A love that can’t be stopped.
A secret that can’t be kept.
Synopsis
The glamorous capital city of Italy is brought to startling life in The Rome Affair, a compelling summer novel by Karen Swan.
1974 and Elena Damiani lives a gilded life. Born to wealth and a noted beauty, no door is closed to her, no man can resist her. At twenty-six, she is already onto her third husband when she meets her love match. But he is the one man she can never have, and all the beauty and money in the world can’t change it.
2017 and Francesca Hackett is living la dolce vita in Rome, leading tourist groups around the Eternal City and forgetting the ghosts she left behind in London. When she finds a stolen designer handbag in her dustbin and returns it, she is brought into the orbit of her grand neighbour who lives across the piazza – famed socialite Viscontessa Elena dei Damiani Pignatelli della Mirandola. Though the purse is stolen, Elena greets the return of the bag with exultation for it contains an unopened letter written by her husband on his deathbed, twelve years earlier.
Mutually intrigued by each other, the two women agree to collaborate on a project, with Cesca interviewing Elena for her memoirs. As summer unfurls, Elena tells her sensational stories, leaving Cesca in her thrall. But when a priceless diamond ring found in an ancient tunnel below the city streets is ascribed to Elena, Cesca begins to suspect a shocking secret at the heart of Elena’s life.
MoMoBookDiary Review
I enjoyed this compulsive page-turner by the bestselling author Karen Swan.
The story is set in Rome and follows two timelines – Elena’s story is told in the past with Cesca’s story being present day. The author splits these times very well and is a very enjoyable book.
The characters become very real that you feel like you have lost a friend when you get to the end.
Recommended reading from Karen Swan!
- TITLE: The Rome Affair
- AUTHOR: Karen Swan
- PUBLISHER: Pan Macmillan
- PUBLICATION DATE: 13 July 2017
REVIEW PUBLISHED:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. She lives in the forest in Sussex, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs. Her books include Christmas at Tiffany’s, Summer at Tiffany’s, The Perfect Present, Christmas on Primrose Hill, Christmas Under the Stars and The Paris Secret.
MoMoBookDiary 
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