Hepburn’s Necklace

WOMEN'S LITERATURE: A 1950s movie starlet, Ruby Raines is very young to be in Italy alone. At seventeen, Ruby is rubbing elbows with Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and a handsome young man named Niccolo. On the set of her first movie, Roman Holiday, Ruby discovers the two parts of her destiny. One blooms, while the other is lost. Decades later, Ruby’s grand-niece, Ariana has had enough of her Hollywood boss, her callous fiancé, and her life in general. Unfortunately, she comes to these conclusions all at once while standing at the altar. If there’s one thing Ariana has inherited from the women in her family, it’s a very poor sense of timing. When Aunt Ruby decides to buy a villa in the Lake Como region of Italy, three generations of women are thrown into the wreckage of their poorly timed decisions. Will Italy offer them all a second chance?

Fans of “Under the Tuscan Sun” and “Letters to Juliet” will love this atmospheric, multi-generational tale of second chance romances. “Hepburn’s Necklace” is a sweeping story that switches seamlessly between 1952 and 2010. Captivating family drama plays out against an alternating backdrop of glamorous silver screen Hollywood and stunningly depicted Italian landscapes. Some readers may find the plethora of description slows the pacing, but others may savor the leisurely story-telling style. Jan Moran has created a charming heroine in Ruby Raines, and a delightful cast of secondary characters. The twists and revelations towards the end are well worth the wait. “Hepburn’s Necklace” is a thrilling tale with delicious settings, and characters that will live on in the readers’ hearts.

Starling Gray