Four Hundred and Forty Steps to the Sea

In a passionate ode to love stories and the magic found in a small Italian village, Alexander (Under a Sardinian Sky) elevates a simple romance, imbuing the epic narrative with the wonders of self-discovery. Framed as a story spanning Santina Guida’s life, the plot opens with her end-of-life musings, then returns to her youth in post-WWII Italy. After her mother dies, her father sends her away from Amalfi, her mountain home, to the coastal village of Positano. She leaps at the chance to take a housekeeping job in England, but her second employers there, Henry and Adeline Crabtree, decide to move to Positano after the birth of their daughter, and Santina returns to Italy with them, stepping into the roles of caregiver, teacher, mother, and student. Adeline’s mental illness increases following the birth of her daughter; meanwhile, Henry’s determination to teach Santina about literature brings them very close together, and Santina begins to fall for him. Family secrets and a transportive Italian setting keep the reader thoroughly immersed, making for a satisfying story of one woman’s coming-of-age. (Sept.)