Review for "These Tangled Vines" by Julianne Maclean

These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm pretty generous with my stars... If a story can transport me in time & place, move me to tears, while entertaining and enrapturing me-- completely... it'll probably get 5 stars from me. This one? (It) tore my heart out in a beautiful setting & made me feel things this dead soul of mine hasn't felt in years... 5 stars, and here's the (spoiler-free) reason(s) why.

Plot: Believable? Sure, for those of us who are still waiting for our Hogwarts letter or a visit from Julie Andrews to find out our heritage is a bit more colorful than the muted grays we live in. NO MAGIC here, unless you count the majesty of a Tuscan Summer?

Characters: The story is told from 3 different POVs, one of them being in 1st person- that's Fiona (an MC). But the REAL main characters are Anton & Lilian. This is really their story, and as characters-- look, I JUST LOVE THEM, and my heart is so broken for them. I can't say more without gushing details & saying what I really think... and I don't want to spoil a beautiful, tragic, and bittersweet story.

The other characters, just like us, were there to just observe and vicariously live through these two individuals.

The Writing: No complaints on the writing. (It) was smooth and vivid & rich with details without ever feeling expositional; fully immersive & captivating.

In Case You Wanted to Know: I could FEEL the Tuscan sun. I could SMELL the fog and vines and cellars. I could TASTE the wine and the forbidden love. And worst of all-- I FELT the heartbreak and anger and tragic hopelessness experienced by the characters that I related to on a soul level. After reading/completing this novel, I had a rose-colored euphoric view of MY LIFE- however temporary- and I DO FEEL like maybe, just maybe, I might try & invite joy back into my life again... Maybe.

Because one thing is for sure... the message of living in the moment and celebrating each day was definitely not something that can be overlooked after this story that felt like an experience all to itself.

Overall: Yeah...I LOVED this book. I highly recommend (it) for a beautiful escape (however temporary) from normal, boring, hopeless living.

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