Hotel Portofino

This book will likely become another hit period drama series for PBS in 2022, after its British launch last year, and it will be no surprise to anyone who listens to the audio version of this book. In 1920s Italy, Bella and Cecil Ainsworth have opened a hotel catering to other Brits who want to get away to the Italian coast but don’t want to give up their tea and social status. Before long, we learn the dark undercurrents of each of the guests and the tensions among the locals, the hotel staff and the visiting gentry. There are also rumblings of fascism within the town. The plot moves along at a sedate pace, as the cast is the main attraction of the book. The period evokes the style of Downton Abbey with the charm and warmth of the Italian coast. With so many characters, it takes a great voice actor to help listeners keep them straight. Esther Wane does just this with a delightful British accent as well as dialects that are appropriate for the characters.