The Capri Girl by D Guy is a delightful book in The LaFollette Chronicles series that can be perfectly read as a standalone. Set in the twentieth century, it weaves the stories of different families of Italian and Irish immigrants who set up house in the USA. It mostly takes place between the small town of La Follette, Tennessee, and the suggestive island of Capri in South Italy.
J.P. White, born J.P. Bianchi, is the third generation of a hard-working, successful Italian family that first landed in New York in 1910. Born rich, he could live off his family’s money and never work a single day in his life. But at the age of sixteen he discovers he has a unique flair for songwriting that will turn him into the golden goose of the discographic industry. This talent will provide him with even more unnecessary money, a flock of women and a wounded heart when his love Teresa decides to settle down with a more pragmatic man, becoming food for a tear-jerking song.
In the aftermath of his heartbreak, J.P. decides to take a trip to his homeland, to the place that was the birthplace of his grandfather; the city of Castel Volturno in Italy. But a little vacation on the near island of Capri will change his life forever. A hurricane named Rosina enters his life, making him reconsider his existence, and ends up tearing his whole being to pieces. The outcome of those few days of whirlwind is the “Capri Suite” album which, not only brings him worldwide fame, but encapsulates all the dark secrets happened on the beautiful island, secrets that keep haunting him day and night and that lead him to the brink of suicide.
After Teresa makes a brief comeback just to break his heart again, J.P. is left with only one option: going back to Capri and retrace all those painful steps. But will he do it? And what could he find there to restore meaning to his life? To find out, you will have to read The Capri Girl until the end. I can only say, it will not disappoint you.
This book truly has everything you might want from a story: strong family bonds, school romance, stunning settings, a tragic love, deaths and do-overs, all held together by a patchwork of colorful characters you simply cannot not love.
The portrayal of the Italian-American families couldn’t get more accurate than that, and this comes from someone who happens to have an Italian-American family. The sexy moments, yup there are quite a few, are graphic enough to be enjoyable but not inconvenient. The pages are interspersed with lively dialogues, tearful events – both sad and happy, and some shocking events that will leave you breathless. One thing is sure, D Guy knows how to develop a story, entwine together so many different characters and keep you hooked till the very last word..
Only the need for a round of polishing prevents me for giving it a full rating. But aside from that, I truly recommend this book and grant it a respectable three out of four stars.
