Description
Book SynopsisFrom Calabria to Connecticut: a sweeping family saga about sisterhood, secrets, Italian immigration, the American dream, and one woman's tenacious fight against her own fate.
Trade ReviewA compulsive, huge-hearted novel about family, home and how women move through the world; you don't read this book, you live it. -- Erin Kelly, author of HE SAID/SHE SAID
A sweeping story of immigration, family, betrayal and most importantly, one extraordinary woman. This book is gorgeous, harrowing and magical -- Julie Cohen
Thanks to gorgeous writing from Grames, it's full of beautiful passages and is the perfect book to take with you on holiday . . . a messy, complex and convincing story of women struggling to find their true power -- Francesca Brown * Stylist *
This is wonderful storytelling, seamlessly capturing the love and horror at the heart of family. Juliet Grames's novel, tracing the extraordinary life - and deaths - of an ordinary woman, sits the reader down at a well-laden table, and offers a hugely satisfying feast. Delightful -- Mick Herron
A sumptuous inter-generational saga . . . heart-wrenching * Observer *
Packed with family secrets and their repercussions, the novel memorably pins down the American immigrant experience. It's an impressive achievement. * Daily Mail *
Superbly enjoyable . . . a darkly funny story about two sisters . . . A class act - don't miss it. * Woman *
I loved this meaty family saga . . . I couldn't help rooting for the complicated and unstoppable hero -- Joanne Finney * Good Housekeeping *
Fresh and intriguing . . . gripping -- Sabine Durrant
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna achieves what no sweeping history lesson about American immigrants could: It brings to life a woman that time and history would have ignored * Washington Post *
[Its] emotional force . . . illuminates every page. A beautifully painted portrait, majestic and masterful; a very fine novel indeed. -- Laura Carlin
By turns captivating, shocking, heartbreaking and life-affirming. This is no ordinary family epic; it is the story of generations of women who, in conformity and non-conformity, blaze with strength, compassion and formidable will . . . An extraordinary debut -- Vaseem Khan
A magnificent debut . . . a deeply felt, richly imagined world . . . Moody, original and profound. Brava! -- Adriana Trigiani
Reading
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is like listening to the rollicking stories of your Italian grandmother - full of memorable characters and speckled with fascinating bits of history. This is a fantastic and timely family story -- Jessica Shattuck
Juliet Grames's epic novel . . . is rich in eccentric characters and unlikely encounters, and she inhabits a world that is tinged with magic but still limited by patriarchal values - and she carries with her a dark family history. It's an extensive, often cheeky, exploration of lineage, fate, and womanhood. * Buzzfeed *
Paint[s] sensually intricate portraits of Calabria and Connecticut. With her story of an "ordinary" woman who is anything but, Grames explores not just the immigrant experience but the stages of a woman's life. This is a sharp and richly satisfying novel * Publishers Weekly *
Compelling * Kirkus *
Readers who appreciate narratives driven by vivid characterisation and family secrets will find much to enjoy here . . . [Grames is] an author to watch * Booklist *
While the subject matter isn't always easy . . . the Fortunas are so lively and sharply drawn that you'll eagerly follow their journey from pre-World War II Italy to early aughts Connecticut * Vulture *
Twisty and complicated, but wholly original * Electric Literature *
Witty and deeply felt * Entertainment Weekly *
