The Sweet Hills of Florence is a gloriously sweeping novel that spans time and distance between Italy and Australia, between Mussolini's Italy and that of Berlusconi, between past and present. It is a rich tapestry woven with skilful insight, of the culture and the times. In digging beneath the patina of memory in a search for meaning, it opens doors to the past and raises questions. Are some doors better left locked? Some ghosts better left alone?' -Sandy McCutcheon, Black Widow