genre: historical fiction (eeek! In the 90s!!)
When our narrator arrives in Tuscany, he knows no Italian and is aware that he's taking a huge leap. He's taken on a temporary position for an elderly baroness named Coco who needs her goods cataloged. And since our narrator is an archivist, he feels prepared enough for the job. Except the job is...so much more than archiving. With our sometimes sparkling and sometimes crotchety baroness, you never know WHAT exactly you're going to be asked to do or who you'll need to do it with.
I didn't know I needed a charming story about an eccentric Italian woman but I DID! I don't know how the paper book would be because the audio made Coco such a delight, sometimes making me actually laugh out loud. I loved being soaked in not just Italy itself but also its foods and customs, its traditions and quirks. Our narrator has a steep learning curve but soon all the people who are in and out of Coco's life because our narrator's people too in ways both surprising and beautiful. The arc of this story worked so well for me and while I was surprised by the capery nature sometimes and the sentiments aren't life-changing, those sentiments ARE beautiful and worth taking to heart. May I live such a life as Coco.
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