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129th out of 224 books
—
142 voters
The Last Promise
When Eliana, still called Ellen by her close friends back in America, moved to Italy the future was bright with promise. Tuscany held magic in its sprawling vineyards, great food, and centuries of art. It was a life of the senses, perfect for a blossoming, talented young artist such as Eliana. Her family and friends back home all thought she had made the right choice in fo...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
November 11th 2002
by Dutton Books
(first published 2002)
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Sep 02, 2007
Prescos
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who is thinking about going to Italy
When I first picked up this book I thought it was just another romance and I don't like romance novels much. When I began this book I found it rich in the description of Italy, art and wine. I thought of it more as a guide with a wonderful story to keep me interested! The feeling behind the descriptions of the art was most enjoyable and I found myself relating to artworks that I could not even see! I am now anxious to go to Italy more than ever and would not leave without this book in tow.
Ellen,...more
Ellen,...more
THE LAST PROMISE is the story of two people that meet and fall in love in the Italian countryside. Eliana is an American woman who marries an Italian man and moves with him back to his native Italy to help manage the family vineyard. While their courtship was wonderful, now that they are married he is rarely home, as he says he's traveling for business. Their son, a highly asthmatic child, Alessio, stays with Eliana while her husband is away. It is fate that brings her together with another Amer...more
For what it was meant to offer, this book delivers an entertaining read. I loved Richard Paul Evans' descriptions of Italy - the food, the museums, the scenery. It made me remember my own experiences in Italy and really captured the culture. I thought the love story was in many ways well done. However, I thought that Eliana's relationship with Ross was inappropriate even if her husband was a jerk. Therefore, I could not fully enjoy the main story of the novel. Overall, though, I thought this boo...more
A few days ago I finally finished THE LAST PROMISE, by Richard Paul Evans, a sweet little novel written a decade ago. I loved it most for the descriptions of Italy, especially the small town and the vineyard where the main character, Elliana (Ellen, in the U.S>), lives with her brutal, controlling husband, Maurezio, who is rarely home. Elliana is American, and the mother to young Alessio, a sweet little guy with terrible asthma. Enter Ross Story, an American who came to Italy of late, to live...more
I had never heard of Richard Paul Evans until I ran across one of his works at a relatives. Since that time I've read four of his novels and I am hooked. Mr. Evans has a unique ability to evoke emotion and sexual tension with little of the explicit or salacious allusions that seem popular today. This novel finds a young American art gallery owner attracted to and eventually hopelessly in love with the beautiful young American wife of a arrogant and thoughtful Italian aristocrat. Throw in a despe...more
When Deseret Book CEO Sheri Dew announced the store's revised buying guidelines late last year [2002]—and specifically that Richard Paul Evan's latest novel, The Last Promise, hadn't made the cut—my immediate reaction was to snort in derision. A bunch of sanctimonious, neo-Victorian fussbudgets trying to micromanage our moral and aesthetic lives, under the guise of what Dew had the audacity to claim was a "business decision."
Then I read the book.
Deseret Book may indeed be run by a bunch of sanct...more
Then I read the book.
Deseret Book may indeed be run by a bunch of sanct...more
Beautiful countryside, love, lust, intrigue... this book had it all!
Set against the backdrop of Italy, this is a beautiful love story. A young American woman marries an Italian man, has his child and moves to Italy. Of course, who she met and fell in love with in the States is not who she marries as he lives up to all of the stereotypes that society has associated with Italian Men (right or wrong - I am not judging).
Just when she has accepted her fate, she befriends a man that turns the world up...more
Set against the backdrop of Italy, this is a beautiful love story. A young American woman marries an Italian man, has his child and moves to Italy. Of course, who she met and fell in love with in the States is not who she marries as he lives up to all of the stereotypes that society has associated with Italian Men (right or wrong - I am not judging).
Just when she has accepted her fate, she befriends a man that turns the world up...more
I found this book while browsing through my online ebook library. The only other Evans book I have read is his
. It was a good story.
is much different than The Letter. It is set in modern times. It is a beautiful story of the power of true love. Evans describes the Italian city of Florence and its surrounding countryside so vividly that I felt I was actually relaxing at an Italian sidewalk cafe watching the story unfold. I could almost taste the Italian dishes that the characters enjoyed.
I a...more
. It was a good story.
is much different than The Letter. It is set in modern times. It is a beautiful story of the power of true love. Evans describes the Italian city of Florence and its surrounding countryside so vividly that I felt I was actually relaxing at an Italian sidewalk cafe watching the story unfold. I could almost taste the Italian dishes that the characters enjoyed.I a...more
This is a book that intrigued me on many personal levels, yet failed me on almost all of them.
Let me begin with a preface: My mother, in a way, lived the life of Eliana, our "heroine" in "The Last Promise". I am the child of an American mother who married an Italian man in a whirlwind post-college romance, attempted to live in Italy with her newborn child, and found the situation was not one she could bear - not for herself, nor for her daughter. I was literally abducted out of Italy in the earl...more
Let me begin with a preface: My mother, in a way, lived the life of Eliana, our "heroine" in "The Last Promise". I am the child of an American mother who married an Italian man in a whirlwind post-college romance, attempted to live in Italy with her newborn child, and found the situation was not one she could bear - not for herself, nor for her daughter. I was literally abducted out of Italy in the earl...more
This is definitely not my favorite Evans book. The whole Italy thing was fun and different, but otherwise I felt like not only were Evans' standards in writing lower than usual (for one thing it seemed an overabundance of dialogue that didn't always keep the story moving), but he lowered his standards in content too. Thus, this was the first book I've read by him that wasn't a "feel good" read. I was so disappointed (but I still had to finish it to see how it ended). I mean, there's a scene wher...more
I read it for a book discussion, I thought it was unreal and boring. For instance, an American talks to the guard outside the Uffizi and miraculously the guard let's him walk into the building at the exact time that the person in charge of hiring tour guides would not only be in the room he went into, but also take time for his interview and then, he immediately gets the position on the spot. That does not happen in the real world! It a process of multiple interviews and plus a test of art knowl...more
What a Great book! I really enjoyed this. I believe it is a true story, and a good one at that. DON'T SKIP THE PROLOGUE, you'll be sorry. It sets the stage for the WHOLE BOOK, and the author goes back to it several times towards the end. I own several of RPE books, and haven't had a chance to read them, but I could not put this down, I read all 300 pages in less than a days time. It is a love story, but one that took a long time to get a happy ending. Many trials and obstacles to overcome, a sto...more
Jan 18, 2008
Carrie
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Carrie by:
book club
So sad--this book had elements I loved--romance and Italy. I loved the picturesque descriptions of Toscana, the Italian phrases and the talk of food. It made me long to go back. But why did she have to have an affair? Totally not what I expected from Richard Paul Evans.
I enjoyed this book on several different levels; being married to an Italian enabled me to truly enjoy the wonderful descriptions of the vineyards, the old buildings and museums, and asthma reigns supreme in our family so I am very familiar with the fear and trepidation that comes with raising an asthmatic child, especially in one so young. It was sweet love story. I could understand the loneliness felt by Ellen due to her husband's constant absence and being torn between a new love and her chil...more
Because I spent a year living in Italy, my friend thought I'd enjoy this light read. I did appreciate several things: the way the author opened the book was a good hook, the way the Italian words were worked into the text. That said, there was so much he didn't do. For instance, the protagonist works as a guide at the Uffizi in Florence (how he got that job is completely ridiculous), but we never hear about even ONE painting there. The dialog is ordinary and adds nothing to the story. And he TEL...more
I loved reading about such a lovely place! I really felt for Eliana and had hoped that she would find happiness by the end of the book!
My favorite thing about this book is that it is supposedly a true story. That makes me *feel* things 100 times more because I can imagine it actually happening to the people in the book. I loved that about it!
I really liked the love story. It was sad and hard but it was also beautiful, fresh, exciting, and full of hope! BUT there were some things about it that bothered me and that is why I only gave it 3 stars. (I don't want to give anything away.)
After reading this book I have decided that I re...more
I really liked the love story. It was sad and hard but it was also beautiful, fresh, exciting, and full of hope! BUT there were some things about it that bothered me and that is why I only gave it 3 stars. (I don't want to give anything away.)
After reading this book I have decided that I re...more
I really loved this love story--and the Italian setting as well as the Italian language used; the culture and descriptions of life in Tuscany. I have always wanted to live abroad and books set in the European countryside keep that desire intact and alive. I think that R.P.E. is a better writer than Nicolas Sparks (this book is comparable to his type of stories), much better, and he doesn't go into sexual details (if there are any), which is something I appreciate. I kept thinking about the chara...more
Walking with a friend through a neighborhood I'd not been in before, we passed a box on a post, similar height to, and a little larger than, a large mailbox. The sign read "free neighborhood library." I took them up on their offer and thumbed through the couple dozen books lined up in the box. I picked out The Last Promise. I'm so glad I did.
Engaging story, good writing, well-drawn characters - I'll look for more of his books.
My wife and I are now talking about putting up a neighborhood library...more
Engaging story, good writing, well-drawn characters - I'll look for more of his books.
My wife and I are now talking about putting up a neighborhood library...more
I wasn't sure I would like this book, since it's about an unhappily married woman, who falls in love with another man. Eliana feels very guilty about loving another man. She has a son with asthma, who often has attacks, that send him to the hospital. The story was told to Richard by the woman, who lived it. It's a nice love story. It was resolved in a good way. The book gives a beautiful picture of Italy. Eliana husband owns grapevines, and a winery. There is a good description of that area. Ros...more
I just found this book in my personal library. Forgot I had bought it last year in a bargain area of the bookstore. It was fantastic. It's a love story that takes place in Italy. A young American girl is swept away by an Italian who owns a prominent winery.She marries, moves to Italy and has a son. But not all is what she thought it would be. She begins to feel very lonely. Her son is ill and her husband is not the person she married. She wants to go home to America but cannot. A beautiful story...more
I read this book because of reviews on Goodreads and it was enjoyable. I found the plot well-balanced. It begins in the present with a writer who meets someone who wants to tell her story of love and it ends in the present with the writer and his subject. In between is the story of love, which takes place in Italy.
The scenes are well described, easily transporting the reader to a different place and time. I enjoyed the story of Eliana and of her encounters with the mysterious American, Ross Stor...more
The scenes are well described, easily transporting the reader to a different place and time. I enjoyed the story of Eliana and of her encounters with the mysterious American, Ross Stor...more
This emotional story breathes with heart, soul and zest. You can practically taste the mouthwatering Italian cuisine and envision every detail of the Tuscan hillside village where it all takes place. The characters come alive--you can feel their pain, their love, their passions; it is as though they are in the same room. Magnificent! Evans just gets better and better. The story is about a young American artist (Eliana) married to a wealthy Italian businessman (Maurizio) seven years her senior. E...more
Some may think that the subject matter in this book is questionable, but to me it was presented clean and appropriately. The reason I enjoyed the book so much is because I felt it provoked thought about what exactly appropriate behavior is between the sexes when one (or both) parties are married. At what point did they cross the line? I guess everyone has to decide for themself, but I can give you my opinion if you ask for it!
NOT a fan of the swearing. Only a couple, but I saw no purpose in it.
NOT a fan of the swearing. Only a couple, but I saw no purpose in it.
While I enjoyed this book by Richard Paul Evans, I must say it didn't capture me in the way of his others that I have read. Though the main characters were certainly sympathetic, I often felt that Evans was trying to hard to play on my heartstrings. I was also bothered more than a little that his tale seemed to put a positive spin on emotional adultery. Nonetheless, there were many portions of the book that were entertaining and thought-provoking. For this reason, I gave it three stars.
I got this book because I knew it was based in Italy and had Italian proverbs at the beginning or each chapter. I figured it would be great to look at those proverbs to help me with my Italian. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the actual story as well. I am not usually one for romances but this was really nice. If you are looking for a romance without the sex scenes this is a great book. It has it's own imperfections but doesn't every romance?.
I'm not much into romance books, but this one is definitely NOT your typical romance book. Mr. Evans has a way about his writing that one actually misses the characters once the book is finished. This book is no exception to that rule. A wonderful love story that makes one understand what love really should feel like, and the reader gets to experience it along with the characters from start to finish. Another easy read that's hard to put down.
This was a great love story between Eliana and Ross and set in beautiful Italy for the first 3/4's of the book. The last 1/4 was really dissappointing. The author could have finally made Eliana a strong, powerful woman no longer condemned by a brutal husband and instead, made her wishy-washy. She vacillates so many times that the reader never really knows what she truly wants. The ending was predictable but could have been SO MUCH BETTER.
I remember really loving the descriptions of Italy in this book. I do remember liking the story itself, the love story, etc, but what I remember most is that it made me, once again, excited about the idea of visiting Italy someday. I can't remember if I read this first and then A Perfect Day or vice versa. Both made me want to read more of his stuff, bit iirc, those were the extent of what was available when I was working in NH.
Ok...am I the only one in the world that thinks that hanging out alone with someone other than your spouse (regardless of the circumstances) is cheating? This is a love story about a woman who meets her true love while sneaking around. True, her husband was an adulterer, but does that make it ok? Even more inappropriate, was the fact that she went on outings with her illegitimate boyfriend and toted along her six-year-old son. I'm sorry her husband was a creep and that he was manipulating her in...more
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| Nicole Sparks + Richard Paul Evans | 1 | 6 | Oct 29, 2012 12:37pm |
When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written ele...more
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“The sound of a kiss is not as strong as that of a cannon, but its echo endures much longer.”
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3 people liked it
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Sep 02, 2007 08:08am