tycoon lover and you get a very eclectic mix of personalities.
Despite having a vast cast of characters the author has done an admirable job defining and giving depth to each one. This is true even for the large host of secondary characters. Each character comes with their own personality quirks, secrets and storyline. Hence my problem with the novel. There isn’t one main plot that is explored deeply but a large number of story arcs that come and go quickly throughout. Though each story gets resolved I felt there was just too little time spent on any of them to truly understand and connect with the characters involved. For instance, When I read the blurb for the book it seemed that a focus of the novel would be the rise of Mussolini and the presence of a corrupt public official who used the dreaded Black Shirts to impose his will. This official is blackmailing Bella. I thought I would get to see life in Italy at the beginning Of Mussolini’s reign. What changes occurred when he took over. Were a lot of new restrictions placed on the populace? None of this is even mentioned in the book. Instead I felt the official bothersome at best, a caricature at worst, and the black shirts simple street thugs that beat up people who disagreed with them. I never felt either was truly menacing or threatening. Feeling nothing was a drawback for me.. A book needs to elicit some emotion in order for the reader to feel a connection to it’s characters or care what happens in the story.
I chose the audiobook of this novel.. I often felt it was what kept me going back to the book. The narrator did a great job using her voice to delineate each character and her expertise with various accents (English, Italian and American) was spot on. Even though I felt the prose was lacking tension she worked hard to add it by vocally modulating her tone and inflection. If you do read thee book this is the version I recommend.
All in all the book was just interesting enough to finish without truly enjoying it. I know i’m in the minority with this review so if you have been interested in reading it please do pick it up, your opinion may be totally different.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review. ( )