REVIEW: One Night In Italy by Lucy Diamond

One Night in Italy by Lucy Diamond

Sophie has found herself back in her home town of Sheffield after travelling the world for the past few years, avoiding her past, never settling anywhere for very long. Teaching Italian to beginners was always going to be just a stop gap before her next adventure abroad - but sometimes things just don't go to plan.


Catherine, the wife of a well-known but not particularly ethical GP discovers that she has no idea what the future holds. Her children have left for university, her husband has left her for another woman and her bank account is left empty after dedicating her life to raising her family. She needs a job and an identity all of a sudden. At an Italian evening class she makes a start in finding new friends Anna and Sophie. And she’s going to need good friends when she discovers her husband’s lies run even deeper than his infidelity…

 And Anna, journalist and girlfriend to pete only has one mystery in her life; she’s never known who her dad is. But with her mum refusing to tell her more she’s at a dead end. When she accidentally comes across a clue that her father is Italian, it opens up a burning curiosity in Anna. Soon she’s cooking Italian food, signing up for an Italian class and even considering dusting off her passport to go and find her dad in person. 

Expecting the book to be set in Italy, a location I have never really read about, I was slightly disappointed to find that it was set in Sheffield, but being a character based story, this didn't bother me as much as it could have. 

Being told from 3 perspectives, you get to see the day to day lives of 3 Italian class members and how they all ended up where they were. I really enjoyed the character Catherine, a character who at the start of the book is left with no husband and distant children, but by the end has stuck up for herself and the ones she loves, something she would have never done at the start of the book. I really enjoyed watching her character development.

There were also many side characters that were incredibly likable. Geraldine and Roy are an old married couple and members of the class that are both wonderfully written. They bring a slight humour to the italian class and I really enjoyed hearing their story. 

Lucy Diamond has a gift for creating characters that the reader really can relate to and enjoy. The eclectic range of people are so realistic that you find yourself becoming really attached to them and rooting for them the entire way. The story is incredibly fast paced, with each character having their own starring role and side story that the rest of the group isn't particularly aware of. 

There are serious issues dealt with during the book and the author deals with these effortlessly. From the downtrodden wife, to NHS corruption and newspaper politics, there really is something for everyone contained in this story. Once again, Lucy Diamond has delivered an incredibly good book. It deals with Italy and its culture, Sheffield and its people, food from across the world, recipes, and love in the most unexpected places ... this is the perfect combination and will delight anybody. 

REVIEW: The Undertaking by Audrey MaGee

The Undertaking by Audrey MaGee. 

Desperate to escape the Eastern front during World War II, Peter Faber, an ordinary German soldier, marries Katharina Spinell, the daughter of a low level Nazi official, a woman he has never met; it is a marriage of convenience that promises 10 days 'honeymoon' leave for him and a pension for her should he die on the front. 

With leave secured, Peter visits his new wife in Berlin; both are surprised by the affection that soon develops between them. 

When Peter returns to the horror of the front, it is only his thoughts of Katharina that sustain him as he approaches Stalingrad. Back in Berlin, Katharina, goaded on by her desperate and delusional parents, quickly finds herself in the middle of the Nazi party hierarchy, unwittingly dedicating herself, her young husband and their unborn child to the regime. 

But when the tide of war turns and Berlin falls, Peter and Katharina, ordinary people stained with their small share of an extraordinary guilt, find their simple dream of family increasingly hard to hold on to. 

The Undertaking is a beautifully written book that perfectly describes the horrors of World War II and gives an insight into the German perspective during that time. The story is told largely through dialogue which gives the reader a better insight into what Peter and Katharina are experiencing.

The story and perspective are both new too me, never having read a World War II book from the perspective of someone, classed than as the "enemy". It was interesting to see the way the Germans viewed what was happening and how the soldiers felt about the war they were fighting. 

I think part of the brilliance of this book is the things that are not spoken and instead implied. What Peter spends his evenings doing with the low level Nazi officials regarding the "Jewish problem" is never explicitly mentioned but is instead hinted at.

We, the reader, knowing the outcome of the war, have a sense of foreboding the entire story, and can't help feel pity for the people so confident in their safety. Peter and his fellow soldiers sacrifice everything for their country, and never stop fighting, believing that there country will be the victor. 

This is a novel that deals with loyalty, the idea of hope, with bravery and at times with cowardice. It is also a love story in the most unconventional way. Audrey Magee is an extremely gifted author, and really makes you feel as if you're on the front with Peter and his fellow soldiers or at home with Katharina experiencing the bombing of Berlin.