Lizzie & Dante: A Novel

Mary Bly

Jun 2021 · Sold by Dial Press Trade Paperback

About this ebook

The insightful, audacious, and deeply romantic story of a woman whose life turns upside down after she meets an enigmatic chef on vacation in Italy, from a New York Times bestselling author

“Delicious.”—People • “Smart, sexy and funny, full of joy in simple pleasures.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

What if falling in love means breaking someone’s heart?

On the heels of a difficult break-up and a devastating diagnosis, Shakespeare scholar Lizzie Delford decides to take one last lavish vacation on Elba, the sun-kissed island off the Italian coast, with her best friend and his movie-star boyfriend. Once settled into a luxurious seaside resort, Lizzie has to make big decisions about her future, and she needs the one thing she may be running out of: time. 

She leaves the yacht owners and celebrities behind and sneaks off to the public beach, where she meets a sardonic chef named Dante, his battered dog, Lulu, and his wry daughter, Etta, a twelve-year-old desperate for a mother. While Dante shows Lizzie the island’s secrets, and Etta dazzles with her irreverent humor, Lizzie is confronted with a dilemma. Is it right to fall in love if time is short? Is it better to find a mother briefly, or to have no mother at all? And most pressingly, are the delicacies of life worth tasting, even if you will get to savor them only for a short while? 

A luscious story of love, courage, and Italian wine, Lizzie & Dante demands to know how far we should travel to find a future worth fighting for.

Ratings and reviews

Lizzie is going to the beautiful island of Elba with her friend Grey and his partner Rohan. Lizzie and Grey were partners from the time they were children in foster care until he began a relationship with Rohan. Rohan is a famous Hollywood actor who's making his directorial debut with Romeo and Juliet in the coming year and Lizzie being a college professor of Shakespeare is helping him with his script. Lizzie is also dying. She has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and doesn't wish to continue her treatments. Before coming to the island, she gives away her books and makes arrangements with the local Episcopal church to be cremated and buried in their prayer garden. Elba is intended.to be her final lavish vacation. While resting on the beach, Lizzie meets Dante and his dog Lulu. Dante is a world famous chef, though Lizzie has no idea of this upon meeting. Lizzie falls for Dante and his daughter Etta which of course causes her to rethink her plan entirely. This book was beautiful! The writing. The characters. The descriptions of the food and the scenery. The story. Reading this makes you fall in love with reading love stories all over again. This isn't some trite boy meets girl and they kiss and marry. THE END. This makes you feel for her when she's scared to make love because of her many scars. Laugh with her when she has moments of joy, and cry with her when she has to decide just how far shes willing to go to live. You truly end up asking yourself hard questions as well. Would you choose to undergo many painful surgeries for another month? Maybe more? What is a sign of strength? Holding on until the bitter end or letting go when you're ready? This is a beautiful love story don't get me wrong. Lizzie and Dante are perfect together. They bring out the best in each other and Etta finds the mother she's craved her whole life. But intertwined within the love story is a story of life and death and what's right for one may not be for another. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Id give this six stars if I could. This story will stay with me for a long time. Its beautiful. Heartfelt. And absolutely one of the best summer reads of 2021. Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and Mary Bly for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Love Eloise James

About the author

Mary Bly is a New York Times bestselling author under the name Eloisa James, and chair of the English department at Fordham University. She lives with her family in New York City, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.