Nesmith Library

Stella mia, Rosanna Chiofalo

eng

no index present

fiction

Stella mia

902745549

Rosanna Chiofalo

"Rosanna Chiofalo's poignant, beautifully written new novel evokes the stunning scenery of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands and tells of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice--and the choices that resound across continents and through generations. Julia Parlatone doesn't have much to remember her Italian mother by. A grapevine that Sarina planted still flourishes in the backyard of Julia's childhood home in Astoria, Queens. And there's a song, "Stella Mia," she recalls her mother singing--my star, my star, you are the most beautiful star--until the day she left three-year-old Julia behind and returned to Italy for good. Now a happily married school teacher, Julia tries not to dwell on a past she can't change or on a mother who chose to leave. But in an old trunk in the family basement, she discovers items that belonged to her mother--a song book, Tarot cards, a Sicilian folk costume--and a diary. Sarina writes unflinchingly of her harsh childhood and of a first, passionate love affair; of blissful months spent living in the enchanting coastal resort town of Taormina and the unspoiled Aeolian Islands north of Sicily as well as the reasons she came to New York. By the diary's end, Julia knows she must track down her mother in Italy and piece together the rest of the complex, bittersweet truth--a journey that, for better or worse, will change her own life forever."--Page 2 of cover

Machine generated contents note: pt. One Messina and Taormina, Sicily. April-August 1969 -- 1. Stella Mia---My Star -- 2. Una Tazza di Porcellana---A Porcelain Teacup -- 3. La Lumaca---The Snail -- 4. Gattina---Little Cat -- 5. Vita da Sogno---Dream Life -- 6. Gioiello del Mediterraneo---Jewel of the Mediterranean -- 7. Gli Zingari---The Gypsies -- 8. La Ruota della Fortuna---Wheel of Fortune -- 9. La Cantante---The Singer -- 10. Una Grande Sorpresa---A Big Surprise -- 11. Isola Bella -- 12. Un Amore Magico---A Magical Love -- 13. La Marionetta---The Puppet -- 14. Furia dell' Etna---Etna's Fury -- pt. Two Aeolian Islands. August--November 1969 -- 15. Vulcano -- 16. Lipari -- 17. Panarea and Filicudi -- 18. Stromboli -- 19. Ritorno a Taormina---Return to Taormina -- 20. Salina -- 21. La Terra Senza Lacrime---A Land of No Tears -- pt. Three Astoria, New York, and Messina, Sicily July--September 2013 -- 22. Revelations -- 23. En Route to Sicily -- 24. Reunion -- 25. Sarina's Other LifeContents note continued: 26.A Daughter's Heartache -- 27. The Dream -- 28. Losing Paradise