Daniela Sacerdoti’s wonderfully atmospheric Italian-set tales are so beautifully lyrical and brilliantly descriptive readers can almost feel the heat of the Mediterranean sun on their faces and she is back with an enthralling and captivating new novel that will keep them riveted to the page: The Lost Village.

It’s 1945 and the Italian village of Bosconero – like most of the world – has known its fair share of anguish and heartache and it’s not over yet. The Nazis are still patrolling the streets and striking fear and alarm into the hearts of the community of Bosconero. Most of the inhabitants have got their fair share of secrets. Secrets so dangerous that if revealed could end up costing them dear. Two sisters have given birth to two little girls in secret and they daren’t risk exposure because if the Nazis discover them than the consequences simply do not bear thinking about…

In 1996, Luce Nardini is feeling restless. Her only child has left home, her estranged husband is getting more and more distant and she is in desperate need of distraction and purpose – which is why she is wandering around an Italian village looking for a house with a faded blue door. Luce has always felt like she never really knew her mother. Having always had so many questions about her mother’s past, Luce hopes that by coming to the village that meant so much to her mother she will find the answers which she so desperately seeks and explain the reasons behind her decision to sever all ties and contact with her family.

Luce is relieved when she finds her grandmother still living and when she directs her to a wooden box replete with past secrets and never forgotten memories, it looks like Luce’s quest for the truth will finally provide her with the answers she has long been hoping to find. However, what she discovers threatens to shake everything which she thought she knew about herself and her family. But when disaster strikes, Luce wonders whether she has lost her one chance at unravelling and untangling her family’s past – until help comes from the most unexpected and surprising of quarters: her estranged husband.

Luce’s grandmother’s box holds the key to past betrayals and devastating loss. Is Luce ready for what she is about to uncover? Or should some secrets be kept dead and buried?

A sweeping and satisfying page-turner, Daniela Sacerdoti’s The Lost Village is a compulsively readable dual narrative tale set in a world of danger, despair, hope and triumph. A book that will break readers’ hearts and have them reaching for the tissues on many an occasion, The Lost Village is a gripping yarn of resilience, survival, betrayal and redemption that is emotional, haunting and very hard to put down.

Daniela Sacerdoti is a fantastic storyteller and she has outdone once herself yet again with The Lost Village.

I love books by this author and this one certainly did not disappoint. A dual timeline story about an Italian village in the WW2 always has my interest and this was a great story with plenty of fan family drama and hidden secrets to keep your interest. A real page turner

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti was another superb book by this author. Danielai is one of my favourite authors and I feel she always writes from her heart, with all her books i have read, You become apart of the story and you feel like you are there within the book. This book is a perfect Holiday read with great twists and turns throughout and will play with your emotions so you will need tissues handy.

I highly recommend this book and other books from Daniela. 5 stars from me.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

If you love a time slip, then this is a great one, with love linked across generations. I really enjoyed the descriptive and immersive writing of Sacerdoti. One can't help but feel that they too are walking the journey of the characters. A definite read for anyone who loves Italy, too.

A historical novel/romance about family secrets, love and war over three generations. I confess I prefer my historical fiction somewhat darker, so this wasn't ultimately for me, but I can see why many love it.

The Lost Village is, like the other books of this author which are set in Italy, split over two different time frames. The book starts with the description of a girl staggering towards the burning remains of her village. Fifty rears later Luce Nardini visits the same village in search of the roots of her family and looking for her grandmother because her mother refuses to tell anything about her family.

After having read several books by this author that have the same time split framework I found the setup of the book a bit programmatic. Nevertheless I enjoyed the story about Luce, especially the vivid and poignant description of the earthquake and the terrible aftermath of the destruction of the entire village.
The tale about her grandmother was full of unexpected twists and full of surprises, which kept me on the edge of my seat. It was really difficult to put down!

I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and author, Daniele Sacerdoti, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love time slip stories. This emotional page turner pulls at the heartstrings. I loved this author’s writing style. This was such a great book. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with such a phenomenal story line, this is a page turner that you can’t put down.

*** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This is the first book that I have read by Daniela Sacerdoti. I did enjoy the story line, the setting, and Sacerdoti's writing style. I enjoy books about Italy particularly because I am planning a trip to Italy and Greece in June 2021 (depending on the pandemic, that is). I do however feel like there is A LOT going on in this book: family secrets, marriage/divorce, war, and the sheer force of nature... and Ethan kind of annoyed me lol. I did like how the author handled the WWII subplot. It was an interesting element to the story and the family dynamics. I have read many WWII historical fiction novels and this was a lovely unexpected twist. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a different spin on the WWII historical genre mixed with some major family drama and some unexpected turns along the way.

I have read several books by Daniela Sacerdoti, and i find her writing style so completely unique and refreshing. I couldn’t wait to get started on this book, and it certainly did not disappoint.

This WWII historical time-slip novel captivated me right from the start. This story transports the reader back in time to the beautiful Italian countryside, before the world was shattered by war and conflict.

As Italy hits troubled times, all who live there are deeply affected. It causes people to doubt one another, and creates a general sense of unease for all. As one young woman makes a bold move, after suffering more heartache and loss than imaginable, her split second decision has a huge impact on not only her own future, but the future of all of those around her. But the question remains, did she make the right choice?.

Several decades later, Luce desperately wants to learn more about her mothers past. She knows her mother was born and raised in Italy and then left suddenly forty years ago. Luce’s mother refuses to talk about her past but Luce decides that the pain and sadness that is consuming her mother needs to be confronted once and for all. With her mind set, Luce embarks on a mission to find out more about her relatives past, and starts by finding her relatives in Italy.

Whilst Luce is uncovering her families history, she too becomes involved in a tragedy, and now, it is more important than ever to learn about her families past before it is lost forever.

The ending of this book was heart wrenching, and as the past finally begins to reveal itself, it is impossible to predict the shattering effects one choice could have on so many people. This story was Poignant, all consuming, and overflowing with emotion.

This book truly pulled at my heart strings. With the perfect levels of drama, reflection, and discovery, it captivates you entirely.

Wow. This was a beautiful story that transports you to Italy! I really enjoyed the dual POV provided a historical and present-day view. This was an emotional read that had me tearing up, but it was well-worth the read! I really enjoyed the family elements and the secrets that unfolded as the story progressed!

This was the first book I have read by this author. It did not hold my interest. I became bored with the story line very quickly.

The Lost Village by Daniela Sacerdoti is a brilliant tale of love, loss, betrayal and the effect of secrets. Set in today's world, we meet Luce Nardini who travels to Italy to find out more about her mother's side of the family. Her mother refused to talk about her family and hints at secrets buried deep.

The author weaves a classic tale that is unputdownlable and gripping until the very end. Modern day is interspersed with the narration of times past. Luce's grandmother talks of her life during WWII and the impact it had on their lives, on Italy and the people. She talks of finding love, marriage, children, her love and hate for her sister Nora and more. As secrets once buried come to the surface, Luce has the choice to stop or hear it all as she tries to find her place and bring her family together.

Dealing with her own problems, Luce seeks to immerse herself in finding out the truth behind her family and as the story unravels, the reader feels all the emotions along with the various characters. I loved reading about Luce's cousin and her fiancé, Luce's relationship with her son and the bonds she forms with the people she meets in Italy. 

This story is mind-blowing and so well-written that all incidents that happen seem to be happening to the reader as well. There is not one moment when you will feel like stopping as the story flows seamlessly merging past with present and so on.

I truly loved this book and recommend this to all fans of historical fiction. This story is not just about the war, it is about the people who experienced it and the things they did to survive. But, secrets have a way of coming out in the end and the impacts are tremendous as can be seen from this book.

This is the 1st book I've read written by Daniela Sacerdoti ; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I loved the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

I LOVE books from this time period and this one was quite suspenseful and exciting. At the same time, it was a bit heart-breaking. I really connected with the character Luce and her search for her past while she was going through an identity crisis of her own. Would I have made the ending different? Probably. But overall, it was a satisfying read.

Highly recommended if you like WWII period historical fiction and romance that toggles from the past to the present.

I also did a little research and you really can buy a house in some parts of Italy for 1 Euro!!

Thank you, Net Galley, for my copy!

Set in Italy after WWII, Luce travels to the hills outside of Rome to find out the story of her family and to meet with her grandmother. Family secrets and high emotions color this trip for Luce, and finding about her makes this an enjoyable read with excellent characters and descriptive locations.

I loved this story. It was a very easy read and the sights, sounds and people of Italy were very vivid. I liked that the story was told in 2 parts. From World War II to the present day. It was all about family secrets from long ago that carried into the present day as they very often do. The ending was unpredictable and very good. This is my first from this author so I will be looking for more stories from her. Great story.

How captivated I was by the Lost Village. It made me feel all gooey and soft at times but utterly heartbroken at others. I loved it.

Luce Nardini travels to Italy to discover the truth about her mother's family who she has had no contact with until she used social media to find her cousin. Mathilde is thrilled to reunite the family and Luce is excited to finally meet her grandmother. Her uncle Carlo is determined to shut her out but then the power of nature also tries to destroy the happy reunion...
The Lost Village is a family drama with historical secrets at its heart. Luce's grandmother Clelia reveals the truth over the course of the novel, right up until the end. Her flashback sections are her telling her granddaughters the story of her life. The mystery of Carlo's animosity towards Luce and her mother are only revealed in the final chapter.
Luce is dealing with her own conflicting emotions in the present day. She is divorcing Ethan and now has more time on her hands as her son Eli is grown up. There is the hint of a romance in Italy but events take over. I enjoyed, and could identify with, the scenario of Luce acting as a daughter and mother, being able to see both perspectives.
I was swept away in the mystery of the plot and the vivid descriptions of Italy in the past and present. The characters of Luce and Clelia are likeable and I found myself hoping for a happy ending for the family after years of separation. The actual ending was dramatic and heartbreaking, although perhaps a little unrealistic.
Overall, The Lost Village was an emotional story of love, loss and hope

Luce Nardini is in a transitional period of her life. Her only child has left for college and she is feeling extremely lost and lonely. Luce has always wondered about her family in Italy and why her mother cut all ties when she left as a young girl. Against her mother’s wishes Luce reaches out to a cousin living in a small village in Bosconero and the girls are equally excited to meet. Luce is extremely nervous to meet her extended family because she has no idea why they haven’t spoken to her mother or if they even want to have a relationship with her. She knows her uncle won’t welcome her with open arms but she is so happy to meet her grandmother who greets her with tears and a loving embrace. Her cousin has plans to show her around the village and introduce her to all her friends and family. Despite her uncle’s rage at her showing up and trying to stir up the past, Luce is enjoying her stay and is really feeling good about doing something for herself for once. When a disaster hits the village everything will change and truths about the past and why her mother fled will slowly start to surface. Luce will lose a lot but also gain something she hadn’t know she really needed. Such a beautiful story of love, loss, and the importance of family.

Loved this book! An American empty-nester of Italian descent travels to the Italian countryside to uncover her relatives, people her mother refuses to discuss for some mysterious reason. She meets her cousin online, and she shows her the town where her mother grew up and introduces her to her grandmother. Shortly after her arrival, a natural disaster occurs that will reveal everything her mother worked so hard to hide. The book focuses on family relationships, a little romance, and detailed descriptions of the Italian town. It was very good reading, but I would have chosen a different ending.