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I was born and raised in Rimini, Italy, a mid-size town on the Adriatic Sea. I was trained as a clinical psychologist at "Universita' La Sapienza" in Rome where I spent fun and exciting years enjoining the energy of the capital.
I got married in 1994 and soon after, following my husband in his career (or maybe it was him following me in my desire to try different cultures), I moved to the US where I still live with my husband (the same one!) and our ten-year-old daughter (did I just write ten? Time really flies).
Besides writing, I love spending my time growing and caring for plants and flowers. Here, my husband and daughter would have a loud laugh since, it often happens that, despite my efforts to keep them alive, my plants turn into dry sticks.
Luckily, that doesn't happen with our many pets; our home is full of animals, inside and out. Inside there is Roxy, the happy and fierce Pomapoo always looking for a soft place to snuggle up; Margot, the nosy and sweet black cat constantly hunting; Cheddar, the chubby and lazy orange tabby that loves to play with her tail; five fishes named Dave one, two, three, four, and five. Outside, we have plenty of deer that we love even if they keep eating my flowers and my vegetables as soon as they bloom or as soon as they are ready to be harvested; we have birds and squirrels that we keep satisfied bfeeding them seeds and nuts all year long, and an old fox with three legs that hide in the woods and that we call 'Foxy'.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite
Is it good enough to go through life doing the right thing and never causing your parents any problems? Even if you aren't happy with the choices that you are making, can you live a good life making other people happy? Clara is in law school only because she thought it was what her parents wanted her to do. Her father is a surgeon and not the type to express his feelings to her. Her mother is a socialite bent on keeping Clara doing exactly as she says. One night, while out with friends, Clara met Leonardo, a doctor, and it is love from the start. They begin dating and he allows her to be who she is, never telling her what to do or what to think. As Urbino, Unexpectedly continues on, Clara finds herself answering questions and coming into her own; at the same time realizing that having Leonardo, who is not telling her what to do in her life, is the best thing she has ever had. Maria Chiara Marsciani gives the reader a story of love and self-discovery, parental control, and breaking free all wrapped in the beauty of Italy.
Urbino, Unexpectedly confronts the dysfunctional family that Clara has been raised in, but also some of the friendships that she has allowed herself that have fed off her family relationship. As she becomes stronger, her grandmother is the one person who cheers her in this, but at the same time you see grandma relaxing and saying, "Finally, my work is done." Maria Chiara Marsciani gives the reader a complex story with a number of different veins. Some of the characters are quite shallow, but the main characters are good and have some qualities that make you want to read further and see what happens. This is a women's story and would even be good for a book club discussion.
