As lush and beautiful as the countryside setting itself, this book was unlike most that I have read this year. Almost every passage contained a feeling or thought that conveyed every aspect of Tuscany. The author moves seamlessly from present day to the years surrounding WWI, building the story from both ends. However, in spite of the character list at the beginning, I was still often confused as to family relationships and how everything connected. And then I realized that this is part of a series. I totally didn’t make the connection, and that is completely on me (no fault of the author). I would definitely recommend this book for picture it paints of Tuscany but would also recommend reading the first books to get the background. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital ARC of the book.

This was a beautiful and stirring read that had me gripped until the very last page. This felt so much more than a book, but of a story that teaches me something in a way to look at the world and at life

Present day.
We return again to the picturesque countryside of Tuscany and are delightfully drawn into the busy lives of happily married Anna and Francesco Starnucci.

Life with four demanding children leaves the couple with little time for each other. Fatigued and lethargic, Anna is worried that something is seriously wrong with her health. Always putting the needs of her children and husband first, Anna finally decides it’s time for some self-care if she’s going to be around for her family.

Francesco works with their son Davide on his school project, having no idea of the impending impact the researching of that school assignment will have on his family. Learning about the difficulties and hardships of life in the early 1900’s opens the door to Davide’s curiosity, and he longs to know more about his bis-nonno, Giuseppe.

Plagued by school bullies and feeling deserted, Davide decides to run away. Spending the night in what he thinks is an abandoned hut, he is startled awake the next morning by the elderly Giselda Chiozzi. Davide is enchanted by Giselda and finds her wizened and quiet way, easy to talk to. The two quickly become kindred spirits and she promises to help him learn about the history of his descendants.

1917. Francesco’s grandfather, Giuseppe, is sent away to study – a rarely bestowed honour in a small village. Learning comes easy to him and he decides to be a teacher. However, a traumatizing encounter causes Giuseppe to give up his education and return home, but he finds no solace there. Running away from his family to seek a life of adventure, he joins in the tradition of generations of farmers, embarking on their yearly treks from high in the campagne to deliver livestock to the lowlands. This famous ‘transumanza’, was gruelling work. Up before dawn, with little rest, the men and boys traveled on foot and were away from their families for months at a time. Giuseppe goes from boy to man, and to his grave with a deep secret.

Travelling seamlessly between the Starnucci family’s past and present, Angela Petch delivers another astounding story. From the genuinely engaging characters, the brilliant research and true-life material, to the superlative portrayal of life in early 1900s Italy, and the detailed depiction of the gorgeous Tuscan countryside, A Tuscan Memory is more than an incredible read. It is a reader’s escape. It is ancestral time-travel. It is a virtual-reading experience of the senses.

Long after the print image of the words have faded, A Tuscan Memory will lodge itself in the reader’s mind like the memory of a long-time family friend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the read of Angela Petch’s, A Tuscan Memory.

Opinions expressed are my own.

I had a fantastic time reading this book. I really wanted to read the book when I read the blurb. I thought it would be a terrific read and I was right. The book deftly moves between Davide’s story of uncovering his roots and the truth about his family and events ninety years ago focusing on Giuseppe’s life. Giuseppe’s story gradually moves forward until they both link. The author does a brilliant job of bringing the characters and setting to life. Everything felt very real. I got swept up in the book and didn’t want to stop reading. I cried a lot reading this. This is a fantastic book.

3.5🌟
Tuscan Memory is a book full of the history of Italy. It is a duel timeline story, starting in the 1900’s and present day. There is interesting information about before the war and continues after the war.
This is my first book by this author. I understand there are previous books with the Tuscan theme.
If you are a reader who likes a well written historical fiction, you should take the time to read Tuscan Memory by Angela Petch.
I wish to thank NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

I haven't read any of the other 'Tuscan' books by Angela Petch, but I enjoyed how the story of the Starnucci family was written. Moving between the story of Giuseppe starting in 1915 to a few years later to his descendants in present time, you get a very beautiful description of Tuscany and are caught up in this family history. The struggles and characters of this family then and now and also richly interspersed with the struggles of Italy, its history and its culture.

An enjoyable read which is set over 2 timelines. It was interesting to find out some of Italy’s recent history. I would have enjoyed this story more if it had been longer. I felt that there was more of the story still to be told.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A Tuscan Memory was two love stories set in Tuscany - the earliest was Giuseppe and Marissa and the second was the love story of Giuseppe's grandson Francesco and his wife Anna.

In the early 1900s, Giuseppe, a smart young boy, was sent to the seminary school where he thrived and aspired to become a teacher. A sinister encounter with a seminary priest abruptly ended his education and Giuseppe refused to return to the seminary, knowing full well that his life would be much harder from this point on. In 1917, he left his family's home to join the shepherds who traveled yearly by foot to the coast from September to May - called the transumanza.. This became a yearly event for him and was a life of hardship and loneliness. During one of his trips, he meets a woman and although warned by his fellow shepherds of her wantoness, he continues seeing her. She gets pregnant and a little boy named Dario is born. Giuseppe can't give him up so he leaves the shepherds and heads home to the mountains and his friend Marisa. Marisa, although ten years older than Giuseppe, has always loved him. She tells him they will marry and she will help him raise Dario.

In the present day, Giuseppe's grandson Francesco and his wife Anna and their children still live in the mountains of Tuscany. Their son Davide has an interest in his Nonno (Giuseppe) and so the family decides to learn more about him and the transumanza.

The best part of this book was the telling of Giuseppe and Marisa's stories. Where the book fell apart a bit for me was connecting to the present day lives of Francesco and Anna and Davide. For me this part of the book and the characters were not as well developed as those in Giuseppe and Marisa's timeframe.

I learned a lot about life in the 1900s in Tuscany and this book was an enjoyable read for me. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. I am definitely going to read the other books by this author!

This was a very exciting book learning about the families of Francesco and Anna. What a wonderful journey. Thank you Angela for writing these adventures.

A Tuscan Memory by Angela Petch is an emotional historical fiction book. This book is part of a series but I picked this up and it is fine as a standalone,although as always when there are other books you do get more out of the story reading all of them. The story does intertwine with the other book so I would have possibly enjoyed it even more. This book is set in Tuscany, Italy and the story is a dual timeline. We are taken right back to 1915 to Guiseppe and Marisa's story from their points of views, switching from one to the other until we are in the present day. I was truly engrossed with the history of these two and I also learned about the transumanza, the twice yearly movement of the sheep and cows from high to lowlands and back again. Guiseppe joins the herders who are part of this transition and leaves his family.Marisa starts as his friend and becomes his wife and mother to their children.
In the present Francesco and Anna are bringing up their children while dealing with issues with their son for one. Davide is struggling to feel like he belongs and his family history, Francesco works to help his family and Anna is worrying about the state of her health. Davide decides to run away and in the process he makes a friend that unwittingly helps his family connect to the past.
This is a beautifully written book and it's descriptive narrative took me right to Tuscany and I could imagine the river and even the old mill there. It really had me enchanted by the italian people with their unique way of life and the country itself. Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for the copy of A Tuscan Memory in order to write this review today.

A wonderful portrayal of Tuscany and the difficulties of life in the past. The author seamlessly intermingles the present day with the fortunes of the inhabitants of previous generations. The skill is in making the characters come alive so that the reader cares about them. I enjoyed both stories and how they were interlinked and connected to the previous book. However, the skilfully drawn relationships between the characters is what kept me turning the pages. This book will appeal if you are a fan of Italy, love historical fiction or just like a darned good read.

A Tuscan Memory is a beautiful and fascinating tale of family hardships from 1917 onwards in Tuscany, Italy and also present day life for the Starnucci family, it's the sequel to A Tuscan Secret.

Present Day - We revisit Anna & Francesco who now have four children including Alba who is now eighteen and who we met in the previous book. Anna is worried about her health and their son Davide is being teased at school for his family being part English. A school project uncovers some hidden family secrets.

In A Tuscan Memory we follow their family descendants and the practice of the ‘transumanza' (yearly migration of stock from the mountains to the lowlands) and the families separated for five whole months during this time! It would take ten days of walking to reach the coast, this practice went about until the 1950’s.

The characters in this novel are interesting and relatable and the history of the area is well researched by the author. This historical fiction tale captivated me, a wonderful story.


I wish to thank Netgalley & Bookouture for an advanced copy to read in return for an honest review.

A lovely dual time line novel moving between 1915 (and a bit after) and the present. This is the story of Guiseppe and Marisa and their descendants set, of course, in Tuscany. Petch has written a series of novels set in Tuscany, all of which are very much a love letter to the region and this is no exception. The culture plays as large a role as the characters, although they are well drawn. I liked the "past" story better than the present one but that should be expected, I suppose of a book with "memory" in the title. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice getaway from the news right now.

I love the Tuscan series by Angela Petch, every page evokes the tastes, sights, and scents of Tuscany. I loved learning about the transumanza, something I'd never heard of before, and the hardship of life at the beginning of the 20th century.

This is the story of Giuseppe and Marisa, intertwined with the present-day life of Francesco, Anna, and their children. I enjoyed reading about both the present and the past; each part was equally fascinating, and I wanted to know more.

This is a well-written story, with a descriptive narrative that takes you to the heart of the Tuscan countryside, to the old mill and the river, and makes you fall in love with the Italian people and their ways. Highly recommend.

I was excited to read this because I LOVED the previous books about the Starnucci family. Unfortunately, this book was not one of my favorites. It was OK and would give it 2.5 stars. I just couldn't get into the story, especially the past about Guiseppe. I usually love the characters in the Tuscany books, but Guiseppe and Marissa's story fell flat for me. I would have rather read about the present time with Anna, Francisco and their children. Although their part of the story felt like it was missing something. I loved the description of Tuscany, it sounds like a beautiful place to visit. I also loved reading about how the people lived and all their superstitions. I never knew anything about the Transumanzaand found it very interesting.

I recommend the book, especially if you read the previous books about Tuscany and the Starnuccis. I look forward to reading more books by the author. I loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have been to Europe, but unfortunately never to Italy, but after reading this book I felt as though I roamed the hills, countryside and villages with the characters.
The author has a flair of taking you from the bygone era to at this moment without losing sight of what message her characters were trying to convey. She had perfect flow of her thoughts in the characters which helped define them as they grew.
I have never read any previous books by this author beforehand ,but I had no trouble following who the characters were because obviously there are other books, but a reader does not need to read them first to enjoy or to comprehend what is happening throughout this book.

However, the ending was quite abrupt and I was stymied at the conclusion? I am going to assume that possibly there maybe a sequel coming to this one? If not, then I just would have liked a more concise conclusion.

Thank you to the authors and publishers who work diligently for us the readers.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

After finishing A Tuscan Memory by Angela Petch I feel like I have been taken on a journey to past and present Tuscany. Seamless transitions between Giuseppe's and Marisa's points of view from the past to the present day story of their family left me enchanted. In the past, Giuseppe makes the hard decision to leave his family and the mountains after a horrid experience at the seminary, joining farmers and sheep herders. His good friend Marisa becomes his wife and mother to his son after a tragedy occurs .

During present times, Francesco and Anna raise their family while dealing with problems. Their son Davide stuggles with his sense of belonging and family history. Anna fears for her health while Francesco works to help his wife and son. When Davide runs away he makes a friend who helps his family connect to the past.

This was a book I truly enjoyed and I look forward to reading the The Tuscan Girl and The Tuscan Secret. Thank you to Net Galley, Bookouture and Angela Petch for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

A Tuscan Memory is a dual timeline book Giuseppe's story is set in 1915 and the few following years and in present day you follow a family of his descendants. It is a beautiful description of Italy and we learn much of the history. We also see the struggles, not only of the characters but of the Italian people throughout the decades. Well written and enjoyable, thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to read #ATuscanMemory for my honest review.

An excellent book that takes you on a journey from the past and present. The author paints wonderful pictures of the countryside and the hardship of life in the mountains many years ago, all intertwined with love. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest reviedw.

A truly beautiful story set in Italy. I loved the historical part of the narrative and found it very interesting. Lovely read.