Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

   Postcards from Sicily By Nancy Barone   SUMMARY: A heartwarming story about mother-daughter relationships and starting over in life, set in a luxurious Italian spa resort Olivia swore she would never grow up to be like her mother, who fled to Sicily to be with her lover when Olivia was a teenager. But now, in her thirties, the spark in Olivia's marriage has been extinguished for years; she's hopelessly pining over her attractive business partner, Markus, and her own teenage daughter barely speaks to her. So when her estranged mother offers to pay for an eight-week trip to a luxurious wellness centre in Italy, Olivia reluctantly accepts. A break will be good for her. For everyone. There's just one catch... Susan is staying in the adjoining room. Fuelled by gorgeous weather, good food and even better wine, can the two women overcome their history and form the mother-daughter bond that Olivia always dreamed of? Or is it too late for second chances? MY RE...

  Pinch Me  by Barbara Boyle   SUMMARY: A touching memoir filled with food, friendships, and scenes of Italy, Pinch Me is ultimately a celebration of love, of learning to see the world, as well as oneself, through a different window, and of the powerful joy that comes from building a dream. An updated twist on the classic Under the Tuscan Sun, this is the deeply personal story of how fifty-something Barbara Boyle leaves her busy and familiar life behind in San Francisco and begins taking apart a 300-year-old stone barn to build a new home--a new life--in the largely undiscovered region of Piedmont, Italy. Filled with discoveries and pleasures of the stunning places and food she encounters, Pinch Me also details Barbara's frustrations in adjusting to a new culture, as well as the startling heartbreak of being faced with a breast cancer diagnosis. But even in the midst of this crisis, she and her husband create a home out of the stone ruin they had found, form...