Last Voyage of the Valentina

by Santa Montefiore

Book Overview

Set in London during the swinging sixties and Italy's Amalfi coast after Word War II, The Last Voyage of the Valentina is an epic romance with a dark uncercurrent of suspense from an author the Daily... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743276868
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Not my favorite by Montefiore.

I was a bit disappointed in this after reading "Meet Me at the Ombu Tree". I expected a lot more. It wasn't as rich to me. I did enjoy the plot and the story. About 3/4 of the way through I was kept on my toes. I won't read it again and probably would not recommend this one. Ombu Tree is AMAZING, though!

A good read

No, this won't win a pulitzer, but it kept my interest the whole way through. I liked the unexpected twists and the open ending was a bit annoying but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story as a whole. The characters were not deeply developed but enough so that I grew to like them and felt drawn in by their trials and heartaches. I didn't feel at all that the the author was rushing to the end. It was not a believeable story, but it is fiction, afterall. I would recommend it for the sense of mystery and hope to find other books from this author that I like as well.

Lovely writing

I liked the prose of the novel, the settings, the descriptions of the atmosphere. Alba was an interesting character. But in the end, I was deeply disappointed by the lack of an ending, or the open ending. I have no idea what the writer intended, but I was left with a sour sense. In the end, I felt by doing what she did, she was NO better than Valentina. Her behavior was hurtful to Fitz, and selfish.

Finding Your Parents and Maybe Yourself

A story of finding out that your parents aren't the stodgy old folk that they seem to every kid. Perhaps it's a story of growing up yourself. It's a well told story takes the heroine back to Italy to find her mother and father lived a too short life of love amidst the background of war. There are Italian peasants and partisans, Nazis and aristocrats, there's deception, betryal and murder.

A great summer read!

Not the great American (or Italian) novel, but a fun read with several twists and a good glimpse into some English and Italian characters, history and landscape. Trite, but loosen up and have fun.

Bravo!

What a wonderful enriching novel this is! With a host of wonderful and unique characters and a blend of evocative scenery of old world Italy, this precious treat will be truly enjoyed by anyone who reads it. A deeply emotional and sensitive piece that keeps the reader glued to the pages from start to finish while totally getting wrapped up in the lives of each player. This is about the quest of one young woman who wishes to find her Italian roots and to search for the answers to who her mother was and the truth about her death. Truly this a beautiful book!