Simonetta Agnello Hornby

Having read and enjoyed Simonetta Agnello Hornby's first book, "The Almond Picker," I was eager to read this second novel set in Sicily in the late 1800's. The review I read of it was disappointing...hinting at slow-moving prose and a cast of confusing characters. Fortunately, I decided to see for myself and was so happily surprised! (Lesson learned: always judge for yourself...someone's trash is someone else's treasure!) I love this book. As a second generation Italian-American I have a show more fascination with the island of Sicily, the home of my grandparents. I have visited my ancestral village and am in contact with distant cousins. Reading this book was like having a glimpse into the times, culture, customs, attitudes of all strata of society at the time when my grandparents were born. Remnants of these elements exist in the Sicily and in the Sicilians of today. The story was a wonderful weaving of the relationships...convoluted at times, hidden at times, volatile at times...of the aristocratic Safamita family and the tenants, servants, cousins, mafiosi with whom they interacted. The main character, Costanza, is a strong woman who often finds herself in the center of an intrigue that she doesn't understand. Her coming-of-age struggle to find happiness within herself is the action that carries the story. As the reader comes to know the individual characters, insight into the workings of the Sicilian culture are revealed...for better or worse. Yes, the pace was slow but so is life in rural Sicily. Memories hold forever, conversations are lived and relived, stories told and retold, honor upheld and defended, family preserved and protected. I appreciated the pace of the book and gained tremendous insight into an often misunderstood and misjudged culture. For me, it was a valuable read. show less

Maria Rosalia Inzerillo, otherwise known as Mennulara, is a mystery. Born into poverty in Western Sicily, she grew up picking almonds with her farming family. As soon as she was of age, Mennulara became the maid for the rich and powerful Alfallipe family. Over time, she became an indispensable administrator of all their affairs, financial and even personal. She had a talent for investments and became a shrewd businesswoman. Rumors surrounded Mennulara: her wealth, her position in the show more Alfallipe family, even her rumored connections with the mafia. In life, Mennulara was described as outspoken, brash, brave, rude, unique, bad tempered, devoted, dignified, diffident, distant, unpleasant, imperious, ugly, beautiful, complex, secretive, a tyrant. When she dies at a relatively young age the entire community clamors for answers. Who was this woman? How odd that a seemingly common servant's death would reverberate through the Italian community and no group is more obsessed than the Alfallipe family. Convinced she owes them her inheritance and then-some, they scheme and squabble to find it. The final outcome is brilliant.
Starting on Monday, September 23rd, 1963 The Almond Picker documents a month in time. The accounts are daily (skipping Saturday, September 28th, 1963)until October 1st, 1963 with a final entry on October 23rd of that same year. show less

I finished The Nun & would give it 3.5 stars. I'll bump it up to four stars for the meticulously-researched historical details in this lovely novel. The book moved at a languid, meditative pace (completely in keeping w/ the ideas of nuns & monastic orders). Each part was like a little piece of colored glass -- beautiful, intricate details (of life in a convent, of life in an Italian town in the mid-1800s, of life in Italy as a country during times of turmoil), all unfolding to give a show more kaleidoscopic view of a small window in history. I think the setting (more than the characterization) was the star of the story. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction.
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My comment after reading the first few chapters:
The thing I love about historical fiction is finding out new facts about different times & places (& sometimes things that are still true). I've just barely started this book which opens in Messina in 1839 during the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The annual religious procession still takes place in Messina & there are various photos & videos posted online. The machine used in the procession is a huge, pyramid shaped creation that includes rotating parts depicting the sun, moon, and various angels. During the time of "The Nun", apparently real infants were used in this machine to portray the angels -- 7 or 8 hours in the hot sun, rotating high above street level....Of course, these days, infants are no longer used and statues are in place instead. Anyway, this is just one of the neat history tidbits I've picked up from this book. If you are interested, here are a few photos I found & a video that shows what I'm referencing:
http://www.thoughts.com/backpackernews/la-vara-festival-in-messina-sicily
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9bBBgeZ65o&feature=related

Do you find yourself looking up things (photos, maps, videos,...) when reading historical fiction? :-) show less

Sicily, 1963. Maria Rosalia Inzerillo, the almond picker--Mennulara, in Sicilian--has just died. Through a series of short chapters from the points of view of the inhabitants of Roccacolomba, the small village in Sicily where Mennulara lived and served, a complex portrait of the woman emerges. Mennulara is a study in contradictions. Uneducated but well-read. Coarse yet cultured. Reviled, adored, misunderstood, she was a maid who also managed the estates--and ran the lives of--the family she show more worked for, and has exerted an influence upon a great many of the inhabitants of Roccacolomba and the surrounding countryside.

As the portrait of Mennulara is painted, so is a portrait of Sicily during a time of change. Modern times are encroaching, globalization (before the term was even invented) has begun, and small town life will never be the same. But in the end, it is Mennulara whom we finally come to know, and the secret we learn, the key that unlocks the mystery that she was, is simple and sublime.

The Almond Picker is a small, beautifully wrought gem of a novel. Its simple language, with humor and insight, brings to life a time long past and the people who lived in it. show less