2008 Book 76: The Grey Beginning

Book #:	76
Book Title:	The Grey Beginning
Author:	Barbara Michaels
Publisher:	Harper
Pub. Date:	1984
Pages:	291
Started:	August 31, 2008
Finished:	September 3, 2008
Time to Read:	4 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Hoping that a trip to her late husband's childhood home will help her come to terms with his recent death, Kathy Malone travels to the rolling hills of Tuscany. But there, instead of solace, Kathy finds a lonely boy name Pietro, uncanny hints about her late husband, and the stately Contessa Morandini, whose chilly reception warms only when she mistakenly assumes Kathy is pregnant with the next heir of the Morandini line. Despite - or perhaps because of - the Contessa's efforts to keep Kathy and Pietro apart, Kathy befriends the young boy. Their games lead her through the villa's maze of dark hallways, where she begins to discover hints of a startling truth. As the pieces of a sinister and murderous plan fall into place, Kathy realizes she has stumbled onto a dangerous obsession...one that was meant to stay hidden forever."
Stars:	**
Review:	I love Barbara Michaels, but this book falls far short of my expectations. Kathy Malone is a troubled young woman who lost her husband to a tragic car accident and after seeking help for her own emotions, has traveled to Italy to bring closure to the story. There, she promptly enters the cliched world of the aristocracy - rich in standing but poor in cash. As she struggles to understand why she is there and what she can do now that she is embroiled in a very sticky situation involving a trusting young boy, a love triangle pops up that is never very well elaborated upon. In fact, this novel as a whole brings up more questions than it answers. Unlike other works from Michaels, this is also a dated piece - I read parts and cringed, thinking that if such things were written today, people would be up in arms. Not a bad book...but not a great one either.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany