Villa Coco is a beautiful, funny, touching story about a naive college graduate who somehow lands a job in Italy not speaking Italian as a curator for an extremely eccentric elderly Baroness who lives at in a small Italian villa, Villa Coco. What he learns, sees and hears will change his life forever. You see, the Baroness has a few agendas in mind for her new innocent worker. The story is fun, heartbreaking yet powerful in its lessons.
Geoffrey has just graduated from college and after a terrible break-up has sworn off men. Now he must find a job, preferably where no one knows him. So, he can’t believe his luck when he finds an ad searching for a curator at a villa in Italy. And is shocked when he gets the job.
But right from the start, as he heads to the villa through the beautiful Italian countryside, he begins to question his choice. There are well, oddities he begins to notice along the drive which in itself leaves a great deal to be desired as the car bucks the whole way to its destination. Then, there seems to be a very old lady who sits on a road near the Villa who screams in Italian at anyone who passes. And the staff at the villa are a cast of characters in their own right.
But the real character is the Baroness herself, dressed impeccably and at the age of 92 doesn’t quite care what she says or does. She is a mystery. And as Geoffrey will discover so is the job he was supposed to be there to do. Because the Baroness tells him until he learns other jobs, and Italian, that curating will come later. So, it seems he becomes the Baroness’s’ personal assistant, television companion as she watches old mystery series as well as her accomplice as they trapse around Italy so she can do curiously mysterious tasks.
As he begins to hear her stories, her past, her loves and as he begins to meet not only her excentric friends and some of her family he thinks he starts to understand her. Unfortunately, he does not!
But she teaches and he learns and his fear of her begins to soften. Until there seems to be one final story the Baroness needs to play out, and she now feels he is ready to help. But as he will discover is he up for the task?
Villa Coco is filled with humorous stories, heartbreaking lessons to be learned and curious decisions which need to be made. But love. So much love. The Baroness will make sure she is remembered forever.
Published by Doubleday
Villa Coco: A Novel: Greer, Andrew Sean: 9780385551977: Amazon.com: Books
