-
A Portrait of Emily Price
A Portrait of Emily Price
Contemporary, Romance, Inspirational
Thomas Nelson
November 1, 2016
Kindle, Paperback, Audible, MP3 CD, Library Binding
336
Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can’t fix—until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another matter . . .
Emily Price—fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist—dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.
But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well—inviting her into his world and into his heart.
Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.
Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?
Brushstroke by brushstroke, layer upon layer…
the technique of a good painting, a great book, and life.
I like to review and rate books based their intended purpose. In addition to “Is it well written, well structured, with well rounded characters” criteria a story must meet the expectations I have for that genre (thriller, romance, inspirational, etc.) to earn five stars. Katherine Reay in A Portrait of Emily Price delivers an inspirational genre 
masterpiece worth
A Portrait of Emily Price uses the art of painting as the backdrop for a story of romance and family. While I’m not a 
painter myself I understand that it takes paints, brushes, and an artist’s skill to make a blank canvas come alive. This is not much different from writing a good book or living a full and happy life.
Katherine is an more than just a writer, she is a storyteller. I loved her ability to write a story that you not only read with your head but experienced with your heart. Truth be told, the first couple chapters of the book, while solid, are not enthralling and give little indication as to where the book will take you. Like an artist at a canvas; Katherine adds each word and sentence, each paragraph and chapter, layer by layer, to produce not only an entertaining contemporary romance but an inspirational story. It’s a story that allows you to experience the emotions of the characters and may even trigger memories of times in your past when you had a similar emotional connections.
In a painting, each layer of paint is not impressive by itself but together with the other colors and textures produces a finished work that draws you in with its depth and expression. It’s like life in many ways; the sum of each event, interaction, and experience produces in us the picture of our lives. Even the mis-strokes add character to the portrait. 
There is no such thing as a perfect life, all good and no bad. It just doesn’t exist! But perfection does not equate with happiness as Emily finally realizes:
Take time for A Portrait of Emily Price. Great Book!
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
