The Villa
The Villa was inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein.
Synopsis: As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.
Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.
As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.
Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.
What appealed to you in this story?
I really loved the premise and idea of staying at a “murder house.”
“It’s not like anything I’ve ever written before, but there’s something there, I’m sure of it…I seemed excited about writing again.”
The above quote was taken from the story, and I’m wondering if it pertains to Hawkin’s herself in any way. I feel like this book was a departure from her previous works and she was possibly working her way through a writer’s block.
How many storylines are in this story?
The Villa has three storylines: Mari’s point of view from the past, Emily’s from the present day, and Mari’s manuscript from her book she wrote while staying at the villa in the 70s.
Was this a thriller?
I did not find that this story had any thrills or suspense. Instead, it was a gothic noir style story. The plot, characters, pacing and lack of suspense and twists didn’t really hold my interest, especially since nothing of much interest happened. To me it felt like the book had a lot of filler, and I was just following along as everyone went through the motions.
How was the pace?
This was a slow burn gothic noir style story. I’m thinking that the audiobook may be the way to go for this one, because adding voice to the story may bring it more to life and increase the pace and impact of the story. Plus, Julia Whelan is one of the narrators and she is phenomenal.
Do you recommend this book?
Overall, I think this will come down to the individual reader. As for me, this was a decent read and pretty predictable for the most part. Possibly worth reading, but not remarkable.
I read this with Kaley, and we both had our opinions and were surprised that this was a direction Hawkin’s decided to take.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this gifted ebook in exchange for my honest review.
