Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

   The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa SUMMARY: 'My defloration was talked about in all the courts of Europe. The Prince boasted of his prowess, even as preparations were being made for his wedding, as boldly as if he had ridden across that causeway with bloodstained sheet tied to his lance.' 1584, Italy: Twenty-year-old Giulia expects she will live and die incarcerated as a silk weaver within the walls of her Florentine orphanage, where she has never so much as glimpsed her own face. This all changes with the visit of the Medici family's most trusted advisor, promising her a generous dowry and a husband if she agrees to a small sacrifice that will bring honour and glory to her native city. Vincenzo Gonzaga, libertine heir to the dukedom of Mantua, wants to marry the Grand-Duke of Tuscany's eldest daughter, but the rumours around his unconsummated first marriage must be silenced first. Eager for a dynastic alliance that will be a bulwark agains

    Saving Madonna by Kate Bristow   SUMMARY: Inspired by real events, an unforgettable story of love, courage and sacrifice to save a country’s heritage. Italy 1943. As the Allies bomb Milan, Elena Marchetti reluctantly gives up her coveted job as an art curator in the city to return to her family farm near Urbino. She takes up a new role assisting Pasquale Rotondi, the Superintendent of Arts in the region, in protecting works of art from all over Italy that have been hidden in the relative safety of the countryside. At a family celebration, Elena reunites with Luca, a close childhood friend. A shattering event instigated by the occupying Germans deepens their relationship, and they start planning a life together. When rumours surface that Italy’s art is being stolen by the German occupiers, Pasquale hatches an audacious plan to rescue the priceless paintings in his possession. Elena and Luca are forced to make an impossible decision: will they embark on a dangerous miss

    Stories from La Notte By Ascolta Women Write SUMMARY: In this third anthology, the writers of Ascolta Women explore, deconstruct, and destabilize the stereotypes imposed on women and their activities traditionally associated with the night: witchcraft, prostitution, mysticism, healing, and death rituals. The anthology challenges the concepts of night and darkness as entities of fear and where women are vulnerable and powerless. Through prose, poetry, photos, and artwork, the oppressive binaries of women as virgin/whore, good/bad, witch/healer and hysteric/submissive are brought into stark relief. Instead, more complex, rich, nuanced and authentic lived experiences are offered.   Drawing on their diverse Italian and Italian-Australian heritages, the authors delve into folklore, family stories, critical research, and fantasy to bring narratives into, and out of, the imaginarium of the dark. In the process, we come to understand how light and dark have been pitted against

                                                                A Taste of Italian Sunshine By Leoni Mack        SUMMARY Jenn has always prided herself on being a city girl – she insists on easy access to good coffee, great food from around the globe, not to mention an easy commute. So, when her job takes her to one of the most famous Italian wine regions in search of the perfect Prosecco, travelling to meetings on a tractor is a bit of a culture shock. Tiziano hates the city.  He was made for the mountains and vineyards of Veneto, and generations of his family have earned their living from the land. But times are changing even in the Italian countryside, and the arrival of Jenn at his grandmother’s B&B opens up a window on a different world. Jenn has two months to persuade the Prosecco producers to trust her with their business, and Tiziano has one summer to persuade Jenn that there’s more to life than the rat race. But can a city girl and a country boy ever find enough in common

    The Girl Who Escaped By Angela Petch Description Italy, 1940. The girl sobs and rages as her father tells her the terrible news. “Italy is entering the war alongside Germany. Jews are to be arrested and sent to camps. We have to be ready.” As fascists march across the cobbled piazzas and past the towered buildings of her beloved home city, twenty-year-old  Devora ’s worst fears come true. Along with her Jewish parents and twin little brothers they are torn away from everything they love and sent to an internment camp huddled in the mountains. Her father promises this war will not last long… When they are offered a miraculous chance of escape by her childhood friend  Luigi , who risks everything to smuggle vital information into the camp, the family clambers under barbed wire and races for the border. But Devora is forced to make a devastating choice between saving a stranger’s life and joining her parents. As shots fire in the moonless night,  the family is separated. Haunted by th