Items related to The Only Way to Paradise
What causes picture-perfect suburban Oakwood residents, MacKenzie, Roxie, Sara, and Georgia to desert their therapist and fly off to Florence? Answer: A romantic Italian movie that prompts Roxie to ask: "If Italy is so healing and therapeutic what are we doing in Ohio?"
Even Sara, the most duty-bound of the group, finally joins the pact they dub "The Crazy Ladies of Oakwood," and only a week later, they find themselves in Florence. Embraced by the entire province of Tuscany, each woman becomes entangled in experiences she could never have foretold. Not only do they find the fascinating Italian men that Georgia promised, but new sides to themselves and each other.
Against the glittering background of Florence, their dramas play out:
MacKenzie returns to her student days as an art historian, discarding her identity as the controlling Oakwood charity patron and society hostess. Renewing her acquaintance with the David, she vows to let herself be sculpted rather than trying to sculpt others. MacKenzie finds not only a new talent, but a new man who appreciates it, just as her husband decides to re-enter her life.
Roxie, who has always approached life as a circus, is drawn unwillingly into a passionate romance with a gorgeous Italian professor, Stefano. Her physical response to Stefano taps into lost memories, causing her to literally run from him. Roxie, a quirky and colorful Cubana, senses danger in visions and smells that resurface of a rotting summerhouse behind her Florida home. With his nurturing and passionate love, Stefano helps her to face the "broken piece" inside her.
Sara unveils part of her that no one but her instructors know. She is an extraordinarily talented concert violinist. Normally trapped in the demanding life of an ob-gyn (scripted for her by her Vietnamese immigrant parents), she is temporarily freed. She performs for others for the first time, and experiences unprecedented joy. However, the coping mechanism she used to handle the pressure of her job threatens to destroy her new life.
Georgia, a grieving widow, processes her life without Ben and without her violin career that ended early because of arthritis. Looking for a new passion in life, she finds that satisfaction comes to her in "giving back" to those around her the lessons and knowledge she has learned through her successes and mistakes in La Dolce Vita. Just as her perspective is changing, she reunites with her first love, Arturo, and must make a decision about the direction of her future life.
Though ages have passed since the rebirth called the Renaissance, Florence still inspires change by breathing out its creative mix of energy, beauty, and courage. Where Michelangelo "set free" the David by sculpting a block of marble, each "crazy lady" finds her exterior "Oakwood" self burnished away by new experiences, revealing a new self. This burnishing is not a gentle process, but exuberant Italians help them through it with their all-embracing agape.They discover in it a balm that binds them together and puts them on the road to recovery, the road that is "The Only Way to Paradise."
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Author:
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
In this novel, four women find refuge in the little heaven that is called Residenza Betta in Florence. Though they are figments of my imagination, the Residenza is not. Elisabetta, her son Cosimo, and his lovely Adriana are all very real and very dear to me. They are my second family, and I miss them when we are apart.
"Betta" insists on mothering me, though I am the age of her own mother. An act that typifies her is when she picked up an opera ticket for me on her motorscooter in the rain when I could have gotten it for myself. She feeds me, she scolds me, and she surveys all my purchases to make certain I haven't been cheated.
Cosimo is now in another hotel, learning his trade, even though he could make much more money as a gorgeous Italian actor. I tell Adriana, his fiancée, to keep him away from Hollywood.
The lovely Adriana is a 21st century incarnation of Renaissance artist Fra. Fillipo Lippi's atypical Madonna model. She is tall and slender, fair with beautiful brown eyes. My son took one look at her and said, "If things don't work out with Cosimo, I'm your man." Adriana and I tell each other our secrets and giggle together like sisters.
Milano 25 is a real taxi and you can read about its amazing driver on the Internet. Lastly, I did fall on the concrete pavement, and was treated just as gently by a much younger version of Roberto. I believe agape is a genetic component of all Italians.
I write this in this happy house that has given me so much pleasure in Florence.
G.G. Vandagriff
February, 2011
From the Back Cover:
In this novel, four women find refuge in the little heaven that is called Residenza Betta in Florence. Though they are figments of my imagination, the Residenza is not. Elisabetta, her son Cosimo, and his lovely Adriana are all very real and very dear to me. They are my second family, and I miss them when we are apart.
"Betta" insists on mothering me, though I am the age of her own mother. An act that typifies her is when she picked up an opera ticket for me on her motorscooter in the rain when I could have gotten it for myself. She feeds me, she scolds me, and she surveys all my purchases to make certain I haven't been cheated.
Cosimo is now in another hotel, learning his trade, even though he could make much more money as a gorgeous Italian actor. I tell Adriana, his fiancée, to keep him away from Hollywood.
The lovely Adriana is a 21st century incarnation of Renaissance artist Fra. Fillipo Lippi's atypical Madonna model. She is tall and slender, fair with beautiful brown eyes. My son took one look at her and said, "If things don't work out with Cosimo, I'm your man." Adriana and I tell each other our secrets and giggle together like sisters.
Milano 25 is a real taxi and you can read about its amazing driver on the Internet. Lastly, I did fall on the concrete pavement, and was treated just as gently by a much younger version of Roberto. I believe agape is a genetic component of all Italians.
I write this in this happy house that has given me so much pleasure in Florence.
G.G. Vandagriff
February, 2011
Praise for G.G. Vandagriff's Pieces of Paris:"It was the simple things that undid her, Annalisse had discovered. Something as ordinary as the scent of lilacs when the air was heavy, a brief measure of Tchaikovsky, or a dream. A dream like the one she'd awakened from last night--so real she could smell the Paris Metro in it. Any of these things could revive in a moment the memories she'd spent the last six years burying. They crept under the leaden shield around her heart and found the small, secret place where she still had feeling."
From the first paragraph Pieces of Paris gripped me. The story, by G.G. Vandagriff, didn't matter then, the writing had enchanted. And then, I realized, the story did matter. Very much. I was carrying this book around with me everywhere I went.
Pieces of Paris is about environmental abuses, narrow-mindedness, narcissism, bigotry, tragic memories, loyalty, vindication, rediscovered faith, love, resolution, and peace. It's about a husband and wife, who learn that the best way to resolve the challenges of life is with each other. And with God.
--Susan Dayley, Looking Out My Backdoor (Five Stars)
* * * * *
GG Vandagriff once again explores the intensity of human emotion, delivering a powerful story of second chances, the gift of forgiveness, and the depth of true love. This well-crafted story is absorbing from page one and the characters powerful and relatable.
Pieces of Paris is a literary symphony, a cacophony of words that delves into the hearts of all of us, as Annalisse and Dennis fight to reestablish the rhythm of their marriage. An emotionally engaging and unforgettable journey.
--H.B. Moore, Best of State Novelist, Whitney Award Novelist (Five Stars)
* * * * *
Weaving together powerful truths and psychologically driven fiction, GG Vandagriff's Pieces of Paris takes readers on an emotional ride that winds through the darkest recesses of painful memories, plunges into unexpected realities, then climbs to breathtaking vistas of understanding, forgiveness and love.
Vandagriff has a true gift of words and paints glorious scenes and intense emotion in this well-paced, gripping drama. This powerful story of second chances, the gift of forgiveness, and the depth of truth will resonate with readers of all ages and stations in life.
--Michele Ashman Bell, Best-selling Romance Novelist, author of the Butterfly Box Series (Five Stars)
From the first paragraph Pieces of Paris gripped me. The story, by G.G. Vandagriff, didn't matter then, the writing had enchanted. And then, I realized, the story did matter. Very much. I was carrying this book around with me everywhere I went.
Pieces of Paris is about environmental abuses, narrow-mindedness, narcissism, bigotry, tragic memories, loyalty, vindication, rediscovered faith, love, resolution, and peace. It's about a husband and wife, who learn that the best way to resolve the challenges of life is with each other. And with God.
--Susan Dayley, Looking Out My Backdoor (Five Stars)
* * * * *
GG Vandagriff once again explores the intensity of human emotion, delivering a powerful story of second chances, the gift of forgiveness, and the depth of true love. This well-crafted story is absorbing from page one and the characters powerful and relatable.
Pieces of Paris is a literary symphony, a cacophony of words that delves into the hearts of all of us, as Annalisse and Dennis fight to reestablish the rhythm of their marriage. An emotionally engaging and unforgettable journey.
--H.B. Moore, Best of State Novelist, Whitney Award Novelist (Five Stars)
* * * * *
Weaving together powerful truths and psychologically driven fiction, GG Vandagriff's Pieces of Paris takes readers on an emotional ride that winds through the darkest recesses of painful memories, plunges into unexpected realities, then climbs to breathtaking vistas of understanding, forgiveness and love.
Vandagriff has a true gift of words and paints glorious scenes and intense emotion in this well-paced, gripping drama. This powerful story of second chances, the gift of forgiveness, and the depth of truth will resonate with readers of all ages and stations in life.
--Michele Ashman Bell, Best-selling Romance Novelist, author of the Butterfly Box Series (Five Stars)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherO.W. Press
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 098362321X
- ISBN 13 9780983623212
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages204
- Rating
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The Only Way to Paradise
Published by
O.W. Press
(2011)
ISBN 10: 098362321X
ISBN 13: 9780983623212
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paperback
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Book Description paperback. Condition: Good. Softcover book is in very good condition. Clean with good binding, minimal wear overall. Tulsa's largest used bookstore. Located on South Mingo Road since 1991. No-hassle return policy if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0000340013
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