The Girl from the Paradise Ballroom

February 15, 2016
The loyalties of a close-knit Italian family living in England are tested by the complicated feelings of two members for partners outside their circle and the increasingly tense atmosphere heralding World War II. Although the Trombetta clan has lived in London for more than 60 years, its allegiance to home--Lazio, Italy--runs deep, and as the story opens in 1937, several family members are espousing the nationalist policies developed by the country's leader, Mussolini. This unusual immigrant perspective lends originality to British novelist Love's U.S. debut, a period romance built on several layers of love stories. The eponymous girl from the ballroom is Olivia Johnson, whose path crosses that of promising singer Antonio Trombetta at the Paradise Ballroom at a crucial moment in the young woman's life. A dancer for hire, Olivia has escaped from a sad home through her talent for the tango, and Antonio is one of few who know what price she has paid. Although Antonio has a wife and baby son and Olivia makes an impressive surprise marriage to wealthy Bernard Rodway, the connection between the two outsiders is intensified by the difficulties of the ensuing years. And then war overtakes them, bringing "enemy aliens" status to Italians as well as Germans living in Britain. Love's research into the suffering of less-well-documented wartime figures and the messiness of the postwar period lends credible sadness to her narrative, underpinning both the central love story and other affairs of the heart. Dodging many predictabilities, the story reaches an appealing conclusion in 1947, with mature choices for its mingled Italian and British cast. In keeping with her name, Love delivers a satisfying romantic tale enhanced by its bittersweet aftertaste.

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March 15, 2016

In British author Love's lusciously told U.S. debut, Antonio Trombetta fills in one night as a singer at London's Paradise Ballroom and is immediately taken with the striking Olivia, who leads regulars in the tango. He's also shocked to discover a terrible secret she holds close and gratefully returns home to his pregnant wife, Danila, and his extended family, long residents of Britain but still very Italian in their ways. Upper-crust Bernard Rodway is also taken with Olivia--and rebelliously free-spirited enough to marry her, though his Uncle Dickie warns her that Bernard tends to run from enthusiasm to enthusiasm. One night, after an incident at a club where he is performing, Antonio helps Rodway home and meets Olivia again. He promises to keep her secret, though a relationship seems fated. So far, so good, but what makes Love's novel truly engrossing is the framework. The book opens in late 1930s London, with war in the offing and many members of Antonio's family supporting Mussolini; war itself brings the British internment of aliens during World War II, a story not well known here. Throughout, Love effectively examines the clash of class and nationality while offering a distinctive historical portrait. VERDICT Readers of love-touched historicals and those wanting to chew on big issues will both be satisfied.--Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

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