New York Times bestseller Andrew Sean Greer tells a lighthearted story about a young American archivist who takes a job cataloguing a crumbling Tuscan mansion owned by a 92‑year‑old aristocrat. The novel blends farce and poignancy as the narrator learns Italian, sheds American fashion, and discovers unexpected intergenerational friendship under the hot Italian sun. The book is a charming, hopeful read about transformation, culture, and the magic of aging.
Author of Less returns with a warm, hopeful novel set in Italy Novelist Andrew Sean Greer's latest novel is a coming-of-age story narrated by a floundering young American archivist.
Photograph: Sara Naomi Lewkowicz/ The New York Timeswill be delighted to hear of the author’s intentions for his ninth work: to write what he describes as a “charm novel”. A warm and funny entertainment that would be a “hoot” to read. Inspired by his time as executive director of the Santa Maddalena Foundation – a writer’s retreat in the Tuscan countryside – withThis is not a novel, however, about writers honing their craft in tranquillity.
Instead, Greer serves a classic education plot drenched in the balm of a hot Italian sun. This coming-of-age story is narrated by a floundering young American archivist, who has accepted a job to catalogue the contents of the crumbling mansion of a 92-year-old aristocrat, the Baronessa Lisabetta, aka Coco.
As he makes futile attempts to achieve this mission, his eccentric host makes other demands of him: to overthrow his American fashion; learn Italian and become cultured enough for conversation; but also to deal with septic tanks, prune roses and become her biddable servant. The Baronessa is the beating heart of this novel: an incredible creation of acerbic wit and panache. So fantastic as the ultimate nonagenarian role model, she single-handedly could neutralise anyone’s anxiety about ageing.
We see in Coco “a resolution that the world not lose its magic”. Amid the high jinks, revolving door of bohemian guests and mysterious activities in the house, Greer achieves a delicate balancing act between farce and poignancy. Given his virtuoso crafting of deeply moving comedy capers, it is impossible not to become emotionally invested in the plights of this compelling cast of characters.
The narrative is a rousing endorsement of intergenerational friendships, and the surprising ways in which these reciprocal relationships can transform a life.
“Our young man” must learn not to just catalogue what is before him, but to understand that all is not always what it seems: “There is a heavy price we have to pay for seeing things as they are. The price is of our youth. ” Nonetheless, whatever this Tuscan adventure taketh from him, it giveth more. Utterly transporting, this novel is the closest thing to an Italian escapade you can experience without leaving home.
One that will leave you basking in the golden light of hope.
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