Meeting Lily

New York: St.Martin's Press., 1998 Book. As New. Pbk. From the "Rosamund Pilcher's Book Shelf series" introduced by Rosamund Pilcher "Two years after her husband has died in their Italian villa, Nan Mortimer finds her life askew. Villa Giulia, turned into a small hotel so Nan can survive in her adopted land, is at the center of unusual events: a retired English officer dies suddenly in the villa's best bed, and his dotty widow simply wants to stay on holiday, dreading the arrival of her sister Lily to take her home. Beautiful young Graziella from the convent orphanage falls in love with a young priest, who disappears amid grave concern in the village of Cittavigile. And Dr. Fortuno, long attentive to Nan through her travails, seems smitten with a beautiful Englishwoman vacationing with her husband and child. Woodhouse deftly intertwines past and present--describing Nan's youth in England, escape into marriage with an older man, and loss of a baby--and deliciously prolongs the questions of Lily's arrival and the relationship between Nan and Fortuno. Skillful plotting, endearing characters, evocative settings, and touches of both humor and tenderness make this book a delight; reading it is the next best thing to spending a weekend in the country".