Despite the trauma and drama in her life, Angelina has persevered, relying on the support of her multi-talented and over-protective godmother, Valentina-best friend of her late mother. After the murder of her abusive husband, Angelina has resigned herself to spending her life alone in her hometown of Rimini, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, just like her godmother.
But then, Angelina meets Benjamin, a divorced American man relocating to Rimini. Through a series of coincidences, Angelina begins to believe that maybe she can experience love and happiness. Her godmother is not so sure. Benjamin finds himself navigating the strong personalities of the two women as he struggles to put down roots in his new hometown.
But did Valentine really mean it when she said she would kill him?
* * *
The Infinite Passion of Life is the first book in the The Rock & the Rose series. It is a contemporary meta-historical adventure romance. It is set in Northern Italy in 2017, but its characters are connected to real world events in Italy from just before World War II until the present. Each of the three main characters confronts changes in their respective lives and worldviews, and they evolve because of and in spite of events as they intersect and interact with each other.
The majority of the story takes place in Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast of Italy. There are scenes in other northern Italian cities such as Como and Milano, as well as northern New Jersey. The story is Italian culture-centric, especially traditions and events from the Emilia-Romagna region. There are Italian phrases, terms, and idioms embedded to capture the communications challenges of people with different primary languages, and-just as importantly-to provide the flavor of another culture. Or, as Fellini has said...
"A different language is a different vision of life."
