- Winner
- of
- the
- Italian
- PEN
- Prize:
- A
- tale
- of
- illicit
- love
- and
- a
- girl
- forced
- into
- a
- convent
- in
- the
- early
- nineteenth
- century.1839,
- Messina,
- Italy:
- Agata
- is
- the
- daughter
- of
- an
- aristocrat,
- albeit
- an
- impoverished
- one,
- and
- she
- has
- fallen
- in
- love
- with
- wealthy
- Giacomo
- Lepre.
- Their
- families,
- however,
- view
- their
- romance
- as
- unacceptable
- and
- tawdry—and
- when
- Agata’s
- father
- dies,
- her
- mother
- decides
- to
- ferry
- her
- daughter
- far
- away,
- to
- Naples,
- where
- she
- hopes
- to
- garner
- a
- stipend
- from
- the
- king.The
- only
- boat
- leaving
- Messina
- that
- day
- is
- captained
- by
- young
- Englishman
- James
- Garson.
- Following
- a
- tempestuous
- passage
- to
- Naples,
- during
- which
- Agata
- confesses
- her
- troubles
- to
- James,
- Agata
- and
- her
- mother
- find
- themselves
- rebuffed
- by
- the
- king,
- and
- Agata
- is
- forced
- to
- join
- a
- convent.
- The
- Benedictine
- monastery
- of
- San
- Giorgio
- Stilita
- is
- rife
- with
- rancor
- and
- jealousy,
- illicit
- passions
- and
- ancient
- feuds.
- But
- Agata
- remains
- aloof,
- devoting
- herself
- to
- the
- cultivation
- of
- medicinal
- herbs,
- calmed
- by
- the
- steady
- rhythms
- of
- monastic
- life.
- She
- reads
- all
- the
- books
- James
- sends
- her
- and
- follows
- the
- news
- of
- the
- various
- factions
- struggling
- to
- bring
- unity
- to
- Italy.She
- has
- accepted
- her
- life
- as
- a
- nun,
- but
- she
- is
- divided
- between
- her
- yearnings
- for
- purity
- and
- religiosity
- and
- her
- desire
- to
- be
- part
- of
- the
- world.
- And
- she
- is
- increasingly
- torn
- when
- she
- realizes
- that
- her
- feelings
- for
- James,
- though
- he
- is
- only
- a
- distant
- presence
- in
- her
- life,
- have
- eclipsed
- those
- for
- Lepre
- .
- .
- .“Hornby
- enriches
- her
- story
- with
- sensuous
- details
- of
- food,
- fashion,
- furnishings,
- and
- the
- rules
- of
- an
- extravagant
- society,
- savoring
- local
- color
- and
- personality
- quirks.”
- —Publishers
- Weekly“An
- historical
- novel,
- a
- coming-of-age
- novel,
- a
- perfect
- portrait
- of
- family
- dynamics,
- The
- Nun
- also
- gives
- us,
- in
- Agata,
- an
- unforgettable
- heroine.”
- —Gazzetta
- di Mantova
pro-mbooks3 : libris
