Author: Taylor, Matson
Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)
Published on 2 July 2026 by Simon & Schuster Ltd (Scribner UK) in the United Kingdom.
Hardback | 384 pages
143 x 224 x 31 | 444g
A glorious novel of hope and healing for fans of Armistead Maupin, Fredrik Backman and Kate Atkinson from the author of Radio 2 Book Club pick The Miseducation of Evie Epworth˜Roman Mornings sets out to charm and beguile. Cats talk and statues come to life, nudging the characters towards happy endings. Matson Taylor treats his English abroad characters with infectious affection. Bob tries to be more Italian: swaggering down the street, buying racy socks. The unlikely quartet visit an Italian disco with a Beatles-obsessed nun. Roman Mornings worked on me, and if any palazzo-dwelling eccentrics want to adopt a middle-aged book reviewer¦' Antonia Senior, The Times 'Rome is both healer and magician in this enchanting novel of homecoming and belonging, and of the transformational power of friendship. Delizioso' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life'Taylor's prose is lilting and lyrical, capturing the city's beguiling atmosphere, creating the perfect backdrop for the allure of la dolce vita' Daily Mail 1952, Trastevere, Rome. An idyllic maze crammed full of narrow streets and eccentric characters. A young English woman, Clementine Severs, arrives armed with a teaching certificate and enough idealism to fill a host of Grecian urns. By 1976, she finds herself wilting, her youthful dreams squashed by time and tide. A chance encounter between an angel and a speeding mint green Vespa brings her into contact with a troubled young carpenter called Montgomery Marsh. Clemmie and Monty forge an unlikely friendship that takes them on a magical ride through the Eternal City in search of fresh hope and a new way of living.
Fun, spirited and full of heart, Roman Mornings, like the city of Rome itself, is a novel of mysterious beauty that you will want to revisit time and time again.
˜An uplifting joy of a story that brings the exuberance of Rome to life on every page. I felt the heat of the sun, heard the hustle and bustle, could even taste the food' Frances Quinn, author of The Scandalous Ladies Football Club˜Full of warmth and humour, the book is life-affirming and uplifting, exploring love, loss and second chances' Yorkshire Post