"You know? Everyone comes to Italy for different reasons, but they stay for two things." "What?" "Love and ice cream."

—— "Falling in Love with Ice Cream"

Lina, a 16-year-old girl, traveled from the United States to Italy alone, crossing half the world, just to make a last-ditch appointment with her mother - to meet the man she had never met. A father she had never met... She didn't know that she would fall in love with this strange city and that her life would be completely rewritten. I accidentally received my mother's diary, which revealed a strange love story. This "father" with a particularly unique identity, the boy who made her heart beat, the Italian ice cream that makes people unable to stop... Everything that happened here inspired Lina to follow in her mother's footsteps and crack the city and her of indissoluble bond.

The author Jenna Evans Welch is the kind of girl who is never satisfied with youth books. She has no choice but to grow up as a writer. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato and Love & Luck. "Falling in Love with Ice Cream" is a story she wrote based on her personal experience in Italy. The book describes Italy's scenic spots and Italian food, making people feel like they are actually there when reading it.

? 01

Lina's mother died of cancer. Before she died, she entrusted Lina to her former lover, Howard. Because of the agreement she made with her mother, despite Lina's inner reluctance to leave the United States, she still chose to go to Italy. She didn't know what impact this agreement would have on her life. After arriving in Italy, Lina met Howard, the father her mother called her. He is a cemetery caretaker and lives near the cemetery with Sonia, another cemetery caretaker, guarding the soldiers' monuments.

After Lina arrived at the cemetery, she received her mother's diary from when she was studying abroad in Italy. Through her mother's diary, Lina had close contact with her mother for the first time, only to discover that she knew very little about her mother. Lina's mother, Charlie Emerson, gave up nursing school and came to Italy to study photography despite her family's opposition. Lina followed her mother's footsteps, went to the places her mother had been, and saw the scenery her mother had seen. During this period, she met Allen, and with Allen's company, she gradually solved the mystery of her life experience.

It turns out that Howard is not Lina's biological father. Howard and his mother did not fall in love for a long time and later separated. Before that, Charlie fell in love with her teacher and named him "X" in her diary. But this relationship didn't last long. After Charlie became pregnant with Lina, she discovered that what she really loved was Howard. In order not to hurt Howard, Charlie chose to return to the United States alone and leave Howard. Lina worked hard to understand her life experience, and she told Howard the truth, but Howard had known all this for a long time, but he was still willing to be Lina's "father". In an instant, Lina became extremely rich. While gaining family affection, she also gained love from Allen.

02

Lina is a brave girl. The death of her mother dealt a great blow to her. She often couldn't help but think of her mother, but instead of sinking into such negative emotions, she bravely faced a new life and made new friends. The moment she learned that Howard was not her father, Lina collapsed because she had already regarded Howard as her father. Even so, Lina still told Howard the truth of the matter, even though Howard already knew it all. A sixteen-year-old girl can pursue everything she wants so passionately. She is mature beyond her age. Her bravery and kindness are touching.

Lina’s mother, Charlie, is not mentioned much in the whole novel, but through her diary, her image has been clearly revealed to the readers. I like photography, but I don’t want to follow my parents’ arrangements to go to a nursing school. Instead, I come to Italy without hesitation to find my future. What she didn't expect was that in this land, she would find her own love, although this love would not last long. After the stubborn Charlie was rejected by X, she took Lina and left resolutely. She was unwilling to hurt Howard, so she suffered all the pain alone. When she left this world, she probably still had some regrets about this relationship.

Howard is not Lina's biological father, but he is willing to take care of Lina like a father and provide Lina with a good environment as much as possible. He took Lina through the streets of Italy and bought her the most delicious ice cream. In fact, in Howard's heart, he had already regarded Lina as his daughter.

Allen is a boy Lina met when she was running near the cemetery. He is kind and warm to others. He accompanied Lina and tried his best to help Lina achieve her wish. In the process, he and Lina admired each other and finally came together.

03

Zhang Ailing once wrote, "Meet the person you want to meet among millions of people, among millions of years, in the boundless wilderness of time, Not a step too early, not a step too late, we just happened to catch up, so there is nothing else to say, except to ask softly: 'Oh, are you here too? '"

Meet, yes. A thing that can be met but cannot be sought. When Charlie met Mr. However, Charlie met Howard. They loved each other but could not be together, leaving an irreparable regret. It's not about meeting the right person at the right time that you can have a beautiful relationship. Rather, when I met you, it was all about the right time and the right place.

I hope that no matter what we face, we can be like Lina and have the courage to boldly pursue everything we want.