Who were the: Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan

Two Women in Rome is the latest novel by Elizabeth Buchan. I have read and enjoyed many of her earlier books.

Two Women in Rome is a dual time line story set, as one would expect from the story’s title, in Italy. In the present, Lottie has recently married Tom and has gotten a job as an archivist. In the past, Nina has led a very complex life that she has had to carefully balance. Her story takes place around the time of Moro’s kidnapping, a rather unsettled time for Italians.

It is difficult to review this book as I don’t want there to be any spoilers. Readers will enjoy the slow burn of the novel as they find out what happened to Nina, a gardener, painter and a person with another job as well. They will also learn that Nina had a forbidden love affair. It is described with a sense of how important that relationship was to her.

In the present, Lottie has access to an archive with many documents relating to Nina. She wants, for many reasons, to understand Nina’s life. As often happens in dual time stories, the two narratives will intersect.

I very much enjoyed spending time with these two women who lived in Rome. I hope that readers will as well.