A Portrait of Emily Price

This book is so beautifully written. I found it very hard to stop reading as I was drawn so fully into the emotions of each of the characters. After reading the blurb I expected a light romantic story. This isn't. It is layer upon layer of a journey of Emily discovering who she is. The title is very apt. It is set in Atlanta, USA and a little village in Italy. The descriptions are beautiful, enabling you to picture the places and atmosphere. The words used paint a picture, literally and I found myself just wanting to sit and savour them. Art is a large part of the story and as I read it the richness of the words and language used touched my soul as a beautiful painting. It is a book that I will be rereading.

This is the kind of novel for which you clear the calendar. Even if you don't aspire to sit down and read the book from start to finish in one sitting, take care of any potential distractions before you open its pages so that you can give yourself over totally to basking in the imagery, the ambiance, and the emotions of the story for however long you are able to indulge at one time. From the moment they whisper the same Italian word - 'Aiuto' (help) - it is as though Ben's and Emily's souls recognize one another and connect. More than that, their hearts instinctively understand each other, and far from being cheesy or sappy or unrealistic, watching them totally melted my heart. But this novel is also realistic about the challenges they face as they begin their life together, and the way they handle those challenges is part of the beauty of this story. It's a richly layered novel, full of symbolism, beautiful subtext, and an exploration of the emotional significance behind Emily's professional and personal drive to fix things that are broken. But how do you find peace when things are beyond your ability to fix? Katherine Reay's writing captures the soul of Emily's journey with the skill of a master artist. It is heart-warming, tender, and poignant. Open its pages, and allow yourself to feast.