Synopses & Reviews
The New York Times best-selling author Lisa McGuinness interweaves the stories of four generations of strong, vibrant women and has created characters both idiosyncratic and adventuresome. Born at the end of the Nineteenth Century and nestled in South Western Italy, Catarina Pensbenes life in Perdifumo is full of sun-drenched olive orchards, lush grape vines, delicious peasant food, family and love. Because of an unexpected plunge into an untenable situation, Catarina decides to take a huge risk to become a mail order bride and sets out across the ocean.
Interwoven with Catarinas Ring, is the story is of her witty and self-deprecating granddaughter, Juliette Brice. Born and raised in Northern California, Juliette experiences an unfortunate tragedy that serves as the impetus for her to shake up her life, and travel to her grandmothers homeland, where she enrolls in a six-month cooking class in Lucca, Italy. While abroad, Julliette becomes romantically involved with a handsome Italian man, yet her own destiny dictates she is to return to California once her class ends. Through her attention to detail and employing both historically accurate and thoroughly modern storytelling, Catarina's Ring serves up Italian delicacies, luminous characters, a delicious escape and completely inspiring storytelling.
Synopsis
Determined and strong, Catarina Pensebene becomes a mail-order bride and leaves Italy in 1914 in order to escape an untenable situation. Witty and self-deprecating, her granddaughter, Juliette Brice, lives in California in the present day and is struggling to fulfill her dream of opening her own cafe. Italian cooking school appears to make that dream possible but falling in love with her instructor makes homework a second priority. Both women trip over love, longing and delicious Italian delicacies along the way.
About the Author
Lisa McGuinness is the author of the
Caffeinated Ideas Journal as well as the co-author of several childrens books including the
New York Times bestseller
Bee and Me and
Baby Turtles Tale, both under the pen name Elle J. McGuinness. She is also the co-author of the
Dictionary of Extraordinary Ordinary Animals. She lives in Walnut Creek, CA.