Lead Review

• Book: The Little Theatre By The Sea
• Location: Dorset, Sardinia (Sardegna)
• Author: Rosanna Ley

Review Author: tripfiction

In our first outing for the TripFiction Book Club – #TFBookClub – we featured this novel set in Sardinia and Dorset. All the discussions and articles by Marco Polo Guides, Not Just Travel and Visit Dorset can be found here.

Faye has been invited to stay in Sardinia by her friend Charlotte – who is well settled in Deriu on the west coast of Sardinia (which is the less touristy side of the island) – in order to tackle the overhaul of the local theatre. She has just finished her degree and is well equipped on the design side, but is in no way prepared for the machinations of the locals.

“In Sardinia what you see is not always what you get.” “And eagles do not catch flies” Quite so.

So she begins the process of settling on the island, meeting Alessandro and Marisa, the brother and sister whose mission it is to renovate the theatre. But the locals don’t like change and some have more reason to maintain the status quo than others.

Meanwhile, back home in Dorset, Faye’s parents are experiencing a particularly difficult period in their marriage and at one point Faye feels she has to return home to really understand what is going on. Some blowy walks on the famous Chesil Beach and Cogden Beach are the polar opposite of the Mediterranean climate that Faye has come to appreciate.

The overwhelming feel of Sardinia, evoked by the author, is what really drew us in. Whether it was the gamut of tasty dishes such bottarga or porceddu or the aromatic wines that accompanied the food, the senses were truly stirred. In fact seemingly the food is so healthy, says the author, that the people living on the island are living to over 100 years old, more than any other place.

I enjoyed the smooth opening to the book, setting the scene as the story unfolds. The novel then at times struggled to keep the style fresh, and the interactions of the characters was at times a little laboured and repetitive. But on the whole a good read for the beach, especially if you are holidaying in Sardinia – or want to be transported there for the price of a paperback.

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