The Villa
by Nora Roberts
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nora RobertsEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-03-26
ISBN: 0515132187
Number of pages: 496
Publisher: Jove
Book Reviews of The Villa
Book Review: An OK Read
Summary: 3 Stars
This was my first Nora Roberts and I found it to be an OK read. I did find that the editing and proofreading was surprisingly good for a writer that is so prolific and obviously writes for a popular audience.
The book is an interesting blend of romance, thriller, who done it, and murder mystery. I was a bit unsettled by the rather surprise ending. I felt like Ms. Roberts was spitting in the face of morality, but I dont want to spoil the plot. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I found one of the strengths in the novel to be in the character study of some very strong female characters. Although she spent some time developing her male characters, Ms. Roberts really concentrated on the women. Obviously, Ms. Roberts is pitching her writing toward the female audience.
There were 3 main women characters Tereza Giambelli, Pilar Giambelli Avano and Sophia Giambelli (really Avano). Tereza is the matriarch and is motivated by duty, family and tradition. She will do any thing to keep what she has worked all her life to build.
Pilar is Terezas daughter and came of age during the 60s and 70s, but she obviously was the good girl growing up and seems to be the meek and mild type. She is the most likeable and interesting of the three main women. During the book, she overcomes some of her insecurity, gets over a philandering husband of 30 years and finds new love with a good man.
I found Sophia a bit irritating. I meet her type in business everyday and I can assure you the type doesnt wear well in real life. She overconfident, a type A, totally independent, and I wouldnt want to work with her either. But Ms. Roberts does a credible job of dealing with the character trying to come to grips with the fact that maybe she just might need someone else in her life.
There are also several interesting secondary female characters. Theres a trophy wife of Tony Avano (Pilars ex) whos very easy to hate. Shes really a one dimensional gold digger type. Theres another vicious business woman who hates Sophia and tries very hard to ruin her. But the best of the secondary characters are Maddy, the teenage daughter of Pilars new love interest and Helen, a long time friend of Pilar.
Maddy is the daughter that everyone would like to have. She pushes the limits, by asking to pierce her nose, when what she really wants is a second set of piercing in her ears. She dresses in Goth, although shes really growing bored with that. Although she pushes the limits, she never crosses them. In addition shes incredibly smart and ambitious. I found myself hoping that she wouldnt follow Sophia and become that totally pain in the rear I am woman type female as she grew up.
Then there was Helen. I really wish more could have been done with her character. She was a good friend to Pilar and unlike Pilar I got the feeling she may not have been quite as good a girl growing up. She was obviously highly successful. She had a stable and happy marriage, a son, and a lawyer and judge. She played a little more earthy character to Pilars sophistication. She was goading Pilar on buying sexy underwear and jumping her new found love interest. Too bad she couldnt have been in the novel more from the beginning.
I have another Nora Roberts novel on my shelf. Ill probably read it, but Ill wait a little while.
My star ratings:
One star - couldn't finish the book
Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author
Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.
Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.
Five start - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.
Summary of The Villa
But things are about to change at Villa Giambelli. Tereza, the matriarch, has announced a merger with the MacMillan family's winery-- and Sophia will be assuming a new role. As a savvy businesswoman, she knows she must be prepared for anything . . . but she isn't prepared for Tyler MacMillan. They've been ordered to work together very closely, to facilitate the merger. Sophia must teach Ty the finer points of marketing-- and Ty, in turn, shows her how to get down and dirty, to use the sun, rain, and earth to coax the sweetest grapes from the vineyard.
As they toil together, both in and out of the fields, Sophia is torn between a powerful attraction and a professional rivalry. At the end of the season, the course of the company's future-- and the legacy of the villa-- may take an entirely new direction. And when acts of sabotage threaten both the family business and the family itself, Sophia's quest will be not only for dominance, but also for survival.
Set in beautiful Napa Valley, California, Nora Roberts's latest novel portrays a rich world of family-owned wineries, complete with enough romance, sophisticated business intrigue, betrayal, and murder to cow the Medicis of Florence. The Villa focuses on the merger of two prominent winemaking families, the Giambellis and MacMillans, and the incendiary combination of the two upcoming leaders of those dynasties, Sophia Giambelli and Tyler MacMillan. Tyler is the manager of the MacMillan vines and the distilling process, a job that suits his frank and no-frills personality. Creative and flashy, Sophia is head of Giambelli's public relations, and her job has been to put the best spin on whatever her family business produces--hard to do when the merger requires that she and Tyler switch jobs, and particularly hard to do when her own heart seems to spin out of control whenever they're together.
Soon after the merger goes through, Tyler and Sophia learn that they have bigger problems than their conflicting work styles. Tony Avano, a Giambelli executive and Sophia's father, is murdered, and threats surface against the Giambelli women. As a quiet woman, Sophia's mother, Pilar, has made few enemies, except for Tony's new wife, Rene. The matriarch of the family--known simply as La Signora--may have knocked some rivals aside as she clawed her way to the top, but few would have reason to threaten her now. When poison is discovered in Giambelli wine, Sophia and Tyler learn the killer is much closer than they thought.
In description, dialogue, and plot, Roberts's talent and control are as fine as ever. But while the relationship between Pilar and David, the new COO, feels complex and mature, Sophia and Tyler's romance can at times feel slightly forced. As Roberts explains repeatedly, Sophia approaches sex "as a man does," which apparently means with no strings attached. And while that does tend to take the "romance" out of the romance to some extent, the positive aspects to be found in The Villa outweigh this flaw, ensuring another hit for the talented and prolific Roberts. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien
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