Before going on vacation, I thought that, given the variety and multiplicity of reasons for anxiety we all have, it would be a good idea to recommend a series of novels that, in addition to quality, have the virtue of giving us a break, a fun or lighthearted tone, an optimistic view of the world, or a tender story.
The wallet, by Francesca Giannone (Duomo). Trans. Maribel Capmany.
This is a simple but well-told story, inspired by true events and set in a landscape as seductive as that of southern Italy. There are forbidden loves, illegitimate children, and lots of wine.
Francesca Giannone tells the novel about her great-grandmother Anna, who was one of the first female postmen in Italy. The story begins in 1934 when Anna, who comes from northern Italy, arrives in Puglia, where her husband is originally from. He has just inherited some vineyards and they plan to settle there with their baby and dedicate themselves to making wine. Anna, "the outsider," finds it difficult to get used to the south and also yearns to work as a teacher. Soon, a postman's position opens up in the town, and she applies. This event, initially received with great reluctance, allows her to meet all the people and their stories.
Chamomile grass, by Mary Wesley (Alba editorial). Trans. Catalina Martínez
Chamomile grass is that grass with tiny white flowers that smells good. This novel also gives off a good smell, in the form of a delicate and intelligent sense of humor.
August 1939. A family home where a childless couple gathers their nephews, a group of cousins who love each other (some, even, romantically). The war interrupts everything and turns everything upside down, the prevailing morality and, especially, the women, who rebel against the upbringing they have had. Forty-five years later they gather for a funeral and remember, each in their own way, that crazy time.
Miss Buncle's Book, by DE Stevenson (The Vienna Circle). Trans. Marta Pera.
Miss Buncle, a spinster from the village, has run out of savings and urgently must find a solution. Between writing a novel and raising chickens, she ends up choosing the first possible source of income. And it turns out she has a knack, but lacks imagination. So she writes about what she knows best: her neighbors. But to make it less obvious, she takes the precaution of changing their names and signing the novel with a pseudonym, just in case...
This novel features all the clichés: the gossipy old women, the pretty, single, and wicked young lady, a retired colonel who has failed in love, a sensible doctor, the resentful widow... Enraged, the neighbors begin a plan to search for and capture the odious author. A story constructed like a subtle time bomb, loaded with fine Scottish humor and a disguised bad idea.
The Bookstore on the Hill, by Alba Donati (Ed. 62/Lumen). Trans. Carlos Biosca/Ana Ciurans.
Alba Donati, poet and cultural activist, just turned sixty, left Florence to pursue the crazy idea of opening a bookstore in her town, Lucignana, with a population of one hundred and eighty.
With a campaign of crowdfunding and donations of books from Italian publishers, opened the bookstore Dinner with Penna (Above the pen) in his family home. It's not just another bookstore: it has a beautiful garden, offers tea, and young people from the village volunteer in shifts.
