Across the River and into the Trees - Ernest Hemingway

The War is just over. In Venice, a city affectionately described, the American Colonel, Richard Cantrell, falls in love with Renata, an Italian countess who has 'a profile that could break anyone's heart'. Cantrell is war-scarred and old enough to be Renata's father, but he is overwhelmed by the selflessness of the love she is offering.