Outside a certain village in the hills and countryside of Umbria there is a house in which live Alcina and Aliseo, sister and brother. She is older, wiser, apparently stronger; he is younger, his head in the clouds. It is the last two years of war. The Germans are on the run, the local fascists engaged in a final desperate spree of cruelty and arrogance. Inside Alcina's heart there is fear; fear of loneliness and the terrible fear of death. She knows too much: her mother died giving birth to Aliseo, and her father also died ...
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Outside a certain village in the hills and countryside of Umbria there is a house in which live Alcina and Aliseo, sister and brother. She is older, wiser, apparently stronger; he is younger, his head in the clouds. It is the last two years of war. The Germans are on the run, the local fascists engaged in a final desperate spree of cruelty and arrogance. Inside Alcina's heart there is fear; fear of loneliness and the terrible fear of death. She knows too much: her mother died giving birth to Aliseo, and her father also died young. Alcina and Aliseo join the partisans in the mountains, and Alcina gradually learns to overcome her fears. She will learn that there is space enough in her heart for all those things she previously denied, amongst them perhaps even love. This is a surprising, beautiful novel about feelings, a subtle story, one difficult to forget. Alcina holds everything together, past and present, daily life and memory.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. pp. 253. 253 pp. Tightly bound. Spine not compromised. Text is free of markings. No ownership markings. This copy is smyth sewn. Smyth sewing is a method of book binding where groups of folded pages (referred to as signatures) are stitched together using binder thread. Each folded signature is sewn together individually with multiple stitches and then joined with other signatures to create the complete book block. This is the traditional and best method of bookbinding.