A Decent Family - by Rosa Ventrella (Paperback)
Similar Products
Products of same category from the store
All
Product info
<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"In old Bari, everyone knows Maria De Santis as Malacarne, the bad seed. Nicknamed for her dark features, volcanic temperament, and resistance to rules, the headstrong girl can only imagine the possibilities that lie outside her poverty-stricken neighborhood. Growing up with her mother, two brothers, and a tyrannical father, Maria must abide. She does - amid the squalid life to which she was born, the cruelties of her small-minded neighbors, and violence in a constant threat of eruption. As she reconciles her need for escape with the allegiance she feels toward her family, Maria has her salvations: her secret friend, Michele, son of a rival family and every bit the outsider she is, and her passion for books, which may someday take her far, far away. In this exquisitely rendered and sensory-rich novel, Rosa Ventrella explores the limits of loyalty, the redeeming power of friendship and love, and the fire in the soul of one woman who was born to break free."--Publisher description.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><b>For fans of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series comes a captivating family saga focused on a willful young woman's struggles against her oppressive small town by acclaimed Italian author Rosa Ventrella.</b></p><p>In old Bari, everyone knows Maria De Santis as "Malacarne," the bad seed. Nicknamed for her dark features, volcanic temperament, and resistance to rules, the headstrong girl can only imagine the possibilities that lie outside her poverty-stricken neighborhood.</p><p>Growing up with her mother, two brothers, and a tyrannical father, Maria must abide. She does--amid the squalid life to which she was born, the cruelties of her small-minded neighbors, and violence in a constant threat of eruption. As she reconciles her need for escape with the allegiance she feels toward her family, Maria has her salvations: her secret friend, Michele, son of a rival family and every bit the outsider she is, and her passion for books, which may someday take her far, far away.</p><p>In this exquisitely rendered and sensory-rich novel, Rosa Ventrella explores the limits of loyalty, the redeeming power of friendship and love, and the fire in the soul of one woman who was born to break free.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"Ventrella's narrative examines themes of class and gender expectations, accompanied by enough nostalgic detail to make the 'old country' more appealing in memory than it was in reality. Inevitable comparisons of Ventrella's work with that of Elena Ferrante...will be propelled by Goldstein's fluid translation of this novel in the wake of her work on Ferrante's juggernaut. Ventrella's ambitious attempt to convey Marí's struggle echoes Ferrante's epic approach to chronicling women's lives...Ventrella reveals the many ways in which the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons--and the daughters." <b>--<i>Kirkus Reviews</i></b></p><p>"In the town of Bari, all the locals refer to Maria De Santis as "Malacarne," the bad seed. Growing up in squalid conditions with small-minded neighbors, Maria allows herself to dream big--beyond the confines of her village. Great for fans of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series." <b>--<i>New York Post</i></b></p><br>
Price History
Price Archive shows prices from various stores, lets you see history and find the cheapest. There is no actual sale on the website. For all support, inquiry and suggestion messagescommunication@pricearchive.us