The Marchesa

Literature & Fiction

Hornby, Simonetta Agnello

Genre Fiction

Text Publishing

The Almond Picker: A Novel

The child of poor farmers, La Mennulara became a maid for a well-to-do local family when she was only a girl; by dint of hard work and intelligence, she became the indispensable administrator of the family's affairs. Still, she was a mere servant, and now (as this story begins) she is dead.
As the details unfold about this mysterious woman, The Almond Picker assumes the witty suspense of a thriller, the emotional power of a love story, and the evocative atmosphere of a historical novel. Set in Sicily in the 1960s, a violent, complicated society in the midst of tumultuous change, The Almond Picker is the story of a woman who negotiated for her freedom as no one else dared.

Contemporary

Picador

The Marchesa: A Novel

From the award-winning and internationally acclaimed author of The Almond Picker comes this sumptuous family saga set in nineteenth-century Sicily. Costanza Safamita is the beloved daughter of the Baron Domenico Safamita: Red-haired, gawky, and shy, she is considered an outsider by many on her family's estate. But when her adoring father makes her the sole heir to the Safamita fortune, she finds herself plunged into the glittering world of Palermo society, and into the arms of a depraved husband. As Costanza endures the travails of her marriage, she must also fight to preserve the family's household and way of life against the tide of revolution and change. Set against the fall of the Bourbon monarchy, and the rise of the mafia, The Marchesa is a scintillating family drama, and a masterly fresco of a now vanished world.

Literary

A surprising mystery--and love story--set in rural Sicily Like many memorable works of fiction, The Almond Picker hinges on a question, in this case: who is Maria Rosalia Inzerillo, known as Mennulara, the almond picker? Born into a desperately poor Sicilian farming family, Mennulara went into service when she was only a girl, as a maid for a well-to-do local family; by dint of hard work and intelligence, she became the indispensable administrator of the family's affairs and was said to be rich. Still, she was a mere servant, and now (as the story begins) she is dead. Who was she, really? Simonetta Agnello Hornby's wonderfully entertaining novel about this mysterious woman -- a bestseller in Italy when it was published in 2002 -- has all the suspense of a witty thriller, the emotions of a powerful love story, and the evocative atmosphere of a historical novel. Set in Sicily in the 1960s, a violent, complicated society in the midst of tumultuous change, where young and old, rich and poor, men and women are set against each other, The Almond Picker is the story of a woman who negotiated for her freedom as no one else dared. Unusual instructions in Mennulara's will perplex the family she worked for and send the children on a kind of treasure hunt, for each of them wants to secure her fabled riches. She is no longer physically present, but her mysterious importance to them and to the village comes into focus in a series of dramatic encounters and spiky exchanges among the neighbors. Everyone has a very different idea about Mennulara's amazing life. Was she a humble servant who ruled her master, or perhaps a pawn for the Mafia? Was she a seducer and opportunist, a sly blackmailer waiting for a payoff, or the opposite? During the thirty days following her death, the surprising truth is revealed.

Farrar. Straus and Giroux

A richly evocative tale of a woman's struggle for life and love A triumphant follow-up to Simonetta Agnello Hornby’s internationally acclaimed The Almond Picker, this entertaining new novel is an intricate family saga interwoven with violent passions, cruelty, deceit, and the abuse of power. The Marchesa is an eyeopening historical drama about a remarkable woman and her extraordinary family, and the complex, often abusive relations that mark the lives of master and servant, brother and sister, husband and wife. Costanza Safamita, beloved daughter of Baron Domenico Safamita, is a precious but unusual child. Redhaired, gawky, and shy, she is considered an outsider by many on the family estate, but her adoring father makes her sole heir to the Safamita fortune, and then everything changes—for them and for her. Now she must conquer glittering, alien Palermo—where, uncertain of her future, she falls in love with a charming, dissolute young marchese whose sexual appetite she fears she cannot satiate. The Marchesa’s brave, unusual story offers an unprecedented woman’s perspective on the incestuous hypocrisy of the Sicilian aristocracy during a dramatic time in its history, as the Bourbon monarchy collapsed, the Mafia rose to power, and Palermo’s decadent aristocracy began its inevitable decline. These themes are flawlessly woven into the fabric of Costanza’s triumphant life, so that The Marchesa becomes not only an unforgettable human tale but a masterly fresco of a vanished world.

La tía marquesa (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

Tusquets Editores S.A.

Jenny y Mike Pitt, un matrimonio acomodado, acaban de mudarse al barrio londinense de Kensington. el es un ambicioso y pragmatico hombre de negocios, ella es consultora de una prestigiosa cadena de muebles de diseno. Tienen dos ninas pequenas, Amy y Lucy, y llevan una vida tranquila y confortable. Sin embargo, pronto su placida cotidianidad se ve sacudida cuando la maestra de Lucy cree ver en el comportamiento de la pequena indicios de ansiedad y profundo malestar. Mike debera enfrentarse, entonces, a terribles acusaciones y recurrir a los servicios de Steve Booth, abogado especialista en derecho de familia. Booth, habituado a tratar con las familias mas desfavorecidas de Brixton, siempre despectivo con los ricos, acepta, sin embargo, el caso de los Pitt. Se equivoca Jenny al creer firmemente en la inocencia de su marido?

Entre la bruma (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

La monja y el capitán (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

La mia Londra (Italian Edition)

Giunti Editore

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Books by Hornby, Simonetta Agnello

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hornby, Simonetta Agnello. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Marchesa

The Almond Picker: A Novel

The Marchesa: A Novel

The Almond Picker: A Novel

The Marchesa: A Novel

La tía marquesa (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

Entre la bruma (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

La monja y el capitán (Andanzas / Adventures) (Spanish Edition)

La mia Londra (Italian Edition)