This month’s pick of the month from Andrea Peskind-Katz from GREAT THOUGHTS, GREAT READERS is The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza.
Skip directly to the ENTRY FORM for the Book Giveaway.
What is The Sicilian Inheritance About?
From award-winning journalist and best selling author Jo Piazza comes a captivating novel rooted in the author’s own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect.
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after her business and marriage failed. On top of that, her life is crumbling around her when her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, and Sara is bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it – she was murdered.
A twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina – a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Serafina was “just a woman, just a mother” but she wanted more for her life and found a way to get it. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger. And as Sara discovers more about Serafina, she also realizes she faces the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother.
My Review of The Sicilian Inheritance
The Sicilian Inheritance is a page-turning delight. Written with a dual timeline and from two points of view, this novel is a fictional account of the author’s own family history. The Sicilian setting, described in wonderful detail, will make you long to visit. It is a multigenerational mystery with family secrets and an ode to the bold heroism of everyday women.
Piazza wrote a truly fun and engaging book full of strong women, mystery, adventure, history, and even a little romance. I loved the way the story moved between the two women, Sara and Serafina. Both held hidden strengths and great power without always realizing it. There seemed to be a strong connection between them through the generations, though they faced different obstacles.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and found it hard to put down!
I received a copy of The Sicilian Inheritance from Penguin Random House, LLC in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author: Jo Piazza
Jo Piazza is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and critically acclaimed podcast creator. Her books have been published in ten languages and twelve countries. Many of her projects are currently in development for film and television. Jo’s podcasts have garnered more than twenty-five million downloads and regularly top podcast charts. Her journalism has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Marie Claire, Time, and numerous other outlets. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and three feral children.
Other Books by Jo Piazza
Jo Piazza is the prolific author of thirteen books, including both fiction and non-fiction. Below are some of her most popular titles.
We Are Not Like Them (co-authored with Christine Pride)
We Are Not Like Them, a Good Morning America Book Club pick, is a suspenseful thriller about two seemingly perfect families whose lives become intertwined in a dark secret.
The Knockoff
The Knockoff is a witty novel that follows the story of Emmy, a fashion blogger whose world is turned topsy-turvy when she discovers a new store online that seems to be copying her life and style.
Fitness Junkie
Following the story of a woman who becomes dangerously addicted to working out, this captivating novel explores the world of obsessive exercise and diet culture,
Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win
How to Be Married: What I Learned from Real Women on Five Continents About Building a Happy Marriage
Exploring the secrets of successful marriages from around the world, this non-fiction book offers advice for couples of all backgrounds.
If Nuns Ruled the World: Ten Sisters on a Mission
This thought-provoking and entertaining novel imagines a world led by nuns who are determined to fix everything that’s wrong with society.
About Andrea Peskind Katz from Great Thoughts, Great Readers
Andrea Peskind Katz runs Great Thoughts, Great Readers, a Book Salon presented via her private FB group where approximately 5,000 prolific readers and authors interact. To quote Robert Frost, she created her “second act” career to “unite my avocation and my vocation”. After 20 years in high-pressure sales, Andrea retired to spend time doing what she loves best: hanging with her family and reading good books.