nadia qurban

The story is told on dual timelines as we read from both Lottie and Nina’s point of view. This is done really well and there’s no confusion when switching from one timeline to another. There are multiple themes running throughout the story including botany, religion and the political turmoil of post-war Italy. Having visited several Italian cities, including Rome, I have always been in awe of the beauty of the country, but I had little knowledge of the politics of the nation. It was interesting to see the connection and battles between politics and religion. The story is one of love, intrigue and danger and I enjoyed the female focus within the story. Both women were so brave and I loved the loyalty Lottie showed a woman she never even met. The plot was intricate and at times felt a little slow. There were interesting developments but no real shocks or twists to the story. I found myself wanting to know what happened to Nina but I felt slightly detached from her story. I didn’t feel emotionally connected to her until a development at the end of the story. I think this perhaps may be due to the detached style of some of Nina’s sections as she jotted down thoughts in her notebook. However it did have a satisfying ending with all loose ends tied up. It’s clearly a very well written and researched book but I didn’t love it as much as I would have liked.