Stories of Southern Italy

Dec 4, 2024 2:04 PM

Author:Various,Ella Carr

Woven through all these tales are the unique histories and mythologies of the regions of Southern Italy, encompassing Sicily, Calabria, Cantania, Basilicata, Apulia and Campania. Theocritus, Virgil and Ovid evoke a Sicily populated by Cyclopes and sea monsters, while in an excerpt from The Smile of the Unknown Mariner Vincenzo Consolo depicts the island in 1860, on the frontline in Italy's war of independence. The South's legendary legacy of brigandage and organized crime enlivens the stories of Leonardo Sciascia, Carlo Levi and Joseph Conrad. Curzio Malaparte and Norman Lewis immortalize the wreckage of Naples and the indomitable spirit of its people during World War II, and Elena Ferrante paints a spectacular portrait of a poor but vibrant Neapolitan neighbourhood in an excerpt from the bestselling My Brilliant Friend. Collectively, these entertaining tales plunge readers into the sometimes harsh and troubled, but always seductive and vital world of Italy's Mezzogiorno

Reviews

A marvellously observed relentless tale.

—— Observer

One of those writers who will be read a century from now.

—— Robert Harris

Complex and intense ... page-turning tension.

—— San Francisco Chronicle

Rendell’s eerier capacity to comprehend disturbed criminal minds continues to astonish

—— The Times

There are quite a few Ruth Rendells: the doyenne of the traditional English detective novel; the queen of the psychological thriller; the celebrated author of the literary thriller

—— Mail on Sunday

The best woman crime writer since Sayers, Christie, Allingham and Marsh

—— Edmund Crispin, Sunday Times

I loved it! With a sinister plot and a creepy serial killer it's gripping and terrifying. And Laura and Niamh are characters I want to read about again and again!

—— Patricia Gibney

There’s a lot to unpick in this very layered novel but it is excellent. I advise you to read it and [If I Tell] immediately

—— Belfast Telegraph

I love this crime fighting duo! Original and real, Laura and Niamh are such fresh voices. Taut, compelling and utterly creepy, with a dramatic conclusion that will have you frantically turning the pages, read it with the light on!

—— Sam Blake

With well-drawn characters and an intense, urban plot, When They See Me feels gritty and above all authentic'

—— Sinéad Crowley

Page turning, twisty and gripping . Characters that you really care about and that are raw and real. A great read!

—— Sinéad Moriarty

Utterly gripping!

—— Claudia Carroll

Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena is WILD. A very satisfying thriller.

—— Roxane Gay

Magnificent, a perfect demonstration of [Shari Lapena's] exceptional skill as a storyteller... Utterly compelling

—— Daily Mail

Everyone Here Is Lying opens with a corker of a premise that had me racing through the book... a clever twist... a thrilling ride

—— The Observer

A fast-paced read with jaw-dropping twists

—— The i

Shari Lapena is an expert in both pace and the placing of clues and misdirections

—— Literary Review

Shari Lapena has been described as the queen of the 'just one more chapter' thriller, and having devoured this compelling novel in double-quick time it's easy to see why . . . Plot twists are planted like hand grenades throughout the narrative, set to go off when you least expect them, and the denouement is as surprising as it is shocking.

—— Choice

Lapena has great fun pulling secrets from her conjuror's hat . . . when it comes to construction she's a master, her stream of twists and surprises perfectly timed

—— Daily Express

I read this in three days and loved every addictive page

—— Simon Mayo

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