The Invitation
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The Invitation
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Narrated by:
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Emma Gregory
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By:
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Lucy Foley
About this listen
Rome, 1950s. One fateful night, Hal Jacobs meets Stella, a beautiful society darling from New York. To Hal, flailing in the post-war darkness, she’s a point of light. They’re from different worlds, but both trying and failing to carve out a new life.
Stella vanishes all too quickly, until a curious invitation from an Italian Contessa reels her back into Hal’s world. They join the Contessa’s collection of luminaries on a yacht headed for Cannes film festival.
The scene on board is a fiction – scars from the war can be hidden yet not healed. Everyone is hiding a dark history, but Stella’s secrets run the deepest. Compelled by her fragile beauty, Hal is determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who’s been confined to history.
The Invitation is an epic love story that will transport you from the glamour of the Italian Riviera, to the darkness of war-torn Spain, and to a golden – if rather haunted – time. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Victoria Hislop.
©2016 Lucy Foley (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"I loved The Invitation...I could dive into this book and be amongst the glittering characters in the Italian sun. A beautifully complex and vivid story, full of repressed longing and secrets. An absolutely enchanting tale." (Lucinda Riley)
"So powerfully evoked...with dark, sensuous undercurrents that lingered on in my mind, long after I'd reluctantly left Stella and Hal behind." (Kate Riordan)
"Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past...richly drawn and compelling." (Rosanna Ley)
"An utterly seductive story depicting forbidden love and loss in 1950s Italy. The perfect beach read this summer." (Louise O'Neill)
"I loved every page - it's vividly written and utterly absorbing." (Iona Gray)
"Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once...a fabulous story." (Beatriz Williams, New York Times best-selling author of A Hundred Summers)
"It's a beautiful, compulsive and glamorous read - perfect for long summer days." (Lucy Clarke, author of the Richard & Judy best seller The Sea Sisters)
"The combination of the glittering, glamorous setting and the magnetic characters mesmerized me. This book is luminous." (Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times best-selling author of Here's to Us)
"A compelling love story that takes us far beyond the alluring Italian coast to a darker place, where secrets hide just below the water's surface.... A great read." (Brunonia Barry, New York Times best-selling author of The Lace Reader)
"Fabulously engrossing." (Woman & Home)
What listeners say about The Invitation
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rosemary
- 20-08-16
Stunning book
Lucy Foley writes exquisitely, the narration is perfect, and the stories totally intriguing. I loved every second of The Invitation, and would rate it as my favourite book for the last couple of years.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- NellMcMH
- 15-09-20
Feeling cheated...
by a book so well read but with an ending that seemed crow-barred in ar the last minute. ...and then what had seemed like quite an interesting cast, in retrospect were mostly clichés ...
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cagriff
- 04-08-21
All over the shop
The narrator was very good. The story line was all over the place....so I found it quite difficult listening and picking up where I left off because the story line was always going back to the past with the introduction of new characters...I just found it difficult to follow. The main female was a bit too damsel in distress. I wouldn’t recommend this book but I have enjoyed some of her other books.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Agnieszka Bania
- 11-10-16
An enchanting story beautifully read
This is one of those rare stories that really gets to you - it's got a wonderful atmosphere about it, debth of characters and is narrated in such a way that the narrator becomes the soul of the book. Ever wondered how you would be in the face of the war, loss, hunger? and how do regrets and what ifs shape your future?
Any Lucinda Riley fans will love this book and if you like "The Invitation"- then you will absolutely love every single one of Lucinda's unforgettable novels.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mel Chambers
- 07-05-21
Great story!
A beautiful background of Italy & France compliments the characters. Very vivid, great pace, intriguing, thoughtful, excellent. Wish there were more Lucy Foley books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Manar Moustafa
- 04-01-19
Enjoyable read
This is the second Lucy Foley book I read within past 2 months and I enjoyed it as much as the first one. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-08-17
One of my favourites!
I really enjoyed this book. Excellent historical story made even better by the amazing narrator.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Edwin B.
- 09-02-23
Great story
Really enjoyed this beautiful love story with interesting characters and brought to life by the excellent narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- monty
- 10-10-17
At last.....
A really good intelligent well written story...highly recommended and a cut above the norm
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth McCully
- 15-05-21
Once again, Lucy Foley captivates me!
The Invitation is a captivating story, filled with many diverse and complicated characters yielding a dialogue of mystery and intrigue, playing out amongst the characters who represent people who have everything that money can buy and some who have nothing but talent and honesty. Emma Gregory’s reading with her beautiful accents also makes the story proceed like hot syrup over pancakes! You don’t want to stop reading and it’s with sadness ( and joy) when you reach the climax of this beautiful tale. Highly recommended.
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