What would you do if you knew you only had 100 days left to live? For Lucio Battistini, it's a chance to spend the rest of his life the way he always should have—by making every moment count.
Imperfect, unfaithful but loveable Lucio has been thrown out of the house by his wife and is sleeping at his father-in-law's bombolini bakery when he learns he has inoperable cancer. So begins the last hundred days of Lucio's life, as he attempts to right his wrongs, win back his wife (the love of his life and afterlife), and spend the next three months enjoying every moment with a zest he hasn't felt in years. In 100 epigrammatic chapters--one for each of Lucio's remaining days on earth--100 Days of Happiness is as delicious as a hot doughnut and a morning cappuccino.
Wistful, touching, and often hilarious, 100 Days of Happiness reminds us all to remember the preciousness of life and what matters most.
I loved this book in theory, I loved it in theme, I loved it in writing, I loved it in so many way; however, for some reason, I just failed to be absorbed by this book.
This story was inspirational, but not in an overtly in-your-face manner like some books can be. While Lucio wants to make the most of his last days, he sometimes screws up and has days that aren't really that meaningful. He's human. But he tries really hard and in that he's a great example.
Lucio himself was my absolute favourite. He was quirky and entertaining, with a really fun view of life, and his devotion to his family was unending and really sweet. I enjoyed seeing him at work and especially when he interacted with his boss.
I loved the other characters that were weaved in, from Lucio's two best friends to his step-father who runs a donut shop. They all had their own little stories and the way they interacted with Lucio was a lot of fun.
I found this contained some really beautiful scenes and beautiful moments that showed which ways life can be important.
The Italian culture was so much fun. Details like fig gelato really added--I adore reading translations of European novels because of the small things that distinguish them from books written for English readers. The translation was flawless, and kept original Italian only in places where it worked really well.
Underneath it all, this was about Lucio and his wife Paola, and underneath it all, it was very sweet and gave me warm fuzzy feelings (alongside the tears!)
Overall, this was a really good book--it just lacked that spark that made me want to keep reading it. I enjoyed reading it, but I kept wanting to read other books more. However, I definitely recommend giving it a shot, if only for the fun Italian culture.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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