![]() ![]() Widow Giuseppina and her brother in law (Ignazio) share years of a deep but unrealized love. Layered into this story are two heart-tugging romances. Revolts by poor locals against outside rulers, a cholera epidemic, trade wars, jealous competitors and pirates always threaten what the Florios have achieved. ![]() Vincenzo, equal part guile and anger, grows up quickly and succeeds at other ventures-tuna processing, shipping, insurance, banking. After Paolo’s too-early death, brother Ignazio and son Vincenzo build on the spice trade. Working day and night in their small spice shop, the brothers begin an upward climb. Giuseppina hates that she must leave behind a comfortable country home and follow her husband. He moves to Palermo, Sicily, with his young wife (Giuseppina), his brother (Ignazio), and infant son (Vincenzo).Ĭrowded, dusty, smelly, expensive Palermo makes nothing easy for these low-class outsiders. Paolo Florio has had enough of his hardscrabble existence and constant worry. The story opens in 1799 with one more earthquake rattling the town of Bagnara in southern Italy. ![]() Translated from Italian, this novel follows seventy years of the 19 th century’s most powerful real-life family of Sicily. Written by Katherine Gregor (trans.) Stefania Auci ![]()
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