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A House in Sicily

By Luisa Adorno
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Brief Description
A sun-soaked, hilarious mediation on family life in mid-century Italy—an incredibly exciting rediscovered Italian classic. During WWII, a young Tuscan woman falls in love with a man from the rural depths of southern Italy. As the conflict finally draws to a close, the two travel from... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3200
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A sun-soaked, hilarious mediation on family life in mid-century Italy—an incredibly exciting rediscovered Italian classic.

During WWII, a young Tuscan woman falls in love with a man from the rural depths of southern Italy. As the conflict finally draws to a close, the two travel from Rome to finally meet with his family. But very quickly a dawning realisation breaks—her in-laws and their friends are eccentric in the extreme. They barely leave the house and they rarely speak to their son, fretting instead about their 'daughter'—a loud little dog—and worrying constantly, incessantly, about the weather. And, worst of all, they speak with a nostalgic warmth about the region's recently overthrown fascist regime...

Translated by Ann Goldstein, the world-renowned translator of Elena Ferrante, A House in Sicily is a brilliantly funny, razor-sharp examination of family life in the shadow of the darkest period of modern Italian history, and the most exciting rediscovered European classic in decades.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781405973908

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 May 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Ann Goldstein

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 136.0mm

Height: 217.0mm

Weight: 232g

Pages: 224

Collections

Fiction Fiction in Translation General Fiction Literary Fiction Luisa Adorno Penguin Books

About the Author

Luisa Adorno (1921 - 2021) was a writer and journalist, contributing throughout her career to Italy's most important newspapers. Her books L'ultima provincia (1983), Le dorate stanze (1985, Winner of Premio Prato-Europa and Premio Pisa), Arco di luminara (1990, Winner of Premio Viareggio and Premio Racalmare-Leonardo Sciascia), La libert ha un cappello a cilindro (1993), Come a un ballo in maschera (1995, Premio Donna Martina Franca), Sebben che siamo donne... (1999, Premio Vittorini), Foglia d'acero with Daniele Pecorini-Manzoni (2001) and Tutti qui con me (2008) are all published in Italy by Sellerio, and since her death have been republished to renewed critical acclaim.

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