The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy

The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy

Publication date - 18th July 23

Publishers - Amazon Publishing

Thanks to @netgally for the arc.

Fiona Valpy has become a go-to author for me after I read ‘The Storyteller of Casablanca’ and I was not disappointed with this book either! ‘The Cypress Maze’ was a brilliant dual-timeline story which looks at Italy during the second world war and present day. It was an emotional read that tugged on the heartstrings and made me cry in places.

The books opens with Tess arriving in Tuscany to be a companion to an old school friend of her grandmother’s. Tess has recently lost her husband and needs to recharge and recover. Beatrice has been guardian to the Villa delle Colombo whilst she tracked down the heir. Bea is also wanting Tess to recover her story. She came to Tuscany before the start of the war and got caught out and left it too late to leave. Bea lucked out by meeting Francesca, who was working with the Red Cross and ended up staying with her at the villa. Children were sent to the stay at the villa and it is one of these children that Bea is searching for.

I must admit I was much more involved emotionally with the story set in the past. Bea and the kids seemed a more developed plot compared to the present day with Tess. I wouldn't have minded reading a book which was longer to develop the present-day narrative more. I wanted to be invested in Tess to the same level as Bea but alas it was Bea that tugged on my heart!

Once again Valpy manages to directly import visuals straight into my mind whilst reading the story. Her descriptions of the surrounding area of the villa and the villa itself were very easy to picture and that is a reflection of her outstanding writing! I thoroughly felt as if I had been transplanted to Tuscany. It's an area I have always wanted to visit and this book has increased the longing.

This was a great piece of historical fiction and I loved learning more about the history of the area. I wasn't aware that it was Scottish troops which were on the front pushing up from the south of Italy. This is why I love this genre as I feel you also get an education as well as an entertaining read!

Let me know if you read this one!