Official Review: Of Bread And Wine by Edward Izzi

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 10 Mar 2020, 15:43

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Of Bread And Wine" by Edward Izzi.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Michael Prescott (the main character) is a criminal attorney and a close friend to Monsignor Robert Cavalieri (a Vatican priest). They both went to the same high school in Chicago but pursued different careers. During Michael’s visit to Rome, he decides to pay Cavalieri a friendly visit. It is during this visit that Cavalieri briefs Michael about the confession from Cardinal Masellis. Additionally, during Michael’s stay in Rome, he meets Sienna (Marco DiVito’s daughter), who is a journalist and a reporter for the Washington Post. Sienna’s visit to Rome was to meet his long lost father, Marco DiVito, and follow up on a criminal investigation story about the Pope.

Cardinal Masellis and Marco DiVito, head of Vatican security, were involved in the Banco Ambrosiano scandal (a Vatican Bank). Masellis did not want the scandal to be leaked to the public, so he took care of the loose ends, which involved the killing of Pope John Paul I. This left him and some of his associates safe temporarily. Don Calogero Cesario was a close friend of Cardinal Masellis. He was not happy upon learning about the death of Pope John Paul I because his family’s wealth and reputation were at stake. He looked for a way to flash out the perpetrators. Did he succeed? One more thing, the gold coins gifted to the Pope by Don’s family were missing from the crime scene. Who took them? And for what reason?

Edward Izii’s Of Bread and Wine is a fictional crime thriller based in the Vatican, Rome. It highlights the evil deeds men do to satisfy their selfish interests. The book features some of the Roman Catholic beliefs and traditions, but this does not mean the expressions in the book would change an individual’s faith. The expressions are meant for the reader to understand the Roman Catholic beliefs and traditions.

The author presented the story in a descriptive and sincere tone, from the first-person point of view. He used modern-day English to narrate the story and sprinkled it with some Latino dialects, which are translated into English. There are grammatical errors in the narrative, which includes spelling mistakes, misplaced words, etcetera. The sentence structures in the narrative are well-built and balanced. The book consists of 295 pages (PDF format) with 43 chapters. Each chapter states the site of events.

The characters are introduced simultaneously as the plot advances. They are numerous, and each presents unique qualities, which seasons the story. Additionally, the character descriptions are perfectly detailed and precise. The backstories boost plot development.

I like the qualities these characters manifested. Marco DiVito is a hardworking wine presser and owns a vineyard in Vatican/Rome. He started his career as a security agent for the Vatican under Pope John XXIII. I believe the decisions he made in life were meant to protect his family. His daughter, on the other hand, Sienna DiVito, found it challenging and frustrating growing without a father figure. I like that she managed to endure this challenge. The sense of humor Sienna and Michael manifested created room for entertainment amid the tension in the story. It showed that despite the negative aspects of life, there is always room for laughter.

The narrative is sprinkled with Spanish and Italian dialect, which I find appealing considering the setting of the story. It brings the realistic aspect of the story because the majority of the inhabitants in the Vatican, Rome, speak in Spanish or Italian. For those who do not understand the two languages need not worry because the phrases have been translated into English. I like how the events in the story are unfolded in descending order in that the most recent scenes are revealed before the scenes that took place before. It makes the reader want to read more and find out what happened before the current event took place.

I beg to differ with some Roman Catholic culture and traditions mentioned in the book. They sound delusional. Let me not be specific for fear I may stumble some readers.

The lesson drawn from the story is that excessive love of money and pride are the root cause of all sorts of injurious things.

The story is gripping, thrilling, and suspenseful. There is a handful of plot twists that stirs up the tension in the story. I’m impressed with the way the author eased the tension by merging humor and love scenes into the story. Though the book is well-edited, I found numerous errors in the book that took away a lot from certain segments in the story. Re-editing will help correct the issue and improve grammar. Additionally, there are some profane terms and one instance of sexual references (not quite erotic) in the material. I’d advise readers who are sensitive to the traits mentioned to skip the book. That said, I award the book a 3 out of 4 stars.

The book will interest readers who fancy reading crime thrillers with a sprinkle of humor and romantic scenes.

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Of Bread And Wine
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Cynthia_Oluchi · Post by **Cynthia_Oluchi** » 19 Mar 2020, 11:32

Interesting!
I am curious to know if Don Calogero Cesario really succeeded in his quest to flash out the perpetrators of this crime. This book must make an interesting read.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 20 Mar 2020, 03:19

Cynthia_Oluchi wrote: ↑19 Mar 2020, 11:32 Interesting!
I am curious to know if Don Calogero Cesario really succeeded in his quest to flash out the perpetrators of this crime. This book must make an interesting read.

Sure thing. I hope you enjoy reading the book. I appreciate your kind words.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 20 Mar 2020, 06:07

I'm old enough to remember the Banco Ambrosiano scandal, and how Cardinal Marcinkus, the then director of the Vatican bank, basically ran away from Italy to never return to avoid an awkward chat with the D.A. who was leading the investigation into the money disappearance. That makes the novel intriguing for me. Thank you for your interesting review!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda · 20 Mar 2020, 12:18

I beg to differ with some Roman Catholic culture and traditions mentioned in the book. They sound delusional. Let me not be specific for fear I may stumble some readers.

LOL! Having been raised a Catholic, I wonder what beliefs you find delusional. The Banco Ambrosiano's scandal was huge, and I'm curious about what parts of the real story did the author used and what parts are imagined. It seems like an interesting thriller! Thanks!

OfficialEmma · Post by **OfficialEmma** » 20 Mar 2020, 17:46

The author did a good job with the character development. Your review is very detailed and interesting.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 20 Mar 2020, 18:20

Lunastella wrote: ↑20 Mar 2020, 12:18
I beg to differ with some Roman Catholic culture and traditions mentioned in the book. They sound delusional. Let me not be specific for fear I may stumble some readers.
LOL! Having been raised a Catholic, I wonder what beliefs you find delusional. The Banco Ambrosiano's scandal was huge, and I'm curious about what parts of the real story did the author used and what parts are imagined. It seems like an interesting thriller! Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback. Let me not point out those beliefs. Hehehe. If you find time you can check the book.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 20 Mar 2020, 18:20

OfficialEmma wrote: ↑20 Mar 2020, 17:46 The author did a good job with the character development. Your review is very detailed and interesting.

I appropriate your kind words. Thank you

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 20 Mar 2020, 18:38

NetMassimo wrote: ↑20 Mar 2020, 06:07 I'm old enough to remember the Banco Ambrosiano scandal, and how Cardinal Marcinkus, the then director of the Vatican bank, basically ran away from Italy to never return to avoid an awkward chat with the D.A. who was leading the investigation into the money disappearance. That makes the novel intriguing for me. Thank you for your interesting review!

Wow. That's awesome. I appreciate your kind and exciting comment.

Connie Otwani · Post by **Connie Otwani** » 24 Mar 2020, 00:32

Sounds like an exciting thriller with comic relief and love interludes. And based on real events, too? Can life get any better?

Thanks for this riveting review!

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 24 Mar 2020, 03:16

Cotwani wrote: ↑24 Mar 2020, 00:32 Sounds like an exciting thriller with comic relief and love interludes. And based on real events, too? Can life get any better?

Thanks for this riveting review!

I appreciate your kind words. Thanks.

Nisha Ward · Post by **Nisha Ward** » 27 Mar 2020, 14:47

I'm always down for a thriller involving the Vatican. I've found that they make for an even more exciting novel. I'm also interested in the real world parallels, if I've read some of the comments correctly.

Shabram22 · Post by **Shabram22** » 27 Mar 2020, 14:55

Sounds like an interesting book. I felt myself getting carried away with the summary. But I'm not sure I would really enjoy it. So I'll probably pass. Thanks for an exciting review!

monifa26 · Post by **monifa26** » 27 Mar 2020, 15:09

This book so far from the summary seems very exciting. And I felt like I was drawn into the book. i can definitely see myself reading this.

Nerea · Post by **Nerea** » 31 Mar 2020, 05:14

Nisha Ward wrote: ↑27 Mar 2020, 14:47 I'm always down for a thriller involving the Vatican. I've found that they make for an even more exciting novel. I'm also interested in the real world parallels, if I've read some of the comments correctly.

Sure thing. I hope you find time to check this book. It won't disappoint you.