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The Tuscan Child

Written by: Rhys Bowen
Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Katy Sobey
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Publisher's Summary

From New York Times best-selling author Rhys Bowen comes a haunting novel about a woman who braves her father's hidden past to discover his secrets....

In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal.

Nearly 30 years later, Hugo's estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father's funeral. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. In it is a startling revelation.

Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father's history - and maybe come to understand herself as well. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father's secrets now....

Cover design by Shasti O'Leary Soudant

©2018 Janet Quin-Harkin (Writing as Rhys Bowen) (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Tuscan Child

Average Customer Ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Refreshing Italian love story

I really enjoyed the descriptions of life in Italy and related to world war 2

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

So slow

I bought this book because it was $4.95. So glad I didn't waste a credit on it. This book takes so long to get to the point. Something interesting happens, and then we get to see what they are going to eat for dinner and how they cook it. I would have finished the book much sooner if it didn't keep stopping and talking about the 'veal chops in a rich wine sauce' while discussing a serious issue.

I enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes, but this book gets way off track when it goes on an on about food.

The narrators are decent. Maybe that is why I keep listening to this long winded book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You'll Want to go to Italy

This was a beautiful story about a young girl finding herself by way of finding her father. Joanna embarks on a journey from England to Italy to find out about her recently deceased father's past as an airman whose plane was downed in Tuscany. The narration alternates between Joanna's father, Hugo, and his experiences in 1944, and Joanna and her experiences in the 1970s. There's excellent mystery and intrigue, several riddles that need to be solved, and perfect love stories too. Kind of a book for everyone. And Bowen describes Italy - and especially the food - in such glorious detail you can almost feel the Tuscan sun on you. Very enjoyable book. #Audible1

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story!

Enjoyed this book very much. Would read again. Who doesn't love Tuscany and a love story with a mystery thrown in?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exceeded expectations

This was a new author for me and I wasn't sure about the purchase but ended up really enjoying the story and the readers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Even a bloke liked this

Good story,
Good detail ,even the food.
Good narration by male and female.
Well worth a listen

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good twist. I liked it very much

It is a great story i listened in one day. I did not want to out it down



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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It was ok

Female narrator drove me crazy! She was fine when she was speaking as a character. However, when she was not in character, and just telling the story I could stand the inflections in her voice. It was awful. Sorry to say, but many times I thought I wouldn’t fine the book because of this.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good premise but an underwhelming read

I listened to the audio format of this book that has been on my radar for a while. The story is set in dual time periods with two narrators - Hugo during WWII and his daughter Joanna in 1970's in the stunning hills of Tuscany.

Bowen describes the beautiful Tuscan location and adds scrumptious descriptions of the region's food. But the historical mystery fell flat for me. It lacked tension (we're in the middle of a war for one timeline!) and the story became more of a predictable romance with characters who were one-dimensional, and the story suffered from an anticlimactic ending. It had a good premise, but the story may have been better as a short story.

Overall, this book had a simplistic feel and didn't come close to my expectations. It wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't compelling either.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Italian story with suspense.

If you love Italy, handsome men, great food, a good story with twists and history this will not let you down. well performed too!

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1 person found this helpful