Breathe In The Italian Countryside With A New Adult Coming-Of-Age Story

Nov. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- DENVER, Colo. – Experience the breathtaking beauty of the Italian countryside through Gail Mencini’s debut novel “To Tuscany with Love” (January 2014, Capriole Group). Inspired by a family friend’s trip to Tuscany for a college reunion, Mencini introduces readers to eight very different students who meet while studying abroad during a life-changing summer semester. They reunite 30 years later only to discover lingering emotions, the need to address the fear of letting the past dictate the future, and the power of friendship.

“What entices me about college reunions, especially those that happen several years after graduation, is that I imagine people going through life with a suitcase,” Mencini says. “By the time a person is in ‘those middle years,’ their suitcase is full of successes, failures, secrets, regrets, and unfulfilled dreams. It is a fascinating time to bring people back together again.”

In this heartbreaking and humorous romp through central Italy, the author breathes life into the book’s pages with eloquent descriptions of cities and hillside towns as well as the region’s local wine and cuisine. Mencini personally visited the historical and cultural landmarks detailed in “To Tuscany with Love” in order to capture the flavor of the area with authenticity.

As a breast cancer survivor, Mencini writes the life-threatening disease into her novel in an effort to encourage other women to do a self-breast exam or get an annual screening mammogram. Mencini writes and cooks with her husband and family in Colorado. She is fascinated by all things Italy, especially the food and wine.