The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

February 17, 2020
In Spielman’s sparkling follow-up to Sweet Forgiveness, two second-born daughters hope to break a curse that has been in their family for generations. Twenty-nine-year-old Emelia Antonelli works in her grandmother’s Brooklyn bakery and is happily single, or so she tells herself. After her great aunt Poppy, also a second-born daughter, invites Emelia and her cousin Lucy to join her on an eight-day, all expenses paid trip to Italy, Poppy claims that on her upcoming 80th birthday she will meet the love of her life, Rico, on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral, breaking the Fontana Second Daughter Curse, which dooms all second-born daughters to a life without love, once and for all. Emelia isn’t sure she believes in the curse, but she’s ready for adventure, and soon she and Lucy (also a second-born daughter) are off to Tuscany. Emelia’s narrative intertwines with Poppy and Rico’s achingly romantic story, and the vibrant Poppy inspires Emelia and Lucy to open their hearts to the possibilities of love and a life fully lived. Spielman brings Tuscany to vivid life and offers more than a few surprises along the way. Fans of An Affair to Remember, Under the Tuscan Sun, and the like will be enthralled.