The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans

Reviewed by Vicki Carver

 

Richard Paul Evans is a well-known author who is most famous for his New York Times bestseller The Christmas Box.  His newest work of fiction is his seventh novel and is called The Last Promise.  This story takes place in the Tuscany region of Italy and takes place between 1999 and 2001.

 

Eliana is a beautiful American woman who is unhappily married to a wealthy Italian business executive.  She has a 6 year-old son Alessio who has serious asthma requiring frequent visits to hospital emergency rooms.  Eliana’s husband is seldom home due to business responsibilities and numerous liaisons with other women.

 

Ross is also an American who has escaped to Italy to forget his past. He has a passion for art and is hired at the famous Uffizi Art Museum in Florence as a tour guide.  Ross finds an apartment outside Florence at the villa where Eliana lives.

 

One night Alessio requires emergency treatment at the local hospital. Eliana asks Ross for help since her husband is not at home.  From their unexpected meeting comes a strong friendship which gradually leads to a romantic relationship.

 

Of course the plot becomes complicated since Eliana is a married woman. Also, Ross has some issues from his past he needs to come to terms with.  Evans weaves the story through several locales including a day in Florence and eventually to the United States after Eliana escapes to her hometown in Utah with her son.  As in all of Evans’ novels, the story ends  with a sense of completeness and a feeling that all will be well with the characters.

 

The Last Promise is interesting reading for anyone who has visited or would like to visit the region of Tuscany in Italy.  Evans’ descriptions of the area help the reader to get a feeling of what it is really like. It is somewhat like reading a travel guide which just happens to have a well written story included.

 

 

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