Every Time We Say Goodbye
A Novel
-
- Pre-Order
-
- Expected May 14, 2024
-
- $14.99
-
- Pre-Order
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.
In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.
As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jenner picks up where Bloomsbury Girls left off as protagonist Vivien Lowry pivots from bookselling to a new career as a playwright in 1950s London. The opening night of her second play feels "like a dream," but harsh reviews cut its run short. When Vivien's famed socialite friend Peggy Guggenheim helps her score a script-editing gig in Rome, she jumps at the chance to work on When All Else Fails, the story of an Italian police officer falling in love with an American singer on tour. Also preoccupying Vivien is the question of how her former fiancé, David, died, since she recently learned of his last-known whereabouts as a POW in Italy during WWII. In Rome, she embarks on an affair with producer John Lassiter, who is estranged from his Italian movie star wife. To make matters even more complicated, the Vatican shuts down production on the movie, partially due to its disagreement with the portrayal in another film from the studio of the Vatican's policy of neutrality during the war. Jenner provides an insightful view into Italy's postwar reckoning, and she imbues the novel's many celebrity cameos—including actresses Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida—with authentic flair. Jenner's fans will love this.
