Rome's Last Noble Palace by Kimberly Sullivan

TITLE INFORMATION

Rome’s Last Noble Palace

Kimberly Sullivan

398 pages

9798986884431, 12.6.2023

Overall Rating = 4.58

Storyline & Concept = 4.25

Writing & Delivery = 5

Editorial = 4.5

A young American woman, Isabelle Field, is sent to Italy in 1896 to live with her aunt who married into royalty. Isabelle’s mother wishes the same for her daughter. Yet Isabelle would prefer to pursue her dream of being a dress designer and to marry for love. More than a hundred years later, Sophie Nouri, a doctoral candidate specializing in Persian Art, travels from Vermont to Rome to work as an intern at a museum that was established in the Palazzo Brancaccio, Isabelle’s home and the site of an incident that changed the course of her life. Sophie is the only person to feel a connection to Isabelle and her suffering, as if fate had led her down that path.

This is a tale of two women, both restrained by their own fears and doubts, who connect across a century with the help of a spectral being. Although this novel covers three distinct timelines (the late 1800s, 2006, and 2018), they were all clearly identified and there was no confusion. In fact, it added a layer of suspense to wonder where each story was going and how they would join. The ending was brilliant. The author skillfully intertwined the storylines while maintaining an excellent pace throughout. The settings in both 1896 and modern-day Rome were well-described, as were the characters within those settings. I love that real-life individuals and settings were interspersed with fictional characters and events. This is a story of love, friendship, and strength, but it also covers topics that could be troubling for some. It would appeal to a wide audience that loves historical, paranormal, or women’s fiction.

Sublime Line: “An intriguing tale of two exceptional women, separated by a century, but connected by common relationships and traumas.”

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