First published 2006
Beth travels to a small Aegean island where brilliant sunshine illuminates her meeting with Cesare, an Italian from a family rooted in their prosperous town for five centuries. She comes from American hippie parents who raised her on a commune, while he has lived a sheltered life surrounded by old world traditions. Their romance blooms across the Mediterranean setting, but soon they must navigate the distance between two continents and two very different ways of life. September 11 becomes a turning point that forces their relationship into new territory. Over two decades, Beth and Cesare struggle between their deep connection and the pull of their respective homelands. The tension between Europe and America, between established customs and ambitious dreams, threatens to separate them. Their story explores how first love can reshape everything, even when geography and culture create seemingly impossible obstacles.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, long-distance-relationship
Setting: Aegean Island, America, Europe, Italy, Mediterranean
Period: 21st Century, September 11
294 pages · Hardcover · Harcourt