Villa Coco: A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less, showcases his wit, sophistication, and deep knowledge of focaccia in this tale of a young man who takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: People, TIME, Esquire, Oprah Daily, Lit Hub, Seattle Times

“No one writing in English is funnier or more charming than Andrew Greer. Every sentence in this novel sings.” —David Sedaris, author of Happy-Go-Lucky

“An absolute delight.”—Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or

“Such a sunny book.”—Kate Atkinson, author of Shrines of Gaiety

An aspiring archivist determined to begin a “serious” life after an undistinguished undergraduate career takes up residence in the Italian countryside. Here, he becomes the all-purpose assistant to the Baronessa, known to her friends as Coco, a defiantly youthful and naturally flamboyant woman of ninety-two. Amid a chaotic and colorful milieu of gin-swilling princesses, incomprehensible handymen, roaming boarhunters, nuns, and other local wildlife, our young man does his best to catalog the villa’s extensive collection of art and antiques—although he notices that things seem to go missing from right under his nose.

Despite himself, he tumbles into an affair with a married man, complicating his future plans considerably. And when the Baronessa loses someone close to her, he becomes an unwitting accomplice in the acceleration of Coco’s great and final plan: to locate the love of her life and be reunited before it’s too late. Told with the signature wit, charm, and humanity that made Less an international phenomenon, Villa Coco is a dazzling, sun-soaked ode to life itself, a meditation on how seriously we ought to take ourselves, and a bawdy Mediterranean ballad about becoming who we’ve always wanted to be.

Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of eight works of fiction, including the novel Less, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018. His latest novel, Villa Coco, comes on June 9th. Greer lives in San Francisco and Venice, Italy.

“[Greer] captures the allure of la dolce vita—Renaissance paintings and books, bottles of Lambrusco wine and gelato—all bathed in a buttery Tuscan light.”
—TIME

“Feel[s] like a vacation.”
—Vogue

“Witty [and] stylish . . . Villa Coco is all but frescoed with figurative language, and Greer’s seemingly effortless storytelling belies the careful craft of his metaphors and similes. . . . This is a fundamentally pleasant book for unpleasant times, the kind of novel in which a car breaks down and that turns out to be exactly what should have happened. As Greer ultimately suggests, true charm is something you have to try on as you might a dead man’s suit, until what feels counterfeit becomes truly your own. It often begins in fraud and grows into a funny story—sometimes passing, fleetingly, through sorrow on the way. In that regard, the relentlessly charming Villa Coco is its own proof of concept.”
—The Atlantic

“[Villa Coco is] packed with warmth, wit, and charm [and a] steady supply of humor. . . . [A] perfect summer cocktail [of a novel].”
—The Boston Globe

“What a strange thing. A smart, fizzy novel about how right life can be. In Tuscany! With olive groves! . . . [Villa Coco’s] easygoing warmth gathers into a smile of a coming-of-age tale.”
—Chicago Tribune

“[A] charming escape . . . The luminous setting and message about living life to the fullest make this story read like a balm for the soul.”
—Real Simple

“Andrew Sean Greer’s Villa Coco will bring the flavor of an Italian idyll to your summer reading.”
—Vogue.com

“A most delightful and unlikely romantic comedy . . . If you think ‘charming’ is a dismissive, diminutive compliment, wait till you see that term restored to its original enchantment. Villa Coco isn’t mere ice cream; it’s stracciatella gelato served in one of the most beautiful places on earth. . . . A faint aroma of Alice in Wonderland wafts through these pages, reinforced by Greer’s elegant felicity with non sequiturs. . . . In addition to the gorgeous setting, there’s also a delicious cast of quirky servants, relatives, and neighbors who must be making Masterpiece Theatre producers salivate.”
—Ron Charles

“A smart, sweetly wistful comedy . . . Goes down like fine olive oil.”
—NPR

“Villa Coco has the summery, entertaining feel of someone writing whatever he feels like writing. [Pulitzer Prize winner Greer has] earned the right to have fun. . . . 266 pages of pure pleasure . . . Greer has such a light, nimble touch — the color of a dress or the studied messiness of a room conveys a lot — that Villa Coco reads like a grand adventure, not a lesson. Long story short: I have no notes, other than that I wish it were longer.”
—Minnesota Star Tribune

“[Greer says he] intended to write a ‘charm novel,’ and he has succeeded, con sprezzatura.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Travel to Italy without leaving your reading chair with the Pulitzer Prize winner's latest.”
—People