Review & Giveaway: City of Illusions by Judith Works

City of Illusions

by Judith Works

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BLURB:

A yearning for change puts Laura on the road to Rome but her marital problems, muted in cool Seattle, become magnified in the glare of the Roman sun. Will she find happiness in the Eternal City or are her dreams only an illusion?

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EXCERPT:

She recognized the inertia of their marriage had been roiled by the move to Italy, although it wasn’t in the manner she intended. Instead of coming closer, a centrifugal force had whirled them into seldom- intersecting elliptical orbits, hers energized, his wobbly. Whatever the difficulties of living in Rome were, she was becoming increasingly sure that she would find a more fulfilling life in Rome rather than Seattle. With or without Jake.

She turned back to her work, but the day passed slowly as she worried about him and her parents’ visit. As she expected, the evening wasn’t any better. Jake watched another inane spettacolo with bouncing babes on TV while they ate dinner. In an effort to appear as if married life was normal, after the dishes were done Laura said she was going to get ready for bed. Jake ignored the hint. She was washing her hands when she heard him come into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror to see his face hovering over her shoulder.

“It’s not what you think. I delivered stuff to a gallery for sale. We might even get a cut of the profits. It’s interesting to be a part of the action. I’ll be helping restore a few old artworks so others have a chance to enjoy them. Otherwise they would just rot in some moldy old church or castle. You should be proud of me instead of picking all the time.”

Laura tried a smile. Then she gave him the bad news. “Well, we’ve got a small problem: my mom and dad are coming in February for ten days. They expect the weather to be warm and that you will take them around the whole time.”

“Are you kidding? No way – I’m not a tour guide. What were you thinking to agree to this? We don’t have a car. And I’m busy. This is insane.”

He marched off to his spot in front of the television, leaving Laura holding the toothpaste, squeezed in the middle instead of from the bottom as she liked. She carefully rolled the tube, flattening the used portions.

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My review:

I enjoyed a lot to read this book: it is a strange and exciting feeling to see my city through the eyes of a foreigner, I had never happened. Dishes, utensils and many other things for us are obvious seem almost alien objects (such as mocha coffee).

Laura and Jack are a young couple from Seattle, she has a freelance job and he teaches. Laura, however, feel the need to change something: her marriage is in crisis, has almost thirty years and wants to try a new adventure. She reads so many fascinating things to people who have left America to live in a European city, is "infected" by the enthusiasm of their stories on blogs and decides to do an interview for a job in Italy and is taken. She will have to live and work in Rome for a year. She is euphoric, Jack is not at all excited but decides to take a year sabbatical and go with her. He'll use the time available to paint. But when they land their dream collides with the harsh realities of everyday life: the room of their hotel is not the best, don't know the language and it becomes difficult to order in a bar or a restaurant. Laura seattles in easily thanks to her colleagues but Jack seems to fade more and more into himself. The flight to Rome will help them to save their marriage?

It 's a story truly captivating, engaging, realistic, one sees that the author knows well the feelings and places that describes to have lived them firsthand.

One of the protagonists of this book is surely Rome with its wonders but also with its many flaws. It's a city a bit chaotic to live: there is so much traffic, bad roads,  buses always late, people a bit rude but then you take a nice walk on the Janiculum, where you can see the whole city, and you know how to do to love it so much.

If you want to come and live for some time in Rome or just fly here with the imagination is the book for you. 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Life was routine until the author decided to get a law degree. Then a chance meeting led her to run away to the Circus (Maximus) – actually to the United Nations office next door – where she worked as an attorney in the HR department and entered the world of expat life in Rome. The ten years of happy and sometimes fraught experiences are the subject of her memoir, Coins in the Fountain. She continues to travel, having visited over 100 countries in between many journeys to Italy where she always tosses a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure a return to Rome. Judith and her husband now live near Seattle where she is working on her second novel.

www.facebook.com/judithworksauthor

www.aLittleLightExercise.blogspot.com

www.judithworks.net

Twitter:  @judithworks

BOOK TRAILER: bit.ly/COIYouTubeTrailer  OR  http://youtu.be/8EsGi2sdVII

Previous Book/Memoir:

Coins in the Fountain

Background:

Judith has a BS in Psychology, M Public Administration, JD from Lewis & Clark School of Law.  She has spent most of her career in Human Resources administration.  Judith is a member of Northwest Women Writers, past President of Edmonds Friends of the Library, board member for Edmonds Center of the Arts, vice-president EPIC Group Writers, and a member of PNWA and Willamette Writers.

Links to purchase City of Illusions:

bit.ly/COI-Amazon

bit.ly/COI-BarnesN

Judith will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour

a Rafflecopter giveaway