I've been a fan of Sandi Toksvig since watching her on Call My Bluff as a child, but I never knew that she wrote novels. When I realised then that mum had bought Melted Into Air on holiday, it was my first choice of her books to swap.
Melted into Aschool, a self-proclaimed 'Comedy of Errors in the Umbrian hills' and follows Frances, a theatre producer, as she returns to her birth town of Montecastello in rural Italy both to overcome heartbreak and uncover the mystery surrounding her parents' deaths and her flee from the town when she was only 5. While there she joins an art school with an eclectic mix of students who must put on a play to save the little village where Frances grew up.
I was a little surprised at the direction that this book took. It went deeply into exploring perceptions and the way we see life, both through art and the main character's circumstances. I'm not sure what I expected from Sandi but it wasn't this, although at times you could really hear her voice as a writer come through. It was a tale that whisked you away into the Umbrian hills and made you want to be a part of the little family built at the art school, where everyone's distinct personalities shone through, even if some were rather based on stereotypes.
For any fans of comedy, mystery or anyone who wants to be transported to this little Italian village this is a definite must-read.
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