The Good Italian - Rilegato

Stephen Burke

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1848549148 ISBN 13: 9781848549142

Casa editrice: Hodder & Stoughton General, 2014

Riassunto

Enzo Secchi, harbourmaster for Massawa, Eritrea's main port, is a loyal Italian colonial servant. He takes pride in running the docks, enjoys the occasional drink with his gregarious friend Salvatore, colonel of the local Italian garrison, and listens to Caruso in his spare time. But he is lonely and when Salvatore suggests he find an Eritrean housekeeper to cook, clean - and maybe share his bed - Enzo takes the plunge and advertises. Salvatore's own tastes run to the young and nubile, but Enzo surprises himself by choosing Aatifa, a sharp-tongued woman in her 30s with a complicated family life, who takes the job as a last resort. What neither of them had counted on was falling in love. But it is 1935, Fascism is on the rise, and Mussolini does not intend Eritrea to remain a backwater for long. Italian forces bent on invading Ethiopia begin arriving at the port. And with them come new laws - including one forbidding 'Relationships of a Conjugal Nature' with Eritrean women . . . Meanwhile, Salvatore finds himself at the head of the invasion force bound for Ethiopia. Gone are the glory days of garrison life; it is a bitter campaign, laying bare all the brutality of Italian colonial ambition. Its consequences for Salvatore, and for Enzo and Aatifa as they contrive to hide their relationship in plain sight, will change all three lives for ever.

Su questo libro

Recensione

Powerful . . . satisfyingly gritty . . . excellent storytelling and rounded characters to really care about - Irish Times

An affecting tale of ordinary people trapped in the coils of history - Sunday Times

A fascinating era . . . an enthralling read. Burke's novel will whet your appetite to learn more about it - --Mail on Sunday Ireland

Profound and moving --Red

Sublimely beautiful --Bookbag

Descrizione del libro

Set in the Italian colony of Eritrea during the Second World War, The Good Italian is a love story, a war story, a story of heroism and of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Will appeal to fans of Louis de Berniere's Captain Corelli's Mandolin and the novels of William Boyd.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Hodder & Stoughton General
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1848549148
• ISBN 13: 9781848549142
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 352