About this Event
The Villa di Geggiano in Chiswick is proud to continue a run of literary soirées in its sumptuous lounge.
Next in this auspicious series is an evening with author, Amanda Craig, whose remarkable and beautifully written novel, ‘The Three Graces’, is now available in hardback. Amanda will join local Chiswick author Diane Chandler and guests to chat about her latest novel which is set in sunny Tuscany. The Three Graces brings a vast array of characters to life on the page, each of whom must grapple with their own past and present dangers over two glorious weeks in May, amidst the ravishing setting of Tuscany.
This event continues the Villa’s commitment to creative talent. Space is offered for artists to mount exhibitions of their work and there are nights dedicated to poetry readings and live entertainment.
Join us on Wednesday 11th October from 18.30 till 19.30. All guests will enjoy a delicious glass of Mani Sagge Prosecco, included in the event fee of just £5. Plus you will enjoy a 10% discount if staying on for dinner. All proceeds will go to the School Libraries Association to reflect Amanda's passion for helping children to discover the joy of reading. https://www.sla.org.uk/donation
About Amanda:
Amanda Craig is a British novelist, short-story writer and critic who has been compared to Dickens, Trollope, Balzac and Evelyn Waugh. As a literary chronicler of contemporary life she has been called a "state of the nation novelist" by Prospect magazine and the Sunday Times, and her interconnected novels often feature strong plots with M**der, romance and social satire.
In her twenties she became a journalist for newspapers such as The Sunday Times, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph and the Independent, winning both the Young Journalist of the Year and the Catherine Pakenham Award. She was the children's critic for the Independent on Sunday and The Times for over a decade. She still covers children's books for the New Statesman, and literary fiction for the Observer, and regularly reviews for Radio 4 Saturday Review, but is mostly a full-time novelist.
Her novels include A Private Place, A Vicious Circle, In a Dark Wood, Love in Idleness, Hearts and Minds (long-listed for the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction), The Other Side of You (a novella for Galaxy Quick Reads), The Lie Of the Land, a BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime, which is currently being developed for TV serialisation, and The Golden Rule. The Three Graces, is her latest novel, published earlier this year by Little,Brown.
Each novel can be read separately, but is part of an interconnected contemporary cast of characters, in which minor protagonists become major. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
About The Three Graces:
‘Such a skilful storyteller who vividly dramatises or lives with wit, wisdom and compassion’ Bernadine Evaristo
When Enzo shoots an illegal migrant from his bedroom one night, it triggers a series of events that embroil old and young, rich and poor, native and foreign. His elderly neighbours Ruth, Diana and Marta are three friends who have retired to Tuscany. Ruth's favourite grandson Olly is about to get married from her idyllic hillside farmhouse; however, the bride, Tania, seems curiously unengaged by anything but vlogging as a social media influencer. Marta, preparing to give the annual music recital sponsored by a Russian oligarch in hiding from Putin, is increasingly unwell, and her grandson, Xan, is full of resentment at the inequalities he encounters. Diana is nursing her husband, Lord Evenlode, who is living with dementia, and looking back over a long and troubled marriage.
Over two weeks in May, all these characters will face challenging choices as they grapple with their own past and with present dangers. For although the Tuscan spring looks as ravishing as a Renaissance painting, the realities of modern life make it harder and harder to believe that there is more that unites us than what keeps us apart.
Brilliant, enthralling, funny and generous, this is an exploration of the indomitable human heart.
We recommend you read the book in advance, if possible, and come along with your observations and questions for Amanda.
You can buy the book on Amazon or at Waterstones or at Bookshop.org which shares a percentage with small book shops. Links here:
Amazon
Waterstones
Bookshop.Org
Guests who would like to dine at the Villa afterwards will enjoy a 10% discount on their bill.
We are limited to just 25 spaces, so do book early...
About the Villa
About the Villa
Villa di Geggiano has for more than five centuries, under the auspices of the Bianchi Bandinelli family, been renowned for superb hospitality and generosity – as well as delicious food and sumptuous wines. Villa di Geggiano in London brings a corner of Tuscany right to the heart of W4. As in Italy, creativity is very proudly prized at the restaurant. We make our own pasta and Italian ice cream on the premises, and we import the finest truffles all the way from Italy.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Villa di Geggiano, 66-68 Chiswick High Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 5.00