Winner of the People's Book Prize for Fiction 2012! In this compelling drama of love, loss and reconciliation, the tragic death of their child precipitates. Olivia and art restorer Paul into the unfamiliar world of a Tuscan hill town. Searching for an emotional refuge, they restore a derelict farmhouse with the help of the enigmatic stonemason, Gianni. Within the vividly contrasting settings of suburban Surrey and a remote valley in Tuscany, Olivia becomes involved in complex, sometimes comic, relationships across generations.
Valerie Thornhill, in this finely-written and unusual book, draws on her intimate experience of Italy to create a gripping story that deepens our understanding of the way we adapt and restore our environment, as well as ourselves, in response to the unexpected turns of fate. ( )

True, on the surface the story appears to be a middle-class domestic chronicle that most of us can empathise with. The central character and narrator is Olivia, a schoolteacher from Guildford who is following a run-of-the-mill career path while coping with her private tragedies and tensions. Those around her are equally familiar characters: university friends pursuing their chosen careers; her mother and grandparents with whom she lives; her young son Tim and her partner, Paul, an art restorer.

In Restoration is a wonderfully satisfying book to read, not least for the rich evocation of Tuscan life and its environment. But it is also a book that offers a profound reflection upon the importance of history, not just in order to understand major events or works of art, but to understand ourselves.

For more details about the book, visit site http://www.in-restoration.com/ ( )