Villa Coco by Andrew Sean GreerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer returns with a charming tale of Geoffrey, a young American archivist who accepts what he believes will be a simple short‑term job in Italy: cataloging the artwork of his employer, the Baronessa at Villa Coco. Geoffrey arrives expecting the elegance of an Italian country estate, but quickly discovers the villa is a near‑dilapidated rural property filled with Italian‑speaking staff, eccentric locals, and a 92‑year‑old spinstress with a flair for dramatic stories and odd rituals.
Upon his arrival, the Baronessa immediately renames Geoffrey “Giovedì,” and he soon learns that nearly everyone in the household has been given a new identity by the mistress of the estate. If that weren’t odd enough, the sewer is overflowing, the cars don’t work, and an elderly woman in town spends her days shouting at passing drivers.
It becomes clear that Geoffrey has been hired less as an archivist than as a companion, assistant, and occasional co‑conspirator. The constant comings and goings of colorful friends, family, and staff keep Villa Coco in a state of laughter, chaos, and half‑told tales of wild capers. Romance unexpectedly blooms with the Baronessa’s cousin, though even that relationship is not quite what it seems. Mysteries swirl through the summer — missing items, strange stories, and something decidedly off about the artwork he was meant to catalog.
As the season winds down and Giovedì’s contract nears its end, he faces unexpected life choices. The mysteries of the summer unravel in surprising ways, leaving him and the reader with a gentle, humorous, and quietly satisfying conclusion.
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