Review: Delightful thoughtful easy read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 29, 2011
Review of Finding Felicity by Monica Marlowe:Plot - Four StarsCharacterizations - Five StarsTechnical Execution - Five StarsSynopsis: A successful New York business woman is called to Italy by her nephew to be by her estranged sister's side because the sister is dying of cancer. While in Italy, she becomes entangled with a priest, a monk, a novice nun and an old beau from New York.The synopsis does not do this story justice. It is much more complicated than that, but to reveal more would spoil the story.Review: I am hardly the target reader for this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well written and moves smoothly. The jumps from one time period to the other are clear and easy to follow. The characters are well thought out and have more depth than I would have thought typical of this genre. I can recommend this book to anyone who likes a character driven story that addresses the timeless themes relating to finding one's place in life.I especially like the fact that while the underlying questions have a religious component and deal directly with faith and the role of the church in everyday life, this is not an "inspirational" work like some others I have read where in the end of the story everyone skips happily off to church and lives happily ever after. This story has a much more realistic view of the characters' religions and their connections to them.The ending is satisfying and ties up all the loose ends. In fact, this is my most serious complaint about the book. Two of the story arcs are tied up too neatly. I do not think they should be tied up at all, much less in the manner they get tied up.This is an easy read that will have you thinking long after you have finished the book.Bob Cherny