A sweeping, swashbuckling epic set in the Kingdom of Sicily.
Riggio translates Natoli’s historic Sicilian romance into English for the first time.
Palermo, 1698: Sicily is a chess piece in the vast political game between the powers of France, Spain, and Savoy, and the cavaliere Don Raimondo Albamonte, younger brother of the Duke of Motta, wants desperately to be a player. When the duke is killed fighting for the king of Spain, Don Raimondo schemes to have his infant nephew kidnapped so that he can inherit his brother’s title—and all of the wealth and influence that comes with it. Flash-forward 15 years, when the young peasant Blasco da Castiglione arrives in Palermo. An orphan raised in a convent, the adventurous Blasco has come to the city looking for a priest he knew in his youth who might be able to shed light on his obscure origins. His path soon crosses that of the Beati Paoli, a much-feared secret society who “are everywhere, invisible, impossible to find, yet always present. When one least expects it, they are at our sides, at our backs, in church, along the street, perhaps even at home; and we are not aware of it…. No one can guard against them.” With its hooded members unafraid to take on the political and religious powers that be, the Beati—and Blasco—are poised to change the course of Sicilian history. The novel, which was originally published serially in 1909, is regarded as a classic in Italy and counted Umberto Eco among its fans. (Eco’s introduction to the 1971 Italian edition of the novel is included as an afterword.) This first of two volumes is an immersive wonder—Riggio’s translation maintains the richness of the earlier era, evoking the romances of Walter Scott and Alexander Dumas: “Blasco threw his cape over his shoulders and went out. Midnight had sounded…Blasco didn’t have anyone waiting for him; he had neither a carriage nor a litter nor a portantina, nor servants with torches or lanterns to light up his path.” Lovers of a certain vintage of adventure will be grateful for this newly translated classic.
A sweeping, swashbuckling epic set in the Kingdom of Sicily.Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9781635769272
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Radius Book Group
Review Posted Online: July 9, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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