Toto 2. Ravello series

A well written tale of our times, well worth the read, I believe you will find it as enjoyable as I did!

Toto, is a short story sequel to The Summer of the Firefly, and is a bittersweet tale of a young teen who has fallen in love with his best friend.  His world is shattered by discovery and rejection by his father.  Gianni and Angelo, two slightly older gay men, help him rebuild his strength and confidence to once again face the future.  James Carnarvon is a highly skilled wordsmith that has created a beautiful world of verdant mountains and valleys along the Amalfi coast of Italy.  Ravello is a town high in these hills that seems remote from urban life and its rush.  The story is compelling and the characters engaging, fit for a lazy summer afternoon in the shade with a glass of Italian wine.  Excellent reading to gauge the wonderful skills of this writer, but a spoiler if you don't read The Summer of the Firefly first.

What a beautiful story. A boy who lives in an Italian mountain village is discovering himself, in the process he overcomes difficulties with his father, a single parent, with the help of his new found friends. It's true to say you find out who your friends are when really need them the most, it's also true to say it sometimes takes a village to bring up a child, or just part of the village in this case. Read his story of discovery and self acceptance and you will be moved by his experience. This is a heartwarming story that I recommend.

It is not necessary to read the prequel 'The Summer of The Firefly' as this story stands well on it's own, but it will enhance your enjoyment if you do, you will then read two very good stories that are worth investing your time in.

This novella, a story of 14k words in four chapters, picks up the theme of James Carnarvon's first exceptionally good novel The Summer of the Firefly. It is a sequel in the sense that the protagonists of that first story are adults now and time has moved on a few years. We are once again immersed in the beautiful Italian towns and villages on the Amalfi coast which we grew to love in that first book and which are so exquisitely described and brought to life by the author.

The ordeal of coming to terms with being gay, facing family, and friends, is repeated with the next generation in Toto, the boy who has grown into a teenager and whom our now adult couple, Gianni and Angelo, along with others, try to help  It is as well to have read that first book to understand where we are now. 

I think this move forward in time is a rather clever way to revisit the past and at the same time tell a new story which echoes that previous history and revives the familiar and rather delightful setting.

As a short story it is both light and deep together, the depth resonates from the past although we do not have quite the time to discover everything here, more stories promise to resolve both this new history of friendship and love, as well as our somewhat insatiable appetite for more of this world and more from this author.

I recommend you start at the beginning of the series and take your time to enjoy being immersed in the place, the characters, and the histories that unfold.