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The Villa
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
When Tess Angel receives a solicitor's letter inviting her to claim her inheritance - the Villa Sirena, perched on a clifftop in Sicily - she is stunned. Her only link to the island is through her mother, Flavia, who left Sicily during World War II and cut all contact with her family.
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Critic reviews
"Beautifully written, warm and romantic... The perfect holiday read" (Rachel Hore, author of A Gathering Storm)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Villa
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-10-14
So happy when it was over...
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
Someone with more patience
Has The Villa put you off other books in this genre?
No
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
This book does have a great storyline but it is draged out. There are annoying repetitions 'slithering snakes' and the like and is very, very slow paced at many times. I did enjoy the story idea which is why I continued until the end but there was A LOT that could have been cut out!
14 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- SheilaZ
- 07-10-14
A Waste of Time and Money
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
If it were a different book all together.
What was most disappointing about Rosanna Ley’s story?
Too predictable.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Her male Italian voices were comical and very distracting.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
No
12 people found this helpful
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- H. Baker
- 15-05-17
Predictable
This book was okay, if a little predictable.narration was good. Not the best book but not awful.
4 people found this helpful
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- susn
- 14-09-15
lovely book.
This is the first book I've read/listened to by this author and I'll certainly be buying her again. loved everything about it.
4 people found this helpful
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- John
- 19-07-15
very good nice story for lazy atfternoons
very good nice story its a love story with hint of mystery
4 people found this helpful
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- EmmaYoung
- 24-03-16
Fabulous
I really enjoyed this, it is a great listen, you can really picture the characters and scenery.
3 people found this helpful
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- Marianne Buck
- 06-07-14
Fantastic Book
Where does The Villa rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The most fantastic book so far, I was completely hooked onto it, I kept coming back to it at every opportunity. Some work didn't get done because I wanted to listen to this book. Would recommend to anyone.
What did you like best about this story?
You didn't know what was going to happen next and also you felt like you were part of the story.
What does Anna Bentinck bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
She makes you feel like you are in the story itself.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When she found the villa for the first time.
Any additional comments?
Brilliant I am looking forward to hearing something else from this author.
7 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- tina
- 12-05-15
Enthralling
Gripping
Emotional
Light and dark
I enjoyed it all and got lost in the story of Sicily old and new
5 people found this helpful
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Performance
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Story
- Juliette
- 01-12-14
ok, but not brilliant
Would you try another book written by Rosanna Ley or narrated by Anna Bentinck?
no, not by the author-but the narrator was fine.
Would you be willing to try another book from Rosanna Ley? Why or why not?
no, slow moving and too predictable to keep me interested. Ok story but if it had been a paperback I doubt I would have continued it. I have forgotten the ending already!
What aspect of Anna Bentinck’s performance might you have changed?
the pace of the story, the depths of the characters
Could you see The Villa being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?
no, it wouldn't hold people's interest for long!
Any additional comments?
an ok listen, but wouldn't buy another from this author.
3 people found this helpful
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- Patricia
- 18-11-15
Holiday Read
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
If the author had researched and actually visited Sicily it would have made the story more realistic. O.k. so fiction is fiction, but let's at least be more accurate. Several times the mediterranean is referred to as an ocean, which it is not: Also I cannot believe that in a tiny seaside village in Sicily one could buy "serrano" ham which is Spanish. Italian hams come from San Daniele, Parma, Langhirano. A sicilian ham could be nebrodi.....?
What will your next listen be?
Ken Follett
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Narrator's voice was quite pleasant. The pronounciation of much of the Italian was awful. Dad in Italian is papà (accented) and pronounced papaaaa. Narrator's Papa sounded more like Papa or Pope. And many other Italian words too.
Any additional comments?
I was glad I managed to finish it, as I didn't think I would. It would be o.k. to read on holiday but is certainly not to be recommended
5 people found this helpful
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- alison
- 27-04-15
Ok for a light holiday read..
After having read the blurb about the book I was looking forward to the story, it seemed to have it all, romance, mystery, sun drenched Sicily. The reality was a bit disappointing though. I felt the story dragged on in places and led you in directions that weren't relevant. I especially couldn't connect witht the character Ginny, and thought the whole concept of the 'ball' could have been left out.
I found the narration a little irritating in parts, the Italian male voices were a bit like a bad pasta advert and were distracting.
That aside it wasn't a bad mix of romance and intrigue, with evokative descriptions of Sicily and it's food - it would make a pleasant holiday read - ideal when you don't wnt to have to think to hard.
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- Renette
- 23-11-14
Looked forward to the end
The story itself was interesting the way the plot unfolded, the female characters were engaging and the descriptions of Scicily made me feel like I was there. The reading of the male characters was annoying. Would have made a great dramatization.
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- Doug Wilkie
- 12-07-14
Great book to listen to.
What made the experience of listening to The Villa the most enjoyable?
I would love to have a villa some where like where this story takes place. A quiet little village by the sea.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
A good laugh and it was touching.