One Italian Summer

Katy’s mom, Carol, dies shortly before their dream mother-daughter trip to Italy, turning her life upside down. With her marriage in trouble, Katy decides to take the trip to trace her mother’s footsteps at one of her favorite places on earth. While there, Katy ponders life and ends up meeting her 30-year-old mother in this magical realism tale. She gets the chance to get to know Carol before she was her mother as she travels around Positano. When not with her mother, Katy is swept away by a handsome American hotelier who ignites an unfamiliar passion in her. When these relationships reach a climax, what she learns about her life, mother, and marriage will alter Katy’s life forever. Despite not varying her voices drastically, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham does a beautiful job narrating Serle’s (In Five Years) book, capturing the highs and lows of Katy’s feelings. At times, listeners will need to attend carefully to know which character is speaking; this should not detract from the overall appreciation of this story.