Italian Fever: A Novel

Wow, I am so surprised to read the vituperative reviews about this novel--I admired it on many levels. The writing was exceptionally fluent without in the least straying into the melodramatic, and Martin's blending of genres was nimbly handled. I thought the character portrayals were remarkably subtle and realistically complex. The opening passage (the Prologue) is so beautifully written that I wanted to read it over... Read Full Review

I have just completed "Italian Fever" by Valerie Martin and enjoyed it tremendously. Lucy Stark goes to Italy to tidy up the affairs of a minor writer who died in an accident. While there she meets some intriguing characters, has an affair, learns more about the kind of person she really is, and is memsmerized by the beauty of Italy and the art of its famous painters and sculptors. Her descriptions are portrayed in succinct... Read Full Review

I don't know which I enjoyed more: Martin's prose or being tranported back to Italy, my favorite place on earth. No one has written the definitive romance about this country, and I hope no one does because the literary possibilities are endless. The whole point of reading pleasure is to be able to identify with the character/story/setting which this novel did for me so beautifully. While vacationing in Tuscany I succumbed... Read Full Review

I loved Italian Fever The main character, Lucy is a contemporary, American version of a smart female heroine out of Henry James or Forster. Plus Martin knows her stuff--the wine, food, and romantic allure of Italy. You keep turning the pages and this is one book that just gets better and better. I highly recommend it.

For the past five years, Lucy Stark has worked as an assistant to the popular author DV. After proofing and typing five novels, she knows that he writes the same story every time though he uses different settings. This time the setting is Italy. However, the ending is different as the American embassy in Rome calls Lucy to inform her that her employer is dead after falling down a well on property owned by the Cini family... Read Full Review