Gorgeous, beguiling, enchanting, heartwarming, enthralling! There are not enough synonyms to begin to describe, Finding Serenissima.
You may have gathered, from the first sentence, that I absolutely adored this book! My favourite trope is 'new life' when a character leaves their old life behind and starts over somewhere new. My imagination always goes with them, and this is exactly what happened as I was reading Apple's new book.
Apple hauled me from my chair on the east coast of the UK, right into the pages, into Amelia's life and into the winding canals of Venice. I felt every breeze, I smelt every coffee, and I relished every meal that was made. I was right there as, for the first time, Amelia experiences the delights of Venice, the quirky buildings, and some eccentric characters, as she navigates her way through her exciting and sometimes scary new life, budding friendships and the possibilities of love.
Finding Serenissima delves into a couple of difficult topics, specifically Alzheimer's and the death of a baby. Apple deals with these with compassion and empathy, and they are woven into the story in a delicate manner.
I've never been to Venice, but I've always wanted to visit, maybe in the spring though before the heat becomes too oppressive and the waters too pungent!
Thank you to Apple Gidley for reaching out and asking me to read and review Finding Serenissima.
About the Book
With the help of a feisty hotel owner, an attractive water-taxi driver, and a gondola full of Italians who call Venice home, Amelia, a widowed Australian, begins her search for serenity. As the island city works its magic, she comes to realize her life has been overshadowed by her famous American husband, Leo, well before his decline into Alzheimer’s.
As Amelia navigates Venice’s winding canals and its language, she gracefully confronts the joys and challenges of aging, discovering that love and laughter can come at any stage of life. Balancing long-distance parenting and familial obligations, she redefines what it means to live fully as an older woman, all while the magical city slowly helps her reclaim her identity.
Finding Serenissima is a heartwarming tale of second chances, exploring the complexities of long marriage, independence, and rediscovering love in the most unexpected places.
About Apple by Apple
I left England a month after my birth when my Australian mum and I joined my British dad in Nigeria. That first plane trip is not something I recall although I have vivid snapshots of events in my early life there.
Educated at NEGS, Armidale, NSW for seven years, my ties to Australia are strong, with holidays spent both at home - wherever that happened to be - and with family and friends Down Under.
A peripatetic life allows me to draw on customs and cultures from many of the countries I’ve called home. Places as diverse as Papua New Guinea and The Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago and Malaysia and eight others in between. A sliver of my heart has been left in each place lived as people met and events, good or bad, from celebrations to coups d'etats, have become woven into my memories.
My roles have been equally diverse - magazine editor, intercultural trainer, British Honorary Consul in Equatorial Guinea, to mention a few. And now writer.
I am thrilled my last book, Have You Eaten Rice Today? (Vine Leaves Press, 2022) and is receiving good reviews. My next book, this time a contemporary novel called Finding Serenissima will be released by the same publisher in March 2025.
I'm returning to historical fiction in my WIP - working title Annie's Day which takes place in wartime New Guinea, (Vine Leaves Press, November 2025).
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