A Chance in a Million by TA Williams
A Chance in A Million
By TA
Williams
SUMMARY
Having left the army to
recover from a traumatic experience, Captain Jane Reed is on her way to Venice to assist Lady Veronica Cooper, a world-famous writer who has lost her mojo.
Plagued by grief and sleepless nights, Jane soon finds a kindred spirit in
Veronica, coping with her own loss after the death of her husband.
When
the two relocate to Veronica’s villa in the countryside to escape the summer
tourists, Jane meets the rest of the Cooper family – including Veronica’s
brooding son, David. With his own tragic past, David has resigned
himself to a life of solitude. Jane finds herself determined to bring joy back
into his life, even if it means finally spilling her secrets.
Can
Jane and David help each other heal, and find love in the process, or are some
scars too deep to treat?
MY REVIEW:
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate is a predetermined
course of events or is it? I really enjoyed this book because it had all the
ingredients to make me happy, optimistic, encouraged and convinced that ‘in the
face of adversity, hope often comes in the form of a friend who reaches out to
us.' The story has a formidable opening and engages immediately with the reader
as we learn that Captain Jane Reed has been severely wounded, physically and
emotionally whilst on active duty.
“Weeks in hospital, months of convalescence, Post
Traumatic Disorder and a broken heart”
Jane must somehow rebuild her life and that is where
the story begins. Her road to recovery takes her to Venice and a job as a PA
for a successful if yet reclusive author. We learn that Veronica (Lady Cooper) has
not written anything since the death of her husband. Grief in the form of melancholy
and depression have taken hold and she has shut herself away from the world. The
relationship between them sets off cautiously and gingerly but gradually, the
sorrow of both women wanes and they embark on a mutual healing process. The
common bond is a love of writing.
When Lady Cooper and her household move to
their summer residence, to avoid the intense summer heat and bustle of Venice, we
meet other interesting characters. Veronica’s mother-in-law, the rather
colourful and eccentric jean-wearing and bike-riding Signora Flora, 95 years
young. Two daughters, Diane and Beatrice and a granddaughter called Linda. Jane
finds herself interacting with these family members who express kindness, care,
concern, nurture and attention. Another casualty of war is Veronica’s son David.
After a traumatic event while he was in the army, he too has become a loner and
hides himself away at their country villa. Two damaged souls trying to understand
and accept that the events which caused their trauma have passed and the worst
is over but to move forward means opening the heart. For me, one of the
messages is that tragedy does not define you, it shapes you. Trauma does not
disqualify anyone from love but David doesn’t know how to be around people and
they don’t know how to be around him. He needs someone with empathy and I will
leave it to the reader to discover whether Jane is that person!
Why I recommend this book
It has the perfect mix of adventure, courage,
hope, struggle, and recuperation with a storyline unfolding with warmth and
detail. Set in Venice, one of the most beautiful cities of the world, with a reputation for romance that surpasses even that of the
Italian capital, or Venice's near neighbour which was the setting for
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Gondoliers
serenade their clients as they punt along the water. Wandering the cosy,
cobbled lanes of Venice is one of the pleasures of a visit to this beguiling
city and the shimmer of the water at the end of an alley or far corner of a
square is as enticing a sight as you’re likely to behold anywhere on earth.
How could romance not blossom here? The author’s effortless description of places is expertly and
artistically done. Jane’s first glimpse of Venice.
“It was a scene that Jane had seen many times in books and on the TV. An
unforgettable assortment of light cream-coloured stone buildings whose
intricate
maze of exotic Byzantine arches gave them an almost lacework appearance”
There is a lightness to the flow and way of writing.
It is imaginative and reflective. This is Jane’s story so we are reading it from
her point of view. The author, TA Williams, whom I interviewed some months ago is
rather amused that some of his readers think the author must be female. Strangely,
this is utterly plausible, Female writing is considered to be more ‘involved’
as it reflects a deeper interaction of the writer with the readers. Indeed, there
are some wonderful threads running through the story which add a touch of glamour
and sophistication such as Lady Cooper’s collection of Hollywood iconic
dresses. Jane wears an evening dress which once belonged to Ingrid Bergman at a
charity auction at Venice Casino.
“Had this dress really belonged to the star of
Casablanca? It was a delicate off-white colour, quite sheer and unmistakeably pure
silk. It was as light as a feather and shimmered in the light of a chandelier”
A comforting and enjoyable read. TA Williams uses
escapism as a literary device to the best possible effect!
“She took a deep breath and hoped for the best. This
job would be a chance in a million to work alongside a world-famous
author and experience life in the unique surroundings of a seventeenth-century
palazzo alongside the Grand Canal”
AUTHOR BIO:
TA Williams studied
languages at university, then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before
going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. He and his Italian wife
returned to the UK with their little daughter (now long-since grown up) where he
ran an English language school. Now he lives in a sleepy little
village in Devonshire. He has been writing almost all his life but it was only
seven years ago that he finally managed to find a publisher who liked his work
enough to offer him his first contract.
The fact that he writes escapist romance is something he still
finds hard to explain. His early books were thrillers and historical novels. He
says that maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the
world today that he feels the need to provide something to cheer up his readers.
His books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations!
BOOK BLURB:
Published by Canelo Escape (15 Sept. 2022)
Paperback and e-book available on Amazon
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
Second Chances
in Chianti
Secrets on the
Italian Island
Dreaming of
Italy
Dreaming of
Tuscany
Under a Sienna
Sun
A Little Piece
of Paradise
Dreaming of Rome
An Escape to
Remember
Dreaming of Verona
Dreaming of St Tropez
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