The Mermaid Garden

Marc Notes: A Touchstone book published by Simon & Schuster.; Includes a reading group guide.; Previously published in hardcover: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Review Quotes: "Epic in scope and emotion, but also brilliantly observant and truthful...surprising, moving, and skillful." --Elizabeth Buchan, author of "Separate Beds "Review Quotes: "Two stories, two generations, and two beautiful European locales are neatly gift-wrapped into one sumptuous tale of love, loss, and redemption. . . . Luxurious and romantic depictions of scenic Tuscany and the beautiful English coast." -- Publishers WeeklyReview Quotes: "An absorbing plot." -Kirkus ReviewsBiographical Note: Santa Montefiore's novels have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than three million copies in Europe. She studied Spanish and Italian at Exeter University. She lives in London with her husband, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, and their two children. Visit her website at SantaMontefioreAuthor.com. Review Quotes: "Santa Montefiore is a superb storyteller.... Her plots are sensual, sensitive and complex: her characters are unforgettable life forces: her love stories are desperate yet uplifting . One laughs as much as one cries." --Plum Sykes, author of "The Debutante Divorcee"Review Quotes: "Montefiore is a grand storyteller. Her near-lyrical descriptive prose is appealing on its own; the plot is involving on multiple levels, crossing several genres; and her characters step well beyond formula. All in all, a fine way for American readers to get to know the Montefiore name, which will very soon be cropping up in the same sentences as the name Maeve Binchy."" --Booklist, "starred review"Review Quotes: "Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades." --"Booklist"""Review Quotes: ""The Mermaid Garden" has it all: secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fueled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales- evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder, you will not be able to put this novel down. Unforgettable!" --Adriana Trigiani, author of "Brava, Valentine"Review Quotes: "Montefiore has written another lovely fairy tale for grown-ups. . . . Fans of women's fiction will be moved by the characters and eager to find out what happens to them. Lush descriptions of gardens in Tuscany and Devon add to the novel's charm." --"Library Journal"Review Quotes: "Montefiore is a grand storyteller." -- Emily Melton, "Booklist"Review Quotes: "Montefiore is a grand storyteller." -- Emily Melton, "Booklist"Publisher Marketing: Previously published as "The Mermaid Garden" The internationally bestselling author of "The French Gardener" presents a complex and irresistibly compelling novel that confirms the remarkable power of love to heal and transform. Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa that overlooks the sea just outside her small village. She likes to spy from the crumbling wall into the gardens and imagine that one day she'll escape her meager existence and live there surrounded by its otherworldly splendor. Then one day Dante, the son of the villa's powerful industrialist owner, invites her inside and shows her the enchanting Mermaid Garden. From that moment, Floriana knows that the only destiny for her is there, in that garden, with Dante. But as they grow up and fall in love, their romance causes a crisis, jeopardizing the very thing they hold most dear. Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times after the financial crash of 2008. Its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. The man she hires is charismatic and wise and soon begins to pacify the discord in her family and transform the fortunes of the hotel. However, he has his own agenda. Is it to destroy, to seduce, or to heal? Whatever his intentions, he is certain to change Marina's life forever. Spanning four decades and sweeping from the Italian countryside to the English coast, this new story by Santa Montefiore is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness, and the past revealed. Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 03/21/2011 (EAN 9781451624304, Hardcover) Booklist 04/01/2011 pg. 26 (EAN 9781451624304, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2011 (EAN 9781451624304, Hardcover) Library Journal 04/15/2011 pg. 85 (EAN 9781451624304, Hardcover) Romantic Times 05/01/2011 pg. 63 (EAN 9781451624304, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Montefiore, Santa Born in England in 1970, Santa Montefiore grew up in Hampshire. She is married to historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. They live with their two children, Lily and Sasha, in London. Visit her at www.santamontefiore.co.uk.