I was invited by Faber & Faber to take part in the blog tour for the release of Elise Valmorbida’s newest novel, The Madonna of the Mountains! And am I glad I said yes, because not only does the book look absolutely gorgeous with its vintage-inspired cover designed in collaboration with Liberty, but it also a great, great novel. It’s just been released so I only have one thing to say: go to your nearest bookshop and treat. yo. self.
Synopsis
The year is 1923 and in the contrà, Maria is waiting for her father to come back with a good husband for her. The war fought at the border between Austria and Italy has left next to no eligible men and Maria is getting old—she’s 25 and “almost unmarriageable.” But she’s strong and healthy and she can do the work. Her father comes back with a man. He’s not disfigured, he’s not weak and he’s not old. Maria is happy.
The year is 1923 and a year ago, Mussolini became head of government with his National Fascist Party.
And then the years are 1928, 1936, 1942 and finally 1948 and 1950.
This is the story of Maria Vittoria, and her attempt to keep her family safe as the world around her becomes full of danger.
Atmosphere
I loved the book because it was an immersive experience. This a true atmospheric read thanks to the brilliantly written descriptions not only of the landscapes, of the clothes Maria and other characters are wearing, of Maria’s and her husband’s grocery shop, etc. but also of the food. Food is at the very heart of the novel, whether it is scarce or in abundance. The book even includes recipes mentioned in the story at the end—you can find a recipe for torturing political prisoners with salt, an absolutely chilling contrast to the recipe of, let’s say, gnocchi.
Authenticity
This book feels personal to the author. Based on the author’s bio, Elise Valmorbida is Australian-Italian ; meanwhile, The Madonna of the Mountains starts in Italy but ends in Australia. You don’t need to be a genius to connect the dots, eh. Thus, there is this authenticity that can only comes from someone who grew up in a Italian family—as I read, I could only imagine the author gathering information from family members about Italy and what it meant to grow up there. On Faber’s blog, there is an exclusive photo diary that confirms my suspicions. I’d invite y’all to go there because it’s fascinating stuff!
Womanhood
Another central theme in the book is womanhood—more specifically, what it meant to be a woman in the Italy of the first half of the 20th century. At the beginning of the book, Maria is 25 and is considered almost too old to marry. If you think this is outrageous, wait until you read more. In Maria’s family, men eat first and women eat what is left. Of course, nowadays, these would be considered backward, sexist ideas—and they are— but in 1920s Italy, especially in smaller towns, I imagine that would have been considered completely normal. Women and men both thought that ; Maria certainly did. But as the years go by and Mussolini’s fascism rises and WWII eventually arrives, you can see Maria grow up, and gain, in her way, a certain independence. I love character’s development and seeing Maria grew up from this shy, naive young woman into a woman—the matriarch of her family—was absolutely fascinating. Is she a perfect character? Hell no. She’s flawed. She does mistakes. And in the end, that is what makes her so real.
History
I’ve always been interested in WWII, so I love reading stories set in that specific era. I find stories that show the war through the eyes of ordinary people more interesting to be honest—what did it mean for them? What was daily life during WWII? I’ve seen and read a lot of stories set in WWII France and England, but actually none in Italy. I know a bit about Mussolini based on what I’ve learned at school, but that’s basically it. Which explains why I enjoyed the book so much, because you have all these details about the fascist regime in Italy and the war. Don’t get me wrong, this is not the main focus of the book—but it is in the background and very much important as it has a tremendous impact on Maria’s life.
So in conclusion…
I would recommend this book if you like historical fiction, atmospheric reads, female-centered stories and family sagas!
the purrisian reader 