JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Edoardo Ballerini’s appealing voice and flawless Italian pronunciation make Lynch’s entertaining first novel a likely hit. It is 1956, and American newlyweds Michael and Scottie arrive in Siena—ostensibly for Michael’s new job as a Ford tractor salesman. But Michael is, in fact, a CIA operative tasked with ensuring that communists are defeated in local elections. A colorful array of eccentrics populates the story: the superstitious crone, the crooked politician, and a spunky adolescent named Robertino, who knows everyone’s business. When Robertino, Scottie’s ersatz Italian teacher, suddenly goes missing, Scottie decides to investigate, starting a dangerous chain of events that leads to a surprising conclusion. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
11/20/2017
In Lynch’s perceptive debut, set in 1956, Michael and Scottie Messina are a glamorous young American couple who have arrived in Siena, Italy, where the former is to open a Ford tractor agency. But this is just a cover story; unknown to Scottie, Michael is a CIA agent charged with ensuring that the city’s next mayor will not be a Communist. Michael and Scottie also have other secrets: Michael is a closeted gay man who has come to Italy to be with Duncan, his lover from Yale, who has something he is hiding from Michael. And Scottie is pregnant and has yet to get up the nerve to tell her husband, for reasons that include yet another secret. Michael is soon involved in espionage capers, while Scottie becomes embroiled in the search for a missing local youth she befriended. The secrets come out just as Ambassador Clare Booth Luce arrives in Siena for a visit. The story plays like a confectionary Hollywood romance with some deeper notes reminiscent of John le Carré and Henry James. Scottie is a resilient main character who might have been played by Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn in a 1950s movie adaptation of this entertainingly subversive take on that seemingly innocent period. Agent: Claudia Cross, Folio Literary Management. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
A Sonoma Index-Tribune Bestseller
"An intriguing and compelling spy story where love, mystery, romance and history intertwine." —Antonia
"About an American couple who moves to Sienna in the 1950’s. Seeing the "antiquated" culture of postwar/cold war Italy through the eyes of Americans, obsessed with modern convenience and progress, sort of mirrors my Italy to America transition in a fun way—plus there are spies! Affairs! and lot of food!!" —Giada De Laurentiis
“I’ve always wanted to take a trip to Italy in the 1950’s and The Italian Party is my ticket. Like the best Italian paintings, this smart and funny book deftly combines the light and the dark. Christina Lynch’s prose pairs well with any hearty Tuscan red.” —Conan O'Brien
"Deeply funny." —The New York Times Book Review Podcast
"Extraordinarily entertaining and captivating [...] a light and fun read." —The Washington Bookreview
"In The Italian Party, Christina Lynch delivers a sweltering thriller set against the backdrop of what is probably your dream getaway destination: Tuscany." —Bustle
"It is the 1950s, and young American newlyweds Scottie and Michael have moved to Italy and are ready to explore the Tuscan countryside, living the expat dream. But nothing goes quite as expected, either with their marriage, their financial situation or the locals in their new town. Pasta and dark secrets abound." —The New York Post
"Charming fun from cover to cover." —HelloGiggles
"Intriguing and compelling." —Women's Wear Daily
"Perfect for anyone who has dreamed of escaping life to live abroad, and addresses how the political can influence the personal in ways we might never expect." —Real Simple
"Christina Lynch sets up the perfect 1950’s expat novel for the 21st century reader, a story that reads like it was made in the golden days of Cinecittá, where apparent post-war optimism was mixed with the real strain of poverty, injustice and desperation." —BlogCritics
"The novel, set during the Cold War in Siena, Italy, combines history, romance and a dash of spycraft." —Visalia Times Delta
"This novel is dashing, fun, sexy and witty—a fun read on multiple levels." —Historical Novel Society Magazine
"Set in Siena in 1956, this debut novel is a spy thriller, comedy of manners, and valentine to Italy, spiked with forbidden sex and political skulduggery...The ending is unexpected, with the author displaying a sophisticated, nuanced view of love and marriage that feels very modern. Or maybe it's just Italian." —Kirkus Reviews
"[Lynch's] affection for and knowledge of the Italian people and way of living are evident: her food descriptions in particular are droolworthy. Readers will be rooting for Michael and Scottie through the story’s many adventures and intrigue, while political and social commentary add an extra layer of depth." —Booklist
"The story plays like a confectionary Hollywood romance with some deeper notes reminiscent of John le Carré and Henry James. Scottie is a resilient main character who might have been played by Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn in a 1950s movie adaptation of this entertainingly subversive take on that seemingly innocent period." —Publisher's Weekly
"In her gracefully written debut, as effervescent as spumante, Lynch dramatizes the allure and power of secrets - in politics and in marriage - while depicting with sly humor the collision between the American do-gooder naïveté and Italian culture. Italophiles and anyone interested in spying and the expat experience will love the spot-on social commentary." —Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Enjoyable, stylish." —Pat Saperstein, Variety
"Christina Lynch has accomplished a rare American literary feat with this captivating novel whose keen political edge and historical resonance feel very timely. Her grasp of mid-century Cold War culture, of sexual identity, the world of personal secrecy and intimacy, trust and betrayal, naive patriotism and profound national identity, are swirled into a page-turner that is both a genuine romance and a thoughtful spy story." —Patricia Hampl, author of The Florist's Daughter
"Tremendous fun! Wives with big secrets, husbands with bigger ones, swirling around a 1950s Siena teeming with seduction and spycraft." —Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Travelers and The Expats
"Imagine Beautiful Ruins plus horses; Toujours Provence with spies, a mystery and sex. The Italian Party is a fizzy, page-turning delight that begs for a Campari and soda!" —Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me
"Christina Lynch’s hapless American newly-weds give us plenty to worry about as they dig their way into the dark heart of Italy (1956) and into the even darker heart of the CIA. They give us plenty to laugh about, too, in this volatile mixture of old-world charm and cold-war politics." —Bob Hellenga, author of The Fall of a Sparrow
Library Journal
★ 11/01/2017
In 1956, with Cold War hysteria in the air, newlyweds Michael and Scottie Messina arrive in Siena, Italy. Michael has been recruited by the CIA to stop the Communists from winning the mayor's race. Scottie just wants to be a good wife, without knowing exactly what that means. As a result of Michael's suspect sexuality (it was illegal at the time for gay individuals to work for the U.S. government) and a pregnant Scottie's attraction to other men, their carefree life turns first confusing and then dangerous. As Michael bumbles into dirty tricks, false-flag operations, and the caching of weapons, all in an attempt to impress both his gay handler and Clare Boothe Luce, the U.S. ambassador to Italy, Scottie is ensnared by flirtatious lovers, the Palio (Siena's famous horse race), and her husband's spying. Will the secrets the two innocents abroad fail to reveal to each other destroy not only their marriage but the lives of others as well? VERDICT In her gracefully written debut, as effervescent as spumante, Lynch dramatizes the allure and power of secrets—in politics and marriage—while depicting with sly humor the collision between American do-gooder naïveté and Italian culture. Italophiles and anyone interested in spying and the expat experience (think Chris Pavone's The Expats) will love the spot-on social commentary.—Ron Terpening, formerly of Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
JUNE 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Edoardo Ballerini’s appealing voice and flawless Italian pronunciation make Lynch’s entertaining first novel a likely hit. It is 1956, and American newlyweds Michael and Scottie arrive in Siena—ostensibly for Michael’s new job as a Ford tractor salesman. But Michael is, in fact, a CIA operative tasked with ensuring that communists are defeated in local elections. A colorful array of eccentrics populates the story: the superstitious crone, the crooked politician, and a spunky adolescent named Robertino, who knows everyone’s business. When Robertino, Scottie’s ersatz Italian teacher, suddenly goes missing, Scottie decides to investigate, starting a dangerous chain of events that leads to a surprising conclusion. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-01-23
Set in Siena in 1956, this debut novel is a spy thriller, comedy of manners, and valentine to Italy, spiked with forbidden sex and political skulduggery.Eleven years after the end of World War II, young American newlyweds Scottie and Michael Messina arrive in Siena burdened with secrets. Michael is ostensibly there to sell tractors for Ford. In fact, he's a CIA operative whose mission is to make sure the Communist mayor is defeated. He's hiding something even more explosive, but his high-spirited wife, Scottie, doesn't have a clue. She's along as helpmeet—but, unbeknownst to Michael, is carrying a baby that's not his. Complications, as they say, ensue. Robertino, a 14-year-old boy, signs on as Scottie's Italian tutor; he's also Michael's "asset," charged with stealing the local Communist Party membership rolls. When Robertino goes missing, everyone fears the worst. There's a large supporting cast in this cinematic story, including the randy Communist mayor, Ugo; the seductive aristocrat, Carlo; and the smooth American diplomat (and Michael's special friend), Duncan. Clare Boothe Luce, the actual American ambassador to Italy, also figures in the proceedings. Much of this is fun: packed with lies and betrayals, the book delivers plenty of juicy surprises. And the author, who was a correspondent in Italy for W and Women's Wear Daily, takes obvious pleasure in writing about the country's history, customs, and culinary feats. The book falters when it tries for pathos: the death of Robertino's mother and the agony of Carlo's wife over the loss of their son don't mesh well with the rest of the action. The story also bogs down at times—shorter would have been better—and occasionally strains credulity.The ending is unexpected, with the author displaying a sophisticated, nuanced view of love and marriage that feels very modern. Or maybe it's just Italian.
