Cara Serafina is a wife and mother who is called upon to go help her grandmother, Giulia in her time of need.  Somewhat reluctantly she goes to Italy where her grandmother had been visiting to help her regain her footing after a fall that breaks her hip. While there Cara learns the secrets of Giulia and her life before she was a grandma. 

Giulia is a formidable woman who has had a lot of heartache in her life.  Having lost two babies as stillborn, she has three of her own and has raised her stepchildren.  Her tale of her first loves begins in Italy, and ends when she finds true love a second time.  An Italian immigrant she shares her tale of how she came to love her first boyfriend, to how she feel in love with the wrong men before finding the right man for her. 

As the debut novel in the Harlequin Everlasting Love Series, words cannot describe DANCING ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS.  This novel was filled with emotion from page one, yet the heartache leaves the reader feeling good about Giulia and her past.  She is a woman who lived a hard life, and begins to share her heritage with her granddaughter only because she needs to relive the memories to heal.  This novel follows the immigration of one Italian family who came to America searching for freedom and wealth.   

As Cara reads letters from her grandfather to her grandmother she learns of the passion they shared, and the hurdles they faced to share their love.  She also comes to understand what made her family the way they are, and how her heritage is a part of her life.  Linda Cardillo is a talented author who brings her Italian American heritage to life with her debut novel, DANCING ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS.   

While the novel started off slow and confusing, after the first few pages, Ms. Cardillo transported this reader into a world of history that made tears flow and smiles emerge from the pain and history.  This reviewer highly recommends this novel to readers who enjoy family tales, and woman’s history.

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