March 2018 Book of the Month | On the National Fiction Shortlist the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2019
“To believe, to obey, to fight” is the new prayer of Mussolini’s Italy in 1936. We are in Fosso, a town in the rural district of Veneto on the fertile plains where food is plentiful until the Germans and then the partisans help themselves. Maria, our protagonist, helps run the local grocer with her husband Achille, until he is imprisoned for black-marketeering. She needs to keep her family of 5 children alive and safe until her husband is released… or not. She will do anything to protect and fight for her children, anything to keep them safe, fed and alive. Coming from a large family herself she is not afraid of hard work. So we live with her through the war to the 1950s, through times of dreadful hardship and fear to new beginnings. Laced with the feel of Italy, its food, traditions and scenic splendour, this is a very fine novel indeed. Stylish and beautifully archaic in its writing, it has a hypnotic quality, difficult to draw yourself away from. Highly recommended.
| Primary Genre | Romance / Relationship Stories |
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I have enjoyed reading this book and found myself interested in the characters and their stories.
Set in Italy, the story begins as Maria’s father has left the family home to find a husband for Maria. Her father brings back Achille, an attractive man with scars that prove he is a hero, who has plans to emigrate to America.
Their family begins to grow they buy a village store and set up their business. Maria finds she has great skills in this area and they are successful. The Fascist dictatorship begins to have damaging effects on their business and family and Achille is imprisoned as a black marketeer. Maria has to use all her skills to keep the family together and their business on track. She is willing to do anything to get her husband released.... Read Full Review
A fantastic insight into family life during the second world war in Italy, a very enjoyable book.
This book is set in Italy, before and during the Second World War and tells the story of Maria and her life in the mountains of the Italian countryside. The story starts with a twenty five year old Maria who is waiting for her father to return from his mission to the local villages to find her a husband as she is nearly at an ‘unmarriageable age’. With few men around, it has been a hard task for her father, but on this latest trip he returns with a man that he deems is suitable for Maria.
Life begins for Maria and Achille (her husband) and with the war taking hold it is a hard life; they encounter hunger, imprisonment and violence.... Read Full Review
The moment I read the first paragraph, I knew I was going to enjoy reading this book.
The writing style brought to mind Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The story is set in Italy and begins in 1923 with Maria Vittoria’s father setting out to find her a husband. At 25 Maria is thought of as old to be unmarried but a suitable match has not been found. We find out all about Italian village life and the local inhabitants. Then Maria’s father is seen walking back towards the village with an unknown man at his side. Will he turn out to be Maria’s future husband?
The story continues through the lives and loves of Maria and her family right until 1950 and describes how Italian villagers coped with shortages and living under the fascists during the war. At the back of the book are some Italian wartime recipes, including some recipes for torture (!).... Read Full Review
1923 Maria Vittoria is embroidering a sheet for her dowry trunk. Her father has gone to find her a husband. He's taken his mule, a photograph and a pack of food: home-made sopressa sausage, cold polenta, a little flask of wine - no need to take water - the world is full of water. There are no eligible men in this valley or the next one, and her father will not let her marry just anyone, and now, despite Maria's years, she is still healthy. Her betrothed will see all that. He'll be looking for a woman who can do the work. Maria can do the work. Everyone in the contra says that. And the Lord knows Maria will need to be able to work. Fascism blooms as crops ripen, the state craves babies just as the babies cry for food. Maria faces a stony path, but one she will surely climb to the summit. In this sumptuous and elegant novel you will taste the bigoli co l'arna, touch the mulberry leaves cut finer than organdie, and feel the strain of one woman attempting to keep her family safe in the most dangerous of times.
The Madonna of The Mountains features in the following genres: Books with reviews by our Reader Review Panel, eBooks of the Month, Family Drama, Book Club Recommendations, Romance / Relationship Stories, Fiction, Recommendations
The Madonna of The Mountains is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Madonna of The Mountains was written by Elise Valmorbida and published by Faber & Faber
The Madonna of The Mountains has 374 pages
