The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro: A Novel

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From the internationally bestselling author of The Childrens Train comes an unforgettable coming-of-age novel, set in 1960s Sicily and based on a true story, of how a young Sicilian girl defied centuries old tradition to win the right to control her own life.

As provincial Sicily bursts into life with the jaunty hum of pop music and the heady scent of wild jasmine, fifteen-year-old Oliva Denaro dares to challenge convention, ignoring the taunts of peers, her mothers scolds, and her own changing body. Spirited and carefree, she loves to run until her lungs burst: to feel the strength of her lithe limbs, to relish the freedom she cherishes, to honor the friends forced by propriety to conform. Though she knows she cannot stop growing up, Oliva resists the future. To her, becoming a woman means denying oneself.

But adulthood comes all too quickly when the bakers son sets his sights on her. Offered a blood orange, Olivahaunted by her mothers warning, a girl who smiles has already said yesspurns the fruit. Yet, this act sets into motion an unwanted courtship that will force Oliva to fight for the right to choose her own path, even though the odds of winning are steep. While America and Europe are in the throes of social change, Sicily fiercely clings to its rigid traditions, including the custom of fuitina by which kidnappings could be disguised as elopements which is accepted and enshrined in law. Olivas battle for independence is based on the real-life story that would ultimately rock Italycapturing the attention of both the Pope and the nations presidentand transform life for all Italians.

The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro is a lyrical tale of staggering beauty. Viola Ardone beautifully evokes a land and its people, customs, and passions, and breathes life into an unforgettable girl in all her intensity, desperation, perseverance, and bravery. Alternating between the lighthearted and the tragic, it is a classic coming-of-age novelpowerful, spellbinding, and liberating.

Reviews

Viola Ardones novel is about the freedom of young women, so fragile Ardone succeeds by letting a simple story speak for itself." La Repubblica Ardone has created an unforgettable character. Corriere della Sera

Author Bio

Viola Ardone was born in Naples in 1974. The holder of a degree in literature, she used to work in academic publishing. She is the author of two other novels, Le ricette del cuore in subuglio published in 2013 and Una revoluzzione sentimentale in 2016. Ardone currently lives in Naples and is a high school Latin and Italian teacher.