Ten
years ago a friend convinced me to read THE BRIDGES OF MADISON
COUNTY, the Robert James Waller bestseller that seemed to have
every woman in the country under its spell. You know the plot ---
middle-aged boy meets neglected middle-aged farm girl, they fall in
love amidst the bridges, romance abounds, but life's realities keep
them from a life of endless true love. I hated it.

So it was with some trepidation that I began THE LAST PROMISE, a
similarly outfitted romance novel by another three-named author. I
approached it cautiously, ready to ridicule the simplistic
storyline and overwrought characters. But wouldn’t you know
--- I liked it.

Yes, there’s some Waller-esque treacle here, especially
toward the end. And I’m awfully sick of beautiful,
intelligent romance heroines who don’t believe they deserve
love. But what I liked about the book, even with the somewhat stock
characters and easily delivered melodrama, were the details. Mr.
Evans knows his Italy.

The story, in a nutshell: Eliana, nee Ellen, moves to Italy with
her husband the Count, expecting a life of wine, roses and pasta.
But Maurizio quickly proves a different man in Italy than he was in
the U.S., where he’d romanced Eliana. Once she gives birth to
their son, Alessio, Maurizio is constantly on the road --- and
constantly in other women’s beds. Eliana masks her
unhappiness through devotion to her two passions ---- Alessio (who
is dangerously asthmatic) and her art. Why not divorce, any
reasonable person may ask? Well, Evans does a nice job of locking
that door before it’s even been opened --- Alessio’s
asthma makes it impossible for him to fly (a detail later skimmed
over, but whatever) and Italy’s patriarchal divorce laws
wouldn’t let Eliana keep custody of her son. Enter Ross
Story, an American with a “mysterious past” who comes
to board at Maurizio’s villa. He and Eliana predictably hit
it off, as Ross is everything Maurizio is not --- caring, loving,
attentive, good with Alessio.

The twists and turns won’t blow you away; the lovers are
together, then parted, then together, then --- I won’t spoil
the ending. Don’t read this book for fresh, exciting
characters or a new take on romance. The industry standards are
still there, but they inhabit a lush world full of Italian history
and mythology, which makes THE LAST PROMISE worth reading.

Evans splits his time between Utah and Italy, and did extensive
research for this book. In the prologue he tells readers that his
inspiration was a woman who he met at an Italian swimming pool. Her
true-life story drives the book, but so does Evans’ love of
Italian culture. His descriptions of the countryside, the museums
and the legends make this work interesting. Even the Italian
proverbs that begin every chapter (which at first I found cloying
but later decided were amusing) add a nice dimension. The very
notion of Europe conjures romantic imagery. His in-depth
descriptions of two of Italy's treasures --- food and painting ---
make the book a more interesting read than a reader might
expect.

By weaving details of the wine harvest, local festival and vestal
virgin tragedies into this story, Evans achieves romance without
overcooking it. True love is never tough sell. It's even more
palatable when one of the characters is truly likeable. And Eliana
is truly likeable, much more real than the sweetly cliche-ridden
Ross. Evans manages to make our insecure heroine nonetheless a
sensual, sympathetic beauty with a dry sense of humor. How often do
you find that in syrupy “earnest” romances?

Too often this genre takes itself too seriously, when it’s
much more entertaining to treat it with a smile. It’s fluffy.
But it’s also, in this case, enjoyably warm.