Italian Fever: A Novel

Intelligent, well-written, but not nearly as compelling as the other Martin novels I've read. I did enjoy an 'aha' moment when I realized the main character and her story is somewhat a reworking of Forster's Lucy and his "A Room with a View. I'm also tempted to say that there's also a nod to Austen's "Northanger Abbey" with its parody of Gothic fiction in that this novel seems to be in s Intelligent, well-written, but not nearly as compelling as the other Martin novels I've read. I'm also tempted to say that there's also a nod to Austen's "Northanger Abbey" with its parody of Gothic fiction in that this novel seems to be in some ways poking fun at chick-lit.

Jun 20, Helen rated it did not like it Recommends it for: Read this immediately after reading Martin's "Property", which was fabulous. Really disappointed with this novel; didn't enjoy plot, writing style or any of the truly awful characters. Got absolutely nothing from this book at all.

Sep 02, Mark rated it liked it Shelves: I don't remember many details of this book, except that I enjoyed it and it left me with a favorable impression of Valerie Martin. Wish I could tell you more. Jul 12, Judy rated it did not like it. After I finished this book, I thought "Why did I read the whole thing? What a ridiculous story. Loved the book, could not put it down Italian through and through, mystery, food, customs, of course the beautiful sprinkling of the language throughout was fascinating as well.

Loved Lucy and of course other characters in book, kept me wondering what happened until surprise ending. Mar 25, Alex Smith rated it did not like it. Real potboiler, with language leaning heavily toward cliches especially when dealing with the heroine's love affair and a number of different plot strings which don't intermesh very well.

Mar 08, Cienna Lyon rated it did not like it. I knew it was a romance going in to it and I should have stopped there.

Jul 07, Angela rated it it was ok. Got this book for free from a community library stand. I can't believe I finished it. The ending was a weird let down to the whole book. Jun 17, Tony Sullivan rated it liked it Shelves: Lucy is his assistant back in New York, annoyed at the success of his punishingly bad prose. But DV dies in the prologue, while walking at night; there are hints of supernatural involvement. She studies photos of his corpse and sees signs of torment before the end. Lucy is sent to Italy to settle his business affairs.

With irony and black humour the book takes us through themes of ghosts, deadness, hell, relationships, womanhood, beauty, and art. The blonde lovely Catherine, however, is far from dead. Upon learning that, she turned on him with a ridicule that lashed him to the core.

Italian Fever

This chastisement scoured out DV's smugness and self-obsession, and set him on the road to better writing, as Lucy discovers in his final manuscript. Catherine herself learned nothing from their encounter; she simply moved on to set other hearts afire. Catherine is an artist. She is well aware that she inspired longing and pain in DV, and captured them in a quick, mocking sketch.

What she really wants is a man to support her painting, and a shop to sell it in. She tells Lucy she has never loved, and generally seems to personify the cold side of art. But while Catherine justifies all in the name of her creative work, she ultimately appears mediocre and petulant to Lucy. Lucy does not have the sharp views on sexual politics that one would expect from a modern-day woman in the publishing industry. Modest, competent, genuine, she is without cunning, brilliance or glamour, and discovers she has no sense of herself as an object of desire. Like DV she is a sucker for charisma.

So she is a sucker for the gentlemanly and handsome Massimo, who nurses her through a fever. In contrast to Massimo is Antonio, the unspunky aristocrat who turns out to be sensitive and considerate. Art stirs longing, but also pain. Antonio longed to paint but found it beyond him, though he has never lost his reverence for fine works. Ghosts play their role as symbols of human passions, or events that are stalled, unresolved.

The ghost that lures DV to his death was a man killed by a jealous brother. DV as a ghost calls for Lucy to give him some human recognition of his suffering, and when she does, he is at last freed from torment. Only in his suffering does he attain dignity.

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Feb 26, Deb rated it it was ok. First time I have been disappointed by a NYT recommendation. Jul 18, Sarah rated it liked it Shelves: Italian Fever was an enjoyable quick read I read almost half of it in one evening! The storyline was creative and well-constructed and the descriptions were vivid - I felt as if I were there in the Tuscan countryside and in Rome. Unfortunately, it was not quite the sort of book I was in the mood for, although it managed to engage me well enough in spite of that.

The writing was overall pretty Italian Fever was an enjoyable quick read I read almost half of it in one evening! The writing was overall pretty good as I said, the descriptions were great , but I felt that she overused the rather meaningless phrase that someone's eyes "flashed". Additionally there was an overly long vivid scene of the woman being sick - vomiting and delirious with fever - which seemed rather overdone.

In fact, I'd say that many of the scenes were overdone and rather unbelievable and that seemed to be intentional, but I'm not sure it quite worked for me. I read this book because the library didn't have another book I wanted to read by the author - I will probably still read that other one at some point but I can't say that I am eagerly running out the door looking for more books by her. I'm not one for ghost stories, especially when living alone, but this one was more or less worth it.

I wouldn't even really describe it as a ghost story, since it's just as much about the narrator's self-discovery, but the ghost factor is pretty major so if you're very easily spooked, I wouldn't recommend it. To make a long story short, a woman is unexpectedly called to Italy--Tuscany of course, because that's the only province in Italy--to deal with her employer's accidental death. There she I'm not one for ghost stories, especially when living alone, but this one was more or less worth it.

There she gets sick and is cared for by her handsome, married translator, discovers a mystery involving of course an old villa and aristocratic family, follows ghosts around, and I can relate tries to tour with an injured ankle. As a result, she returns home with a much more realistic view of her own character. The author apparently couldn't decide if it was to be about a ghost or about an American's misadventures in Italy, so there's something in it for both of those camps.

An enjoyable diversion, especially for a quick reader or someone with a little too much time on his hands. Aug 20, Liz rated it did not like it Shelves: The author should have stopped there - the book itself was never that compelling… the mysterious death, wasn't so much, it was a renovated farmhouse, not a villa, the manuscript wasn't ancient or even really interesting, and the ghost was probably as bored of the whole ordeal as I was… There was a lot of misleading assumptions and judgements made, and no real mystery. The love story was less than mediocre, as the author neglected to make the male character desirable in the least.

This book left me not wanting more, or caring in anyway about the future of the characters. Sep 22, Luna rated it it was ok. So poorly written, with such a cliche plot, that I actually read it in 1 sitting, while laughing nonstop and no, its not meant to be funny. It's worth reading if you have an hour or two to kill and are in need of simple amusement. Jul 18, Ria rated it it was amazing. When Lucy Stark's employer DV the famous author dies mysteriously in Italy she has to go and sort out his effects and take care of all his unfinished business, along the way she meets and has an affair with a local but very unsuitable man Massimo and then has suspicions as to DV's death and his way of life in Italy, this is not helped by the sinister villagers and also the hasty disappearance of DV's mistress, the artist Catherine Bultman.

Can Lucy who is thrown in at the deep end unravel all the When Lucy Stark's employer DV the famous author dies mysteriously in Italy she has to go and sort out his effects and take care of all his unfinished business, along the way she meets and has an affair with a local but very unsuitable man Massimo and then has suspicions as to DV's death and his way of life in Italy, this is not helped by the sinister villagers and also the hasty disappearance of DV's mistress, the artist Catherine Bultman.

Can Lucy who is thrown in at the deep end unravel all the mysteries and finally lay to rest DV and the entanglements of his life or will everything prove too much for her to handle? Exciting and fast paced and blends history, art, mystery and romance together very well to combine all the essential elements for a great read. Jan 03, Anne rated it liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A romantic suspense novel without very much of either. Set in Italy, no surprise. The main character, Lucy, travels from Brooklyn to investigate the death of her novelist employer DV we never find out what DV stands for, either.

The titular fever is suffered by Lucy early in the book and sets the stage for a little more in the suspense department than we actually receive. What kept me reading was the excellent writing, the weak hope of an interesting answer to what happened to the employer, an A romantic suspense novel without very much of either. What kept me reading was the excellent writing, the weak hope of an interesting answer to what happened to the employer, and the love interest Massimo.

Not the love scenes, which leave a little too much to the imagination.

Italian Fever by Valerie Martin

Jan 15, Leanora rated it it was ok. It started out promising. Combination of mystery with a bit of romance. By about page I was ready to give up on this one but instead forced myself to skim the last 60 pages conversation as sparse, prose was lengthy and started developing character but in an odd way, much too late in the book if you ask me.

Apart from making me wish I could visit Rome, this book wasn It started out promising. Apart from making me wish I could visit Rome, this book wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped it would be. Sep 15, Cerealflakes rated it it was ok. This was an odd book. It started out good enough, but the obvious romance and cliched characters cranky landlord, unappreciated, long-suffering artiste, boorish rich people, etc soon made the book boring.

The author didn't seem to know what to do with the book. She tried to make it mystery by having the main character do some investigations, but she made no attempt to explain why the character was so interested in investigating the death of someone she neither liked nor respected. Oct 01, Camille rated it it was ok. While I sped my way through this book I strongly disliked most of the main characters and just one week after finishing it I had completely forgotten that I had read it and what it was about.

The plot is a bit cliched - lonely 30 something assistant for an untalented but famous author travels to italy to deal with the after math of his sudden accidental death. Predictable love tale unfolds but not the mystery that was alluded to.

• Casualties: Short Story.
• Italian Fever: A Novel - Valerie Martin - Google Книги.
• Ist meine Fensterbank ein Heilstein ? (German Edition);
• Italian Fever - Wikipedia.
• Back to the Garden of Eden.

Jun 30, Narnia rated it it was ok. As the mystery of her employer's death deepens - an alcoholic accident versus stories of ghostly apparitions - so their affair becomes equally open to interpretation: The deliberate deconstruction of the fantasy at the same time as it is lived is both the strength and weakness of Martin's novel. Lucy is not an innocent in the way that Forster's heroines were. While she is entranced by the artistic intensity of the culture, a heat that does indeed seem capable of turning stone into flesh there are parts of the novel that read like an intelligent guide book to the sculpture galleries of Rome , she is also aware of her own seduction at its hands.

It is both the paradox and pleasure of Italy that the same heady, fleshy, creative Catholicism also bred its own potential for sin, both venal and venial. Thus nothing is quite what it seems in Martin's Italy. The charming Tuscan idyll is marred by the greedy old aristocratic family that rents out the charmless villa and is out to make money from agritourism, while even the aged patriarch has his eye on younger flesh.

In modern Italy, the cynical, it seems, is always lurking under the romantic. All this makes for acute and playful reading. The problem is that while at one level Martin wants to make sophisticates out of us all, she also needs to keep the magic working. Lucy Stark needs the Italian experience to help soften that surname. For all that she may understand the exploitation, she, like her fictional predecessors, yearns to be unzipped, to go through the fever, to discover a more courageous and sensual self. Which means that for all her deconstruction, Martin needs to leave room for genuine transfiguration and mystery.