The Invitation

By: Lucy Foley

Narrated by: Emma Gregory

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

An evocative love story set along the Italian Riviera about a group of charismatic stars who all have secrets and pasts they try desperately - and dangerously - to hide.

Rome, 1953: Hal, an itinerant journalist flailing in the postwar darkness, has come to the Eternal City to lose himself and to seek absolution for the thing that haunts him. One evening he finds himself on the steps of a palazzo, walking into a world of privilege and light. Here, on a rooftop above the city, he meets the mysterious Stella. Hal and Stella are from different worlds, but their connection is magnetic. Together they escape the crowded party and imagine a different life, even if it's just for a night. Yet Stella vanishes all too quickly, and Hal is certain their paths won't cross again.

But a year later they are unexpectedly thrown together after Hal receives an invitation he cannot resist. An Italian contessa asks him to assist on a trip of a lifetime - acting as a reporter on a tremendous yacht skimming its way along the Italian coast toward the Cannes Film Festival, with the most famous artists and movie stars of the day gathered to promote a new film.

Of all the luminaries aboard - an Italian ingénue, an American star, a reclusive director - only one holds Hal in thrall: Stella. And while each has a past that belies the gilded surface, Stella has the most to hide. As Hal's obsession with Stella grows, he becomes determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who's been confined to history.

An irresistibly entertaining and atmospheric novel set in some of the world's most glamorous locales, The Invitation is a sultry love story about the ways in which the secrets of the past stay with us - no matter how much we try to escape them.

©2016 Lucy Foley (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"In her second novel, Foley weaves a very satisfying love story, and readers will be especially taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once, this is a fabulous story with such wonderful, intelligent prose." (Beatriz Williams, New York Times best-selling author of A Hundred Summers)

" The Invitation is a riveting, dazzling romance, set in the most beautiful places on earth. I wanted to go wherever Lucy Foley took me." (Anton DiSclafani, New York Times best-selling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls and The After Party)

An Absolutely Beautiful Story!

Less than 24 hours after finishing this book, I started it again. To relive it and pick up things I missed the first time around.

A beautiful, well-written story. This authors ability to captivate and describe the environment and the actions is remarkable.

Truly a treat!

I enjoyed it

I particularly enjoyed the narrator and her talent of vocally creating the different characters. Not something always done successfully.

Great story -wonderful narration!

The story kept me wanting to know more. Great character development. The narrator did an excellent job with different voices for each character. Very easy listening!

Delightful literary vacation

Fabulous narrator added to a very enjoyable storyline. Transported me to sun drenched Europe. I would highly recommend.

A Mediterranean Escape

Fascinating, creative, beautiful prose and description. Evokes moods of places beautifully. I felt like I had escaped on a wonderful trip.

VERY HAPPY

loved the Contessa, would have liked more back round of here life. i will recomend.

Enjoyable!

It was slow, but enjoyable. I enjoyed The Guest List and The Hunting Party more :) Lucy Foley is a wonderful writer.

Read beautifully, but missing something

Can’t put my finger on it. Performance was great. Narrator was great at differentiating between characters using different voices. But something was missing from the story. I was left wanting more. Love the ending though. Wasn’t expecting what happened in the last five minutes. Would recommend as a beach read!

Don’t waste your time.

I expected so much more. I’m so disappointed by this one. I can’t believe I wasted money on this book.

Was just ok.

2.5/5. Would not recommend. Unclear plot throughout that only got going in last 1.5 hours.