Review: Strong writing, exceptional plot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 4, 2011
The intelligent, intriguing plot of Family Deceptions immediately grabbed my attention--and my heart--and kept me reading from the first page to the last. Loretta Giacoletto's memorable  characters instantly came to life as Pietro Rocca--shamed and banished by his wife, Isabella, from their home in the Alpine village of Faiallo, in northern Italy--crossed the ocean, changed his name, and created another life in America with a new family, while secretly longing for the wife and children he left behind.Peppered throughout with bits of Italian language, historical reminders of  a great war in Europe lend authenticity to the narrative. The novel is both gritty and tender by turns, the author's knowledge of Italy and America richly portrayed in the settings of both countries. This well-crafted tale of a family divided for twenty-nine years by a deep chasm of deception--and love--becomes the saga of two families of equal importance and comes properly together in a surprising ending. This is a story that remains in the mind and heart long after the last page is turned. Highly recommended.