I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful read.
It is well written with some great characters and as a reader you feel you are right there with them. The plot draws you in and keeps you turning those pages.
A brilliant, heartwarming read.

I struggled to get into My Sardinian Summer, the story failed to capture my attention and despite trying to persevere I gave up quite quickly. Sorry not for me.

This book was well written and descriptive and a good read, but I found the pace a bit slow. I admit that might be just how I am feeling at the moment, as I seem to concentrate on faster paced books more easily. It could also be down to the translation and/or the lack of paragraphs.

I was looking forward to a light summer book to read, but I got a book that led to more introspection about my own past. It was entertaining, and I loved the setting. I've only been to Sardinia once and now I want to go again.

Not really my cup of tea, but a good read nonetheless.
The book is descriptive, you can almost smell the sea and feel the sun.
The plot revolves around various relationships. It is thought provoking and flows naturally.
The characters are interesting and well thought out.
All in all a good resd for lazy summer days

Lovely easy read about a return to Giacomo's homeland, the isle of Sardinia. Made me want to visit the island.

A gentle read, set in the sunny climes of Sardinia. It's a rather meandering book, more like a sort of diary in some ways, and whilst I enjoyed it, it won't be for everyone for the very reason that it IS meandering.

The writer captures moods and scenery well with vivid descriptions, and you get a sense of how Giacomo felt growing up on the island, as well as his thoughts and feelings on being back there. I loved his Grandma!

I felt that the ending was rather abrupt - but perhaps it will become part of a series?

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

I enjoyed this slice of life in Sardinia when Giacomo returns home to see his dying grandmother. Unable to finish a translation, he tells his employer he will try to finish it when he is on holiday, but spends his time reminiscing about past times. I did however, think that the ending was slightly out of character with the rest of the story, and a bit rushed. Still enjoyed it though.

Beautiful, illuminating and often very funny. A gem of a book, my thanks to Netgalley.

I cannot think of any other book to compare it to and initially I was dubious about my choice to read this book so different is it to my usual favourite genre but it paid dividends, highly recommended.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was a feel good read in these difficult times. I liked the location, I liked the characters and basically liked the storyline.

I really enjoyed this charming tale of Giacomo’s summer on his home island of Sardinia. He has returned there, from his home in Marseille, to say goodbye to his dying grandmother. This novel is rather like ‘My Family and Other Animals’ without the animals, although Giacomo does have a rather tense relationship with the stray dogs in his village. It is full of quirky characters, gentle humour and engaging depictions of the slightly eccentric life of the villagers on the island.

I have to say that not a great deal happens but that is part of the book’s charm. Giacomo is a translator and he is struggling with a translation Moby Dick. He is easily distracted by his old friends, his parents, visiting his grandmother in hospital and recalling his memories of living on the island.

The book is beautifully written and the translation from the original French is excellent. The novel is in turns, funny, wistful, and sometimes a little bit sad. It was a delightful read which I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well written and entertaining book. Loved the setting. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I liked Giacomo by the end of the book but I found him confusing. While the story created images of beautiful settings I found overall the book a little jumpy and puzzling to be honest.

I have to admit I really struggled to get into this, but persevered and enjoyed it in the end. A heartwarming and thought provoking read.

A beautifully crafted story which explores family and friendship. Made me look up a few things too such as the Domus de Janas. The story is told from the point of view of a translator who travels home because his grandmother is dying. We learn more about him as he sits at her bedside and then through his interactions with others. Not a “happy go lucky” summer read, but a more in-depth and thought provoking one.

I started this thinking it was going to be a light summer kind of read but it was just the opposite. Not exactly heavy but more introspective than what I would have liked at this time.

Giacomo was born in Sardinia but now lives in Marseille. His parents still live on the island and are very insular, like almost everyone else who lives there. Giacomo has returned as his grandmother is dying and he was very fond of her. He is a translator by profession and has brought his latest work with him to finish whilst on the island.

Giacomo is unsettled - he hasn't really got over his divorce, he feels claustrophobic in his home with his mother hovering over him and the constant squabbles between his mother and father which have fallen into a pattern but are continuous drives him batty. He is not at peace with himself at home, amidst the noise and seeks quiet outside much to the annoyance of his mother.

It finally transpires that his grandmother has no intention of dying and was pretending so as to keep the family on their toes. With that discovery the story of Giacomo gains pace (was quite slow till then) and then ends.

The book did not quite hold my interest though very descriptive of the countryside of Sardinia and very colourful personalities.

A light, enjoyable read in these times of anxiety. The protagonist, Giacomo - the 'nearly' man as he constantly tells us with self-deprecating humour which I think masks his fear of failure.
The characters are well drawn. I laughed out loud at his Nonna, on her deathbed, when she makes her presence felt with her acerbic comments.
I cringed at his Mama and felt sympathy for his father and for his friend, Fabrizio.
I really wanted to love this book but sadly it somehow just failed to make me really care enough.

A lovely book that drifts along as slowly as a Sardinia summer. Giacomo leaves Marseilles to return to his family home in Sardinia. He is told his Nonna is dying. However he gets to the hospital to discover that Nonna has a secret. As the book progresses, we are drip fed pieces of Giacomo's past. A lovely book as long as you are not expecting anything exciting to happen.

Michael Uraus' My Sardinian Summer has readers question is 'the sheer power of literature that it could sneak its way into real life?' The protagonist's life mimics literature and Giacomo is the self inflicted Ishmael in his recent translation. The Captain and his overbearing family steer his life.

Our image does not reflect the glossy covers we design. When we stop waxing the veneer, our authentic self emerges. Giacomo struggles to find his place in his family and distances himself from their control. His grandmother's illness reels him home. Will he emerge a stronger man or fall from his precarious position? It's time for Giacomo to be the captain of his ship and set his tethered Ishmael free.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. I struggled with the novel's disjointedness. I wasn't drawn into the story and found it difficult to read. That being said, the relationship between Giacomo and his grandmother as well as life imitating art trajectory provided memorable moments.

Unfortunately I'm afraid that I did not enjoy this book. I'm not entirely sure why, perhaps the writing style was not to my taste or maybe it was the story. For me it didn't capture me from the start and as I got further through I found that I wasn't paying much attention to what I was reading and that in itself is a sign.

Who knows perhaps I should pick it up again sometime in the future and maybe I will change my mind but for now I'm afraid that it's a no from me.