Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

      The Missing Half (La Meta D’un Soldo) By Cinzia Zuccarini SUMMARY When an archaeological dig uncovers the remains of a young girl, the fragments of her short life are pieced together to reveal a rich and evocative picture of eighteenth-century Venice. Abandoned at birth, with only one half of a broken coin to identify her, the young Prudenza is raised in the Conservatorio della Pietà, the famed Venetian orphanage and music school. Her virtuosity as a violinist earns her a place in the household of the Palazzo Grimani, where her story unfolds through the pages of her poignant diaries. We hear first-hand her intimate accounts of life in one of Venice’s most powerful families – the intrigues, loves and scandals – as well as the artistic and social frustrations suffered by women of the time. Blessed only with musical accomplishment in a society where family status and connections are all, Prudenza must find her own identity in an alienating world. Winner of ...

   Butterfly Summer By Toni De Palma   SUMMARY: Hollywood producer for the  Bride-to-Be  franchise, Anna is on top of her game. She’s helped generations of women navigate the ups and downs of romance. Ironic, since her own love life is a mess. When the  Bride-to-Be  finale is relocated to Ischia in Italy, Anna plans to use the opportunity to settle some family affairs. And perhaps solve an old mystery of her own. Delia. Decades before, at the age of seventeen, Anna had spent a summer with her aunt on the lush island. Far from an idyllic vacation, she made few friends and learned her aunt had been hiding secrets from the family. Now she’s going back to sell her aunt’s house and finish up the show’s season finale. As the crew get ready to roll the cameras, all havoc breaks loose. The newest bride-to-be is missing. The groom’s partying has been all over social media. And the sale of the house is shrouded in mystery, with an anonymous buy...