Written by Jessica Budin
This book was not written for me; I understood this quickly whilst powering through the first third or so of Meet Me in Venice, which is award-winning writer Barbara Hannay’s latest release, an addition to her 40-plus compendium of Harlequin Mills & Boon escapades in the Australian outback.
The plot from this passion-pulp professional is a familiar one for fans of the genre; Daisy Benetto, a recently widowed house-wife living on the Gold Coast of Australia, feels the desire to visit Venice, her late husband’s city of birth, and invites her three adult children along for the ride. Hoping to incur a family reunion with a touch of family history, Daisy is unaware of the drama occurring behind the scenes.
Marc, the eldest son and an IT genius living the dream in Silicon Valley, is on the brink of divorce from his wife Bronte. Both decide to create a facade for their hostility, and accompany Daisy to Venice. Joining the crew is middle child Anna, an actress failing to kick-start her career in London, as well as youngest daughter Ellie, a high-school graduate bending under the pressure to pick a university course and start a career.
However, when a shocking secret from Daisy’s husband’s past is revealed, it threatens to not only disturb the peace of this Italian getaway, but fracture the Benetto family in more ways than one.
It’s disappointing to admit that somewhere amongst dense waves of exposition, there are the makings of a truly great family drama novel. You can espy glimpses of it; somewhere behind overly lengthy descriptions of architecture and “too good to be true” Italian vistas. It’s between the breaths of the characters’ disingenuous dialogue with one another, that not only inspires little admiration, but plays out lengthy tableaus where delighting in dropping Italian words into conversation and casually bashing millennials is the norm. We’ve all been on that family holiday, right?
Whilst it is an easy on the eyes read and mostly inoffensive, the real page-turner is bursting to be written. But alas there is goes, sadly waving with a frustrated huff on a passing gondola. All the puzzle pieces are there, but Hannay has placed them in somewhat baffling places.
More than two-thirds of Meet Me in Venice is dedicated to static exposition and describing what characters are wearing, so much so that when Hannay moves into what should feel like a family moment between the Benettos, or a moment of romantic tension between unhappy couple Marc and Bronte, the reader to character connection is lost from the get-go. I found myself not really caring about any of the characters, combined with moments of frustration at illogical decisions, mindless middle-class jabber, and poorly executed plot twists that could have been truly impactful had the book been more thoroughly doctored.
However what was truly a bothersome, recurring detail was the way in which Hannay describes Venice and its citizens. The vignettes she draws are romanticised and almost unreal, even at one point describing the locals from a singular point of view moment, as if they were animals being pitied behind the glass wall of a zoo. And frankly, this particular moment almost made me abandon ship.
The last third of Meet Me in Venice sadly feels rushed; the relationships and character developments that had taken a back seat for the majority of the novel are given their due middling paragraphs. The mystery is almost too cleanly explained away, all of which collides to an unsatisfying ending. Upon closing the book, I was sad to be feeling so deflated
Whilst it may not seem so from my verdict, I am not lying when I say that there is a really good book buried in here somewhere. Hannay lays seeds to the “mystery” undertowing the story cleverly, giving herself opportunities to pursue a bubbling, building mystery that could have had me flying through the pages towards the answer, along with a handful of moments where family tension and spats were momentarily gripping. Hannay never lets her characters genuinely express their feelings in action, but hand feeds us backstory through her third-person voice. The big family secret in this book is, sadly, under-cooked.
While this book isn’t for me, it may very well certainly be for lovers of the classic Harlequin section of their local bookstore. These romance romps are known for their simplicity and soap-drama formats, and frankly, there is nothing wrong with enjoying these types of novels.
If you enjoy international getaway dramas that linger on your ideal version of Italy, romantic gestures from men with knife sharp jawlines and baby-blue eyes, and heel-stomping character dynamics, then this might be the read for you.
Meet Me In Venice is available from Book Depository and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A year after her husband Leo’s death, widow Daisy invites her three adult children to join her for a holiday in beautiful Venice. It will be wonderful, her chicks under one roof again in their father’s birthplace. But is it possible to recapture the past?
Marc’s marriage is in jeopardy, but for his mother’s sake, he convinces his wife to keep up appearances. Anna’s trying to hide the truth about the dismal state of her London acting career; and Ellie, enjoying a gap year and uncertain about her future choices, wants to avoid family pressure to conform.
Despite the magic of Venice, family ties are tested to the limit, especially when a shocking secret from Leo’s past is revealed. Now everything they value about love, family, commitment and trust must be re-examined.
How can one family holiday require so much courage? Will Daisy’s sentimental journey make or break them?
From multi-award-winning author Barbara Hannay comes a moving and heartfelt family drama about difficult choices and finding happiness in the most unexpected places.
