At the Villa Celeste

In At the Villa Celeste, Elizabeth Wassell Montague conjures a hauntingly beautiful tale of longing, memory, and the fragile architecture of identity. When Clementine Dove begins to unravel under the weight of familial love and unspoken trauma, her yearning for beauty, clarity and Europe leads her into the heart of France. In Paris and along the sun-drenched Côte d'Azur, past and present collide as two generations of women navigate desire, restraint and the hunger to be truly seen. Through the lyrical journeys of Clementine and Florence March - a writer seeking healing in a mysterious clinic - Wassell weaves a richly textured narrative of transformation, steeped in literary allusion, myth and psychological nuance. At once intimate and expansive, At the Villa Celeste is a meditation on the body, the soul and the stories we inherit and choose to tell. A shimmering and unforgettable novel of feminine strength, emotional exile and the courage to return to oneself.