David Gee – Lillian And The Italians

‘Lillian and the Italians’ by David Gee is a beautiful and at times poignant story about a mothers love and discovering that someone is not who you thought they were blended with a touch of intrigue and danger. David Gee is a new author to me so I had nothing to expect with this book. The synopsis and the cover gives a promise that I just hoped it could keep.

I was transported to the years when every country was just about getting over the war and everything connected with it. The teenagers and young adults found a new freedom and relaxation of the rules that were the norm. The escapism they felt from just getting away from the rigidity of society was similar to an eagle soaring, testing their wings.

Lillian is a widow, living in Hastings and is finding her life a little constrained. Her usual days were filled with hairdresser appointments, WI meetings, bridge and going to see her friends. She finds her son has gone missing and decides to go to attempt to find him although she has no idea what to expect when she catches up with him. When Lillian arrives she meets the ex-gigolo who has spent the last four years with Andrew, her son Lillian realises he has a side she knew nothing about.
Going on to Amalfi, she meets the charismatic Prince Massimo Monfalcone, whose playboy son is being held to ransom in Corsica with Andrew. Lillian finds herself distracted by Massimo’s tales of his life story. How his first wife was murdered in a Sicilian blood feud and his second wife killed herself due to his cheating. As time goes on they start to grow closer.

This is a story that is set in a beautiful country and David Gee has beautifully created a picture in my head of this place. The characters all jump out of the pages. They were unique each with their own voice and place within the story. Lillian is a refreshing change as a central character, an older woman who is on a personal journey not just in the case of finding her son but in a personal way. Each character affects her in different ways. Discovering about her son is one case in point.

David Gee has cleverly created, what seems a simple plot of a mum trying to find her son and brought a multi-threaded story together. There is family drama combined with a dash of romance, scandal and a kidnapping with a side of Mafia too.

If you enjoy a story that is well written and packed with a bit of everything while you enjoy parts of Italy too, maybe try this book. The story had me gripped.

Thanks to Random Things Tours and The Conrad Press for my copy of the book.