The Florence Legacy by Lauraine Snelling

About the Book:

In this novel filled with friendship, grief, and travel gone awry, three friends take their dream trip to Florence, Italy in memory of a beloved woman who has passed away.

As the last will of a close friend is read, three women discover that they have inherited a legacy from her: the funds to take a dream trip to Florence, Italy, in her memory. With plenty of hilarious travel mishaps along the way, this book is a story of deep friendship, of making room in our lives to celebrate and remember, of grief, of the realization that friendship keeps the memory alive, and the sweet discovery of unexpected romance.

My Review:

This is a delightful novel for those who enjoy women's fiction. Snelling has combined the story of a widow and the relationship to her adult children with a journey in Italy. There are many interesting themes in the novel. One is figuring out how to help an adult child who just cannot seem to get her life together. Another is dealing with grief. Yet another is facing the possibility of mid-life romance. And there is the issue of dealing with PTSD.

The travel in Italy is a fun adventure. We journey along with Bree and her friends, seeing the sights, eating the luscious food, experiencing interesting people, going to a cooking class, and much more. Bree and her friends face some serious issues, however. The possible danger of traveling in a foreign country becomes a reality. Bree has to face some of her own fears as she contemplates a gondola ride. Spiritual lessons are learned in the process.

I liked this novel except I was a little surprised by the clogged toilet scene. I did feel the whole scene was unnecessary and rather inappropriate. Really, who wants to read about a feminine product stuck in a toilet and the discussion about it?

This is, in general, a delightful novel for women. It is a good story of women facing many issues and one man facing a clogged toilet among other things. Seriously, except for that one scene, this an uplifting and entertaining novel.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Lauraine Snelling has been writing since 1980, with over 65 books published, both fiction and non-fiction, historical and contemporary, for adults and young readers. She received a Career Achievement Award for inspirational fiction from RT Book Reviews and her books consistently appear on CBA bestseller lists. A hallmark of her style is writing about real issues within a compelling story. Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons and live in the Tehachapi Mountains in California with a Bassett Hound named Sir Winston.

FaithWords, 400 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)