Description
Book SynopsisIn this captivating English-language debut, three generations of women must face their secrets and regrets when an old family curse awakens.
Trade Review"Remarkable. . . . A compelling read, both disconcerting and enchanting. . . .
The Empire of Dirt is a rich puzzle impossible to resist." -- Virginia Reeves - New York Journal of Books
"
The Empire of Dirt is as elegant and precise as it is haunting." -- The Millions
"In Francesca Manfredi’s intense, mesmerizing novel, cosmic forces intersect with the domestic life of a girl and her mother and grandmother. With deceptively simple sentences, Manfredi brilliantly evokes the deep mysteries that lurk within everyday interactions. I couldn’t put this book down." -- Helen Phillips, author of The Need
"An elegant and haunting story of feminine chaos and self-possession. Francesca Manfredi’s prose, in Ekin Oklap’s translation, is piercing and full of dark, honest wit." -- Catherine Lacey, author of Pew and Nobody Is Ever Missing
"With her magnetic, captivating style and precise linguistic register, Francesca Manfredi leads us on a journey in discovery of ourselves, changing with the turning of the seasons." -- Stefania Massari - Huffington Post Italia
"A complex and beautiful novel, with a dreamlike, poetic, but never macabre register." -- Francesca Frediani - D - la Repubblica
"At once disconcerting and utterly captivating." -- Florence Courriol-Seita - Le Monde
"A coming-of-age story that showcases, with powerful descriptions and poetic prose, the intergenerational clash and unspoken guilt between three women." -- Booklist
"Three generations of Italian women living under one roof might be witches or might just be trying to live their lives; point of view is everything.... Valentina endeavors to make sense of her place in a world inhospitable to girls seeking freedom and within a family where secrets reign over truths. Manfredi delivers Valentina’s narrative, as translated by Oklap, in a straightforward and unapologetic tone consistent with the bravado and insecurities of adolescence. Familial truth emerges, one way or another, but it may take a few generations before it can be seen." -- Kirkus
"Evocative.... The accomplished prose is a testament to Manfredi’s potential." -- Publishers Weekly
