For Jennie
by Donna L. Gestri
Published by Port Town Publishing
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Reviewed by Amy L. Loos
Jennie DiLuca is a middle-aged singleton living and working as an undergarment seamstress in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood, circa 1957. She contently lives her life through the experiences of those around her. But when Jennie meets dashingly handsome and suave Robert Keppler aboard the Queen Mary, life and all of its routines suddenly get tossed overboard and Jennie takes risks with her heart that she never thought possible.
But once the cruise ends, Jennie's single life gets complicated as she tries to balance the desires she feels for Robert against those of her heartstrings that are being pulled by longtime family friend, Vito Parisi. Whom to choose? The man of your dreams or the man who knows your heart and soul?
What I enjoyed most about Donna Gestri's For Jennie, is that I felt as if I knew Jennie. She could be my friend or my sister, either way, I could sympathize with her need to break free from family convention and go test the waters into the unknown. What woman doesn't want to be swept off her feet, to experience life to its fullest with its passion and excitement? And what woman doesn't want the security of her friends and family to surround her as she takes those risks? Jennie is like any one of us, a woman who wants to be her own person, making her own mistakes, while carving out a slice of life to which she can enjoy.
If you want a romance novel that has multi-dimensional characters and is so richly steeped with details and setting that it'll leave you craving an espresso and a slice of zucchini parmesan frittata, then I highly suggest Donna Gestri's For Jennie.
Armchair Interviews says: Lots of good "food for thought" for romance lovers.