Fausto Brizzi

I loved this book in theory, I loved it in theme, I loved it in writing, I loved it in so many way; however, for some reason, I just failed to be absorbed by this book.

This story was inspirational, but not in an overtly in-your-face manner like some books can be. While Lucio wants to make the most of his last days, he sometimes screws up and has days that aren't really that meaningful. He's human. But he tries really hard and in that he's a great example.

Lucio himself was my absolute favourite. He was quirky and entertaining, with a really fun view of life, and his devotion to his family was unending and really sweet. I enjoyed seeing him at work and especially when he interacted with his boss.

I loved the other characters that were weaved in, from Lucio's two best friends to his step-father who runs a donut shop. They all had their own little stories and the way they interacted with Lucio was a lot of fun.

I found this contained some really beautiful scenes and beautiful moments that showed which ways life can be important.

The Italian culture was so much fun. Details like fig gelato really added--I adore reading translations of European novels because of the small things that distinguish them from books written for English readers. The translation was flawless, and kept original Italian only in places where it worked really well.

Underneath it all, this was about Lucio and his wife Paola, and underneath it all, it was very sweet and gave me warm fuzzy feelings (alongside the tears!)

Overall, this was a really good book--it just lacked that spark that made me want to keep reading it. I enjoyed reading it, but I kept wanting to read other books more. However, I definitely recommend giving it a shot, if only for the fun Italian culture.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

Forty year old, Lucio Battistini has just found out he has terminal cancer and only 3 months to live, hence the title of the book. His first goal is to win his wife's love back, he cheated on her. He also wants to create some happy memories for his two children to remember him by and show his close friends how much they mean to him. After two sessions of chemo therapy he decides no more and to live his life the best he can. Although 360 pages this is a quick read, with a few pages donated to each day. It does give one pause for thought as to how you would deal with news of this nature and a lesson in living your best life not wasting it. However, I don't know that we feel the physical impact of his decline. I am not sure how realistic a portrayal it is.… (more)