Blog tour: The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro

By

Welcome to the blog tour for The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro by Viola Ardone!

More about the book…

As provincial Sicily bursts into life with the jaunty hum of pop music and the heady scent of wild jasmine, fifteen-year-old Oliva Denaro dares to challenge convention, ignoring the taunts of peers, her mother’s scolds, and her own changing body. Spirited and carefree, she loves to run until her lungs burst: to feel the strength of her lithe limbs, to relish the freedom she cherishes, to honor the friends forced by propriety to conform. Though she knows she cannot stop growing up, Oliva resists the future. To her, becoming a woman means denying oneself.

But adulthood comes all too quickly when the baker’s son sets his sights on her. Offered a blood orange, Oliva—haunted by her mother’s warning, “a girl who smiles has already said yes”—spurns the fruit. Yet, this act sets into motion an unwanted courtship that will force Oliva to fight for the right to choose her own path, even though the odds of winning are steep. While America and Europe are in the throes of social change, Sicily fiercely clings to its rigid traditions, including the custom of fuitina –by which kidnappings could be disguised as elopements– which is accepted and enshrined in law. Oliva’s battle for independence is based on the real-life story that would ultimately rock Italy–capturing the attention of both the Pope and the nation’s president—and transform life for all Italians.

More about the author…

Viola Ardone was born in Naples in 1974.

A high school Latin and Italian teacher, she holds a degree in literature and worked in academic publishing.

She is the author of two previous novels in Italian, La ricetta del cuore in subbuglio and Una rivoluzione sentimentale. 

My impressions…

Ok, I have to admit that I was so smitten with the cover that I didn’t pay too much attention to anything else when I asked to review this book! I was therefore taken aback when I realised that it was originally written in my mother tongue and translated into English. As strange as it was to think that I was reading an Italian novel in translation, I must also praise the work of Clarissa Botsford, who made the language flow so beautifully that it felt 100% authentic. As to the story itself, I loved it as Oliva is such a strong and inspiring female lead. And if that alone wasn’t reason enough for me to fall in love with this historical novel, the way that the author has managed to bring Sicily and its culture to life is short of amazing. In fact, it is truly amazing.

Three words to describe it. Powerful. Inspiring. Heart-breaking.

Do I like the cover? Beautiful is only the beginning!

Have I read any other books by the same author? Not yet, but I now plan to.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Italy in books” - reading challenge 2011

By
Image
Why this challenge? This year I’ve decided to host a reading challenge because I think that they are a brilliant idea. They help to make reading a more collective experience and are a great way to find out more about any particular author / genre / topic and get to know about books you might never have come across. I chose this topic because - as an Italian who has been living abroad for many years now - I feel the need to learn more about my home country and I’m curious to see the difference between the way it is portrayed by native Italians and others. The details of the challenge The challenge will run from January, 1st 2011 to December, 31st 2011 . The aim of the challenge is to read at least 12 books that are set in Italy. Whether written by Italian authors or not, it doesn’t matter. They don’t have to be set exclusively in Italy but this country needs to play a significant role in the book. The challenge can include non-fiction books about Italy. You can also review Italian lea
Read more

Book review: She’s Never Coming Back

By
Image
By Hans Koppel Translated by Kari Dickson Published by Sphere It is safe to say that my choice of reading material is not usually truculent. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided to read a novel whose front cover prominently displays a quote describing it as a ‘terrifying crime novel’. I started to read expecting the worse and - it being impossible to put the book down - a few hours later I was trying to understand what had hit me. Let’s be clear: I loved this book and I’m grateful to Sphere for publishing this Swedish novel by author Karl Petter Lidbeck who, being a children’s literature author, decided to have it published under the pen name of Hans Koppel. I can see why he doesn’t want to have the two genres mixing on the bookshelves! The plot is simple enough: one day after work, Ylva does not return home. When she hasn’t returned 24 hours later, her husband Mike starts to worry and calls the police. Ylva seems to have disappeared without a trace and, month after month, Mike
Read more

In conversation with... T.M. Logan

By
Image
Hi Tim ! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of The Catch ! Can you please briefly tell us what it is about? A: The Catch is a psychological thriller about a father who becomes convinced his daughter is about to marry a man with terrible secrets. Terrified that his cherished only child is about to marry a man who is not what he seems, Ed sets out to uncover the truth - before it's too late. But as he delves deeper, he risks alienating everyone he loves and turning his whole family against him… Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing the book or did it take an unexpected turn as the characters grew on the page? A: I had about two-thirds of the plot worked out in my head before I started, including some of the key turning points along the way. But the characters always bring out new elements to the story as I write it. I get to know the characters better during the writing – including how they relate to each other –
Read more