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The Invitation Paperback – August 1, 2017
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Rome, 1953: Hal, an itinerant journalist flailing in the post-war darkness, has come to the Eternal City to lose himself and to seek absolution for the thing that haunts him. One evening he finds himself on the steps of a palazzo, walking into a world of privilege and light. Here, on a rooftop above the city, he meets the mysterious Stella. Hal and Stella are from different worlds, but their connection is magnetic. Together, they escape the crowded party and imagine a different life, even if it's just for a night. Yet Stella vanishes all too quickly, and Hal is certain their paths won't cross again.
But a year later they are unexpectedly thrown together, after Hal receives an invitation he cannot resist. An Italian Contessa asks him to assist on a trip of a lifetime -- acting as a reporter on a tremendous yacht, skimming its way along the Italian coast toward Cannes film festival, the most famous artists and movie stars of the day gathered to promote a new film.
Of all the luminaries aboard — an Italian ingénue, an American star, a reclusive director — only one holds Hal in thrall: Stella. And while each has a past that belies the gilded surface, Stella has the most to hide. As Hal's obsession with Stella grows, he becomes determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who's been confined to history. An irresistibly entertaining and atmospheric novel set in some of the world's most glamorous locales, The Invitation is a sultry love story about the ways in which the secrets of the past stay with us — no matter how much we try to escape them.
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBack Bay Books
- Publication dateAugust 1, 2017
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100316272906
- ISBN-13978-0316272902
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Pop this tale of love, secrets and obsession right into your beach bag."--People
"Certain that they'll never meet again, journalist Hal and socialite Stella indulge in an illicit rendezvous. But when they're reunited on a yacht in Cannes a year later, temptation is everywhere."--Cosmopolitan
"Lucy Foley crafts a subtle, dramatic story of guilt, desire and long-held secrets.... Lushly described settings and Foley's keen but compassionate eye for her characters combines to make The Invitation a beautiful, bittersweet journey of loss and redemption."--Shelf Awareness
"THE INVITATION is a riveting, dazzling romance, set in the most beautiful places on earth. I wanted to go wherever Lucy Foley took me."―Anton DiSclafani, New York Times bestselling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls and The After Party
"Richly atmospheric and emotionally resonant, The Invitation is a compelling love story that takes us far beyond the alluring Italian coast and the film festival at Cannes to a darker place, where the wounds of war are still fresh, and secrets hide just below the water's surface. Lucy Foley's lavish depictions both immerse and transport, inviting us to cruise along with this glamorous and enigmatic cast of unforgettable characters. A great read."―Brunonia Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader
"I loved THE INVITATION. Foley has such a visceral writing style, and her rich descriptions made me feel as if I could dive into this book and be amongst the glittering characters in the Italian sun. A beautifully complex and vivid story, full of repressed longing and secrets. An absolutely enchanting tale."―Lucinda Riley, New York Times bestselling author of The Orchid House
"Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once, this is a fabulous story with such wonderful, intelligent prose."―Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers
"I love The Invitation. The setting is so powerfully evoked that I found myself browsing holidays on the Italian Riviera for days. But while it definitely ticks all the boxes for those after a glamorous, mid-century romance, it's actually much more than that, with dark, sensuous undercurrents that lingered on in my mind, long after I'd reluctantly left Stella and Hal behind."
―Kate Riordan, author of The Shadow Hour
"A seductive love tale set on the Italian Riviera in the 1950s"―Sunday Times Style (UK)
"The perfect summer read... Gorgeously compelling"―Good Housekeeping (UK)
"Oozes glamour... Lush, romantic and cleverly crafted - a brainy beach read to relish"―Sunday Mirror (UK)
"In her second novel, Foley weaves a very satisfying love story, and readers will be especially taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting."
―Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (August 1, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316272906
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316272902
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #49,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #289 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)
- #1,328 in Family Saga Fiction
- #13,060 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Hello and welcome to my author page! Whether you’ve read my books before, are thinking of trying one out or just landed here by chance (or fate…?) it’s great to see you!
I’m the No.1 Sunday Times and New York Tikes bestselling author of The Hunting Party, The Guest List and most recently The Paris Apartment, a murder mystery set in a beautiful but eerie apartment block in Paris. Jess arrives to stay with her brother Ben and finds him missing — from various clues in his apartment and from the suspicious behaviour of the other residents in the building she begins to suspect something deeply unpleasant has happened to him…
A little about me: I always knew I wanted to work with books somehow, so I studied English at university before working in a bookshop, a literary agency and then as a fiction editor at a big publishing house, during which time I realised that every book starts off as a messy first draft full of plot holes and mistakes. I thought I’d have a go at writing myself — the result of which was my first historical fiction novel, The Book of Lost and Found. I wrote two more historicals, The Invitation and Last Letter to Istanbul, before turning to the dark side and writing my first crime thriller, The Hunting Party: my first Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Month, set over New Year’s Eve at a remote, snowy spot in the Scottish Highlands.
Next came The Guest List, a murder mystery set at a wedding on an island off the coast of Ireland, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick, a Goodreads Choice Awards winner, a Waterstones Book of the Month, and has sold over three million copies. Then came The Paris Apartment, which is a number one New York Times bestseller and Sunday Times bestseller.
My books have been translated into over 40 languages and all three murder mysteries are currently being adapted for TV and film.
I’ve also written a short story for the brand new Marple collection, a brand new series of short stories featuring Agatha Christie’s legendary detective Jane Marple, alongside writers such as Val McDermid, Kate Mosse, Alyssa Cole, Ruth Ware and Leigh Bardugo, out September 2022 to coincide with Christie’s birthday!
I’m currently hard at work on a fourth thriller, so watch this space!
If you enjoy my books or want to say hi, I’d love to hear from you: I’m @lucyfoleytweets on Twitter and @lucyfoleyauthor on Instagram, or you can check out my Facebook author page www.facebook.com/lucyfoleyauthor. Hope to see you there! And if you click the yellow 'follow' button, Amazon will send you an email when I have a new release, or if there's a promotion you might be interested in. It's the best way to make sure you never miss a book!
#TheParisApartment #TheGuestList #TheHuntingParty
Customer reviews
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Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2021
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This book felt very slow to start, it took me almost 2 1/2 weeks to finish the first half of the book, when usually I’m finishing a book within a week. It didn’t draw me in as others have, but it was compelling enough to keep me picking up the book for a chapter at a time and not adding it to the DNF pile.
Determined to finish- because I do like Lucy Foley’s other works I finally made it halfway and felt the story begin to pick up steam. The ending was a total twist, one that could have gone a multitude of directions, but the ending she chose while possibly not as exciting as others could have been allowed a full circle ending I feel.
Some of the things I didn’t care for with this book is the way the story is told and the multiple story lines. There’s 4 stories going on here. The present day story, the story of Hal’s past and his secret, Stella’s past, and then the story of the Captain of the film.
To me the Captain’s story was unnecessary, it could have taken the book in a different direction with a twist but at the end, it really had no effect on how the story itself played out and could have been removed entirely.
The stories of Stella and Hal’s past, while important to the full story I did not like the way it was jumbled in the presents story, there were many times when I had to go back and reread to catch that suddenly we shifted from past to present.
All in all, it wasn’t bad, I had originally wanted to give 2 stars while reading but the ending did just enough to give it that 3rd star. Knowing this was her second novel I can also see some of the novice-ness in the writing and her still finding her style. Good to see where she started and where she made it to!
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A cast living a life of luxury with their own heartache and stories.
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Hal, a journalist has come to Italy to forget about his past. He meets Stella and they are immediately drawn to each other. They have an encounter and do not think they will ever meet again.
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A year later Hal accepts an invitation from an Italian Contessa to aboard her yacht on an amazing journey. Stars, Cannes festival, and by a stroke of luck Hal and Stella meet again. Sadly she is not whom she was a year ago. Hal is obsessed with her.
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Escape with this novel and into a life most of us will never know.
Put it down! O this author. Well done!
Two lost souls in search of escape and fulfillment. Hated for it to end, just as their story begins.