The Collected Regrets of Clover

 

Clover is a death doula.  She is quite familiar with loss and grief as she lost her parents to an accident while they were on vacation.  She grew up in her grandfather's apartment in New York City.  She never felt that she fit in at school.  College provided her a more varied exposure.  While studying abroad, her grandfather died.  She finds a book of regrets.

Clover helps individuals transition from life to death.  She works by referral and is so busy that she barely has time to live her life.  She meets someone in a grief support group that she becomes friends with.  He asks her to see his grandmother who is near death.  His grandmother shares a story of lost love with Clover.  This leads Clover on an adventure that ls life-changing.  

This is a wonderful story of life, death, love and what's important in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All the Days of Summer

 

Heather is bored with her husband and her marriage and wants out.  Her husband runs a business and expects their son to carry on the business after his retirement.  Their son is not interested.  Heather decides she will rent a cottage in Nantucket for the summer to re-think her life and plan for the future.  She finds a bare bones cottage that is reasonable.  Surprisingly, her son decides he wants to also spend the summer in Nantucket working for his girlfriend's family construction company.  Heather is not very fond of her son's girlfriend.

Nancy Thayer has written a novel around the lovely island of Nantucket and a family and turmoil.  Will Heather be able to re-create a life for herself on Nantucket?  This is a delightful read that you won't want to leave when it ends.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Palazzo

 

Cosima runs a business that has been in her family for generations that makes handmade upscale leather handbags, second only to Hermes. She lives in Rome but is also very tied to Venice as her family has a store and palazzo there. She has a brother, Lucca, and a sister, Allegra. Lucca is a carefree irresponsible gambler. Although he does not work, he is supported by Cosima with an allowance. However, his gambling debts have him always in trouble. Allegra is a designer for the company. When they were younger, their mother, father and Allegra were in a tragic boating accident. The mother and father died and Allegra was left with a spinal cord injury and is now wheelchair bound.
Olivier has a company based in Paris that also produces handbags of a lesser quality and on a larger scale. His bags are in many large department stores. He was married twice when he was younger and has 2 sons that are as different as night in day. Max works for him, but has a gambling problem, and always feel his pay is inadequate. His other son is a successful artist.
Max and Lucca meet at a gambling establishment. Lucca's gambling loss changes the course of the lives of the family. Max and Lucca conspire a scheme to defraud insurance on the palazzo by arson. The results of this liaison affect everyone.
The lives of several of the characters in this book are enriched by love. It was a delightful read. I love Italy and the setting of this book makes me lustful for the area.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.