One year. One love. One life.

Can love really help us to find out who we truly are, or is it just an out-of-fashion statement?

Urbino, Unexpectedly, is a journey of self-discovery through the power of love, the complexity of a mother-daughter relationship, friendship, and the need to follow one’s own dreams. It is set in Italy between the frivolous Adriatic coast, the backcountry’s romantic hamlets, the Alps, foggy Milan, and colorful Rome.

Clara is twenty-two; she studies in Milan and is about to become a lawyer. From the outside, everything is exactly as it is supposed to be, but Clara is unhappy. She finds Milan depressing, she hates law school and, anywhere she goes, she feels “like a fish out of water.” Embracing her parents’ values has trapped her in a life she neither likes nor understands. Her father is a famous surgeon and a reserved, pragmatic man whom she fears; her mother is a well-connected, flamboyant socialite used to supervising and influencing Clara’s every move; her roommates are often a source of trouble and, her grandma, who lives upstairs in the family’s home, is Clara’s only confidant. In Urbino, she meets Leonardo, a young doctor who lives in Rome, and from their first handshake, her destiny is changed forever. Their immediate mental connection crumbles the rules of her black-and-white world and their powerful physical passion shows her the many colors of life. But this is only the beginning.

Clara’s newfound confidence and the decisions that come with it trigger unforeseen conflicts with her mother and bring to the surface deep-rooted jealousy that force her to redefine not only the relationships with her parents, but also the meaning of true friendship. Clara is faced with the dilemma of having to choose between her own happiness and the peace of mind of the people around her. She has to understand if spreading her wings and living life her own way it is more important than the reassuring feeling of being a ‘good girl’ who always behaves.

“Urbino, Unexpectedly is very much a journey of self discovery, but Clara is not alone. The skill of Maria Chiara Marsciani ensures that the reader accompanies her, and supports her, every inch of the way. A lovely book which I heartily recommend.”   – Charles Derek Bray