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The Tuscan Contessa

Author : Dinah Jefferies

Publisher : Penguin UK

Page : 354 pages

File Size : 16,69 MB

Release : 2020-07-16

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0241987326

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Book Description

ONE WAR. TWO WOMEN. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO SAVE THE ONES THEY LOVE? A sweeping new novel from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife In 1943, Contessa Sofia de' Corsi's peaceful Tuscan villa among the olive groves is upturned by the sudden arrival of German soldiers. Desperate to fight back, she agrees to shelter a wounded British radio engineer in her home, keeping him hidden from her husband Lorenzo - knowing that she is putting all of their lives at risk. When Maxine, an Italian-American working for the resistance, arrives on Sofia's doorstep, the pair forge an uneasy alliance. Feisty, independent Maxine promised herself never to fall in love. But when she meets a handsome partisan named Marco, she realizes it's a promise she can't keep... Before long, the two women find themselves entangled in a dangerous game with the Nazis. Will they be discovered? And will they both be able to save the ones they love? 'Dinah Jefferies has a remarkable gift for conjuring up another time and place with lush descriptions, full of power and intensity' Kate Furnivall 'A stunning story of love and loyalty in wartime' Rachel Hore 'Beautiful writing, wonderful characters, gripping story, and such a gorgeously evoked Tuscan setting - how I loved this! Such a perfect, immersive summer read!' Jenny Ashcroft 'A lush, fast-moving, gripping story that will keep you guessing till the last pages. A perfect summer read' Gill Paul 'It's so rich & the historical details so transporting. Reading this novel is like being swept into a wonderful movie' Eve Chase





Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Author : Ina Garten

Publisher : Clarkson Potter

Page : 630 pages

File Size : 28,84 MB

Release : 2012-10-30

Category : Cooking

ISBN : 0307885496

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Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The essential Ina Garten cookbook, focusing on the techniques behind her elegant food and easy entertaining style, and offering nearly a hundred brand-new recipes that will become trusted favorites Ina Garten’s bestselling cookbooks have consistently provided accessible, subtly sophisticated recipes ranging from French classics made easy to delicious, simple home cooking. In Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Ina truly breaks down her ideas on flavor, examining the ingredients and techniques that are the foundation of her easy, refined style. Here Ina covers the essentials, from ten ways to boost the flavors of your ingredients to ten things not to serve at a party, as well as professional tips that make successful baking, cooking, and entertaining a breeze. The recipes—crowd-pleasers like Lobster Corn Chowder, Tuscan Lemon Chicken, and Easy Sticky Buns—demonstrate Ina’s talent for transforming fresh, easy-to-find ingredients into elegant meals you can make without stress. For longtime fans, Ina delivers new insights into her simple techniques; for newcomers she provides a thorough master class on the basics of Barefoot Contessa cooking plus a Q&A section with answers to the questions people ask her all the time. With full-color photographs and invaluable cooking tips, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics is an essential addition to the cherished library of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.



Daughters of War (The Daughters of War, Book 1)

Author : Dinah Jefferies

Publisher : HarperCollins

Page : 464 pages

File Size : 29,42 MB

Release : 2021-09-16

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0008479429

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Book Description

A new sweeping historical novel of World War II from the international bestselling author of The Tea Planter’s Wife



The American Contessa

Author : H. Van Vechten Margaret H. Van Vechten

Publisher : iUniverse

Page : 166 pages

File Size : 23,83 MB

Release : 2009-11

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 1440144362

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Book Description

In 1959, thirty-five-year-old Peggy was swept away into another time and country. After the unexpected death of her husband, Peggy sought a new backdrop and moved with her four-year-old twin sons, Craig and Mark, and eleven-year-old daughter, Barbara, to Florence, Italy. It was a nine-day voyage that changed her life and ultimately rooted her family in two countries. The American Contessa narrates the adventure of this middle-class American widow who traveled to Italy intending to stay for one year, yet remained there for twenty. This memoir tells about the struggles of adopting a new language and learning about centuries-old traditions and mores that she both admired and misunderstood. Her story chronicles her marriage to Conte Giorgio Magherini, a member of the Italian-landed aristocracy, and of the family's sojourns through numerous Tuscan villas before coming to rest at Norcenni, Giorgio's ancestral home. With photos included, this memoir captures the enchantment of Italy through the eyes of Peggy's family and provides an engaging and insightful look into the world of an American contessa.



The Tea Planter's Wife

Author : Dinah Jefferies

Publisher : Crown

Page : 453 pages

File Size : 23,79 MB

Release : 2016-09-13

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0451495993

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Book Description

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • 1920s Ceylon: A young Englishwoman marries a charming tea plantation owner and widower, only to discover he's keeping terrible secrets about his past, including what happened to his first wife, that lead to devastating consequences In this lush, atmospheric page-turner, nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper has married Laurence, the seductively mysterious owner of a vast tea empire in colonial Ceylon, after a whirlwind romance in London. When she joins him at his faraway tea plantation, she’s filled with hope for their life together, eager to take on the role of mistress of the house, learn the tea business, and start a family. But life in Ceylon is not what Gwen expected. The plantation workers are resentful, the neighbors and her new sister-in-law treacherous. Gwen finds herself drawn to a local Sinhalese man of questionable intentions and worries about her new husband’s connection to a brash American businesswoman. But most troubling are the unanswered questions surrounding Laurence’s first marriage. Why won’t anyone discuss the fate of his first wife? Who’s buried in the unmarked grave in the forest? As the darkness of her husband’s past emerges, Gwen is forced to make a devastating choice, one that could destroy their future and Gwen’s chance at happiness.



Before the Rains

Author : Dinah Jefferies

Publisher : Penguin UK

Page : 375 pages

File Size : 31,12 MB

Release : 2017-02-23

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0241978823

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Book Description

A romantic, heart-wrenching tale of love against the odds from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author 1930, Rajputana, India. Since her husband's death, 28-year-old photojournalist Eliza's only companion has been her camera. When the British Government send her to an Indian princely state to photograph the royal family, she's determined to make a name for herself. But when Eliza arrives at the palace she meets Jay, the Prince's handsome, brooding brother. While Eliza awakens Jay to the poverty of his people, he awakens her to the injustices of British rule. Soon Jay and Eliza find they have more in common than they think. But their families - and society - think otherwise. Eventually they will have to make a choice between doing what's expected, or following their hearts. . .



Tuscan Countess

Author : Michele K. Spike

Publisher : Abrams

Page : 469 pages

File Size : 18,41 MB

Release : 2012-02-01

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 0865652813

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Book Description

“[This] marvelous biography peels back layer upon layer of previous myth to render a startling new portrait of the countess. . . . Absorbing.” —Publishers Weekly Tuscan Countess is a fast-paced and colorful exploration of the life of Matilda of Canossa (c. 1046–1115), a woman who loved a pope and was loved by him, successfully defied the Holy Roman Emperor, and changed the map of Europe. Matilda of Canossa, the “Great Countess,” was a remarkable woman. Her personal power was so extraordinary that even centuries after her death she became the first woman to be interred in St. Peter's Basilica. She is best remembered for her role in the conflict between the papacy and the Holy Roman emperor, the climax of which took place at her castle of Canossa. This unique biography is also a journal of the author's travels through contemporary Tuscany as she explores the palaces where Matilda held court, the blood-stained plains on which her soldiers battled, the churches and cathedrals she endowed, and the fortified aeries where she sought refuge. Readers will be swept along on this engrossing journey retracing the steps of a courageous and brilliant woman.



The Missing Sister

Author : Dinah Jefferies

Publisher : Penguin UK

Page : 400 pages

File Size : 33,65 MB

Release : 2019-04-04

Category : Fiction

ISBN : 0241985447

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Book Description

The sweeping new novel from the best-selling author of The Tea Planter's Wife, set in 1930s Burma Belle Hatton is a beautiful young girl living in Gloucestershire, who's never been further East than Paris. But when her father dies, she finds a mysterious newspaper clipping from Burma, 1911 buried among his belongings - a clipping that says the Hattons were leaving Rangoon after the disappearance of their baby daughter, Elvira. How could her parents have kept this from her for so long? Was her sister really dead? And could there be a chance that Belle might find her? Before she knows it Belle is boarding a ship to Rangoon, alone, with no idea what she will find when she gets there...



Under the Tuscan Sun

Author : Frances Mayes

Publisher : Crown

Page : 321 pages

File Size : 31,21 MB

Release : 2003-08-26

Category : Biography & Autobiography

ISBN : 0767917456

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Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The beloved memoir of self-discovery set against the spectacular Tuscan countryside that inspired the major motion picture starring Diane Lane—now in a twentieth-anniversary edition featuring a new afterword “This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.”—USA Today For more Frances Mayes, including a tour of her now iconic Cortona home, Bramasole, watch PBS’s Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special! More than twenty years ago, Frances Mayes—widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer—introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole. Under the Tuscan Sun inspired generations to embark on their own journeys—whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’s signature evocative, sensory language. Now with a new afterword from Frances Mayes, the twentieth-anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun revisits the book’s most popular characters.