Her Side of the Story

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'A revolutionary thriller, bildungsroman and cry of feminist frustration... Actual-work-of-genius territory' Sunday Times

A captivating feminist classic about a woman's struggle for independence in fascist Italy, from the author of Forbidden Notebook - with an afterword by Elena Ferrante

Alessandra has always wanted more than life offered her. Growing up in a crowded apartment block in 1930s Rome, she watches as her mother's dreams of becoming a concert pianist are stifled by marriage. When her father's traditional family try to make Alessandra marry at a young age, she rebels against the future they imagine for her.

Soon she falls passionately in love with Francesco, an anti-fascist professor, and a new world seems to open up. Working for the underground resistance, she tastes the independence that she has yearned for. What will it take for her to break free from society's expectations, and live on her own terms

Drawing on Alba de Cspedes's own experiences during Italy's wartime uprising, Her Side of the Story is a feminist chronicle of fierce and unforgettable power.

Reviews

'At once a revolutionary thriller, bildungsroman and cry of feminist frustration... What takes Her Side of the Story from feminist tragedy into actual-work-of-genius territory is its strange, almost nauseating moments of menace... I will turn to this shard-in-the-heart book again one day, knowing new treasures await me inside' - Laura Hackett

'Reading Alba de Cespedes was, for me, like breaking into an unknown universe: social class, feelings, atmosphere' - Annie Ernaux

'One of Italys most cosmopolitan, incendiary, insightful, and overlooked writers' - Jhumpa Lahiri

'Alba de Cespedes wrote novels in the 1940s and 1950s that were radically contemporary, both then and now... A courageous novel, beautifully imagined and written' - Washington Post

'A fascinating study in what it was like for a clever and rebellious woman to grow up in the profound and persistent anti-feminism of Italy before and for some time after the war... A shrewd, perceptive, poignant story about the perils of imagining happiness to be anything but an illusion' - TLS

Author Bio

Alba de Cspedes (1911-97) was a bestselling Italian-Cuban novelist, poet and screenwriter. The granddaughter of the first President of Cuba, de Cspedes was raised in Rome. Married at 15 and a mother by 16, she began her writing career after her divorce at the age of 20. She worked as a journalist throughout the 1930s while also taking an active part in the Italian partisan struggle, and was twice jailed for her anti-fascist activities. After the fall of fascism, she founded the literary journal Mercurio and went on to become one of Italy's most successful and most widely translated authors. Forbidden Notebook is also available from Pushkin Press.