*Review* Casalvento by Gudrun Cuillo

 

Genre:

Published: June 6, 2023

Pages: 313

Romance and family secrets intertwine in Tuscany.

Erika Germoglio is a self-made woman who has it all—a successful career and a well-connected fiancé—then suddenly has even more. An Italian grandfather she has never met wills to her Casalvento, a house and a vineyard, and Livernano, a medieval village turned bed-and-breakfast, both in the Chianti region of Tuscany.

When Erika travels to Italy to settle the affairs of her inheritance, she meets Paolo, Casalvento’s intelligent, compassionate, and strikingly handsome estate manager and wine maker. And she learns the inheritance comes with a catch—to keep or sell Casalvento and Livernano, she must live there and learn the business of the two estates for five months.

Should she uproot her New York life and embrace all Italy has to offer? And if she chooses Italy, which man will be by her side? Erika struggles with that question while fulfilling the stipulations of the will and trying to make sense of a series of letters left for her by her late grandfather, Craig’s unpredictable attitude when she calls home, and her own feelings whenever she sees Paolo.

Set in the real Casalvento (House of the Wind) of Radda and Livernano in Chianti Siena, Italy, debut author Gudrun Cuillo’s Casalvento will captivate your heart and make you wonder if not only in vino veritas, but also possibly in vino amore e felicità.

I received the audiobook version of this through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This story had a bit of an Under the Tuscan Sun feeling to it, likely because they're both set in Italy and while I logically know different regions of Italy operate differently, like California and Kansas are very different, emotionally it's all the same to me. It was really obvious to me that Craig wasn't the perfect fiance he was pretending to be, so I was thrilled that Erika was getting away from him for a while. 

That being said, I didn't feel particularly invested in the story after Erika arrived in Italy. I wasn't bored, but I also wasn't on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. But it would have been a nice easy beach read if I wasn't land locked in the mountains. 

The narration was acceptable. The diction was easy to understand and the opposite gendered voices didn't feel like caricatures. Overall I give Casalvento 3.1783 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Gudrun Cuillo spent her childhood in Leibnitz, Austria. As a young adult, with her instinctive artistic flair, she joined the opera as an artist-in-residence for stage scenery and makeup. That work eventually took Gudrun to New York to continue her education.

While enjoying traveling throughout the U.S., Gudrun came to Florida where she fell in love with a successful entrepreneur and Broadway producer, Robert Cuillo, who was also Italian American. They married and in the ensuing years they established Casalvento Winery in Radda, Chianti Siena, Italy, and restored Livernano, a nearby medieval village, to its original splendor.

Gudrun has had two career passions: winemaking, which has garnered numerous awards and much recognition for Casalvento Winery, and writing. In her debut novel, Gudrun combines her life experience with her gift for storytelling.

Gudrun spends her time between Austria, Italy, and Palm Beach, Florida.