The Madonna of The Mountains (Paperback) - Elise Valmorbida

Maria faces a stony path, but one she will surely climb to the summit.In this sumptuous and elegant novel you will taste the bigoli co l'arna, touch the mulberry leaves cut finer than organdie, and feel the strain of one woman attempting to keep her family safe in the most dangerous of times.

WINNER OF THE 2019 VICTORIAN PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Award 2019 Walter Scott Prize Academy Recommended 1923, north-eastern Italy: Maria Vittoria's father has left the village to find her a husband. He has taken his mule, a pack of food and a photograph of Maria. There are no eligible men in this valley, or the next one, and her father will not allow her to marry just anyone. Just as Fascism blooms in the country, the crops ripen, and the state demands babies - a new generation. There is much work to be done, and Maria faces a stony path, but one she will surely climb to the summit.

About the Author

Elise Valmorbida grew up Italian in Australia, but fell in love with London. She's a designer, writer and teacher of creative writing. In recent years, she produced a feature film. Her fiction includes Matilde Waltzing, The TV President and The Winding Stick. Her non-fiction includes SAXON - The Making of a Guerrilla Film, and The Book of Happy Endings, now published in four languages and four continents.