CX15

Read the Almond Picker instead. The story in the Marchesa is thin by comparison. ( )

Costanza Safamita es hija de una rica familia de terratenientes en la Sicilia del siglo XIX; su padre, el barón Domenico, la adora, su madre la odia. Pelirroja y de rasgos que la llevan a parecer «de otra raza», crece entre las mujeres del servicio. Por voluntad de su padre, Costanza, y no sus hermanos, heredará las riquezas y el prestigio de la familia. Muchos años después, Amalia Cuffaro, su nodriza, será quien poco a poco desvele la vida de Costanza, la tía marquesa: su abandono de la tranquila vida de provincias por el bullicioso mundo palermitano, su turbulenta vida matrimonial, su enfrentamiento con la Mafia y su sensación de no pertenecer a ninguno de estos mundos. El retrato de esta mujer excepcional, inconformista y contradictoria, se recorta no sólo sobre el trasfondo de una saga familiar rebosante de pasiones, crueldad, engaños y abusos de poder, sino sobre toda una época crucial de la historia de Sicilia: el fin del reinado borbónico y la llegada de los Saboya, el ascenso del poder mafioso en el campo y los últimos estertores de una clase aristocrática en decadencia, símbolo de un universo ya perdido

Caterina is a love child. But love alone is never enough. ( )

Having read and enjoyed Simonetta Agnello Hornby's first book, "The Almond Picker," I was eager to read this second novel set in Sicily in the late 1800's. The review I read of it was disappointing...hinting at slow-moving prose and a cast of confusing characters. Fortunately, I decided to see for myself and was so happily surprised! (Lesson learned: always judge for yourself...someone's trash is someone else's treasure!) I love this book. As a second generation Italian-American I have a fascination with the island of Sicily, the home of my grandparents. I have visited my ancestral village and am in contact with distant cousins. Reading this book was like having a glimpse into the times, culture, customs, attitudes of all strata of society at the time when my grandparents were born. Remnants of these elements exist in the Sicily and in the Sicilians of today. The story was a wonderful weaving of the relationships...convoluted at times, hidden at times, volatile at times...of the aristocratic Safamita family and the tenants, servants, cousins, mafiosi with whom they interacted. The main character, Costanza, is a strong woman who often finds herself in the center of an intrigue that she doesn't understand. Her coming-of-age struggle to find happiness within herself is the action that carries the story. As the reader comes to know the individual characters, insight into the workings of the Sicilian culture are revealed...for better or worse. Yes, the pace was slow but so is life in rural Sicily. Memories hold forever, conversations are lived and relived, stories told and retold, honor upheld and defended, family preserved and protected. I appreciated the pace of the book and gained tremendous insight into an often misunderstood and misjudged culture. For me, it was a valuable read. ( )