Dreaming of Italy, eager to learn the language, a disparate group of
Dubliners comes together for an introductory Italian course held in a
drab classroom every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Aidan Dunne has hit
an all-time low in both his career and family life, and so his
self-image is hinging on the success of this class.The teacher, Signora,
so smitten with love that she followed the man she adored to a distant
country, waiting 23 years for him; Laddy, the hotel porter; and Hilary,
the society hostess, who has an oddly empty calendar.
Each student has a private reason for wanting to learn Italian. Bill
Burke, a young bank clerk, wants to be considered for an international
banking job, but is secretly hoping that now his spendthrift girlfriend
Lizzie will have fewer opportunities to waste their money if she's busy
attending an evening class. Then there's Suzy Sullivan, who can't figure
out why her husband Lou wants to pick up Italian because he hasn't
learned anything since he mastered reading and writing; there must be
some catch, she figures. Kathy Clarke works much too hard and so she
decides to join the class in an attempt to relax, but through the people
she meets she learns a secret about her own family that transforms both
her future and her past.
As the classes progress, we learn about each of the participants,
watching their relationships grow throughout the year and culminating in
a magical "viaggio" to Italy. This evocative tale shimmers with the
storytelling artistry that makes Maeve Binchy's books international
bestsellers.
