“Francesca Giannone brings the sun-soaked vineyards of southern Italy to life in this transportive and poignant novel. The Letter Carrier, set in the difficult decades before and after WWII, is a lush diorama of a village in flux. At the beating heart of it all is Anna, the rule-breaking, bighearted letter carrier, a woman ahead of her time and drawn movingly from the author’s own great-grandmother’s story. An arresting read by an important rising author.”—Juliet Grames, internationally bestselling author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna and The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia
“[S]weeping yet intimate debut novel . . . Giannone’s bittersweet narrative is a testament to the power of connections made and missed, and a sensitive portrait of a woman bravely writing her own story.”—Shelf Awareness
“[W]hen I gobbled up this WWII-era historical fiction over the weekend, it quickly became one of my few five-star reads of the year. . . . Everything about this slice-of-life story was heartwarming and impactful. If you love a family saga, sprinkled with historical fiction elements, and strong female protagonists, you need to read this book . . . I won’t stop talking about it until you pick it up for yourself.”—The Skimm
“[T]he story is full of characters you’ll feel you know well, plus their fiery affairs, destructive secrets, and love no less deep when it remains unacknowledged . . . The storytelling carries you easily, and the vineyard country of southern Italy makes for a lovely backdrop.”—Historical Novel Society
“Inspired by Giannone’s great-grandmother, this character-driven story uses multiple perspectives to explore gender roles, missed opportunities, and the importance of family connection.”—Booklist
“Francesca Giannone is a magnificent storyteller, a master of chiaroscuro, the light and dark, delivering the delicious joys of life along with all that falls into shadow. This novel is rich and personal.”—Adriana Trigiani, author of The View from Lake Como
International Praise for The Letter Carrier
“A great historical and coming-of-age novel, interwoven with maturity and wisdom, that speaks to each of us in a way that allows a fragment of life to contain and give back an entire universe.”—Corriere della Sera
“The Letter Carrier conceals a strong soul, that of marginal, saved stories.”—Nadia Terranova, author of Farewell, Ghosts and Zia Nina
“With an intense and engaging style, [Francesca Giannone] describes the psychology of the characters . . . and the novel becomes a small historical fresco.”—La Lettura
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