Renowned sculptor Robert Gandy and his wife Magdalena own and operate the Tuscany Hotel in Southern California. Their elite guests are artists, actors, scientists and engineers who left their worries behind and came to create masterpieces.
Midnight At The Tuscany Hotel
James Markert
Thomas Nelson
April 2019
Magdalena’s life was not always so peaceful. She was left as a baby on the foundling wheel at the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, Italy one stormy night. Magdalena had a problem. She couldn’t retain any present memory, but could remember thing that happened years, even centuries ago, as if she really lived them. She was adopted by a sculptor at the age of ten years. He believed she was his muse and would bring him fame. He was very cruel and did unspeakable things to her.
One day when he was traveling she ventured into town and saw Robert. Each day she would return and eventually began a conversation with him. When Robert learned what had been happening to her, he devised a way to help her leave. They left Italy for the United States and settled in California were they built the Tuscany Hotel. Their son Vittorio was born, Robert continued to create beautiful sculptors, and the hotel was the place to visit. Magdalena dies and circumstances forces Robert and his family to move, abandoning the hotel.
Vittorio grew up, married and had a son. Returning home from the war, he is haunted by memories, and his former life is unrecognizable. His wife is afraid of him and his young son doesn’t remember him. His father has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t recognize anyone. One night he went missing and they found him at the abandoned hotel. Robert started drinking the well water which seemed to restore his memory and he could again create beautiful sculptors.
They reopened the hotel. Their guests were people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. They came to drink the water to regain their memory. Although the water was helping, it was slowly killing them.
When the guests learn the truth, will they continue to come for the water and have a life until the end or will they let the dreaded disease take over once again?
Midnight At The Tuscany explores the mystery of the mind, the truth behind the lore, and the miracle of inspiration.
A very good read. Highly recommend it.
Mary Asher, the Golden Reviewer, is a founding book blogger for BookGateway.com and has generously provided this review. She describes herself as “an 88 year young great-grandmother and an avid reader.”
This book was provided by the publisher for review.