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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Many thanks to Ecco for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
She’d been named after her grandmother, which was proper but still; “Stella” and “Fortuna” - “Star luck” or maybe even “lucky star” - what a terrifying thing to call a little girl. There’s no better way to bring down the Evil Eye than to brag about your good fortune; a name like Stella Fortuna was just asking for trouble. And whether or not you believe in the Evil Eye, you have to admit Stella had plenty of trouble.
I don’t like historical fiction. I never have. Not to say that it’s bad. I just find it rather pointless to read. I, as a reader, like to feel emotions from the books I read, whether that be terror, joy or shock. Almost all the historical fiction novels I have read haven’t delivered that. But this one… Oh, boy did it deliver.
So, what’s this book about?
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna (sheesh, what a mouthful) follows well… Stella Fortuna from birth, through many, many near deaths, and through death. Stella’s childhood took place in Italy and the reader is taken through an exploration of Italy and its culture. We also get to see immigration and World War II from the perspective of an Italian family. For a historical fiction novel, it was surprisingly breathtaking and captivating.
♠ Stella - Stella Fortuna has a lot going on with her life. First of all, she has a death curse. Her mother, Assunta, previously had a baby named Mariastella who died a few months old. Assunta had another child and named her after her deceased daughter. Now, Stella is believed to be haunted by the angry ghost of Mariastelal. Stella is constantly getting inches from death’s door before being saved by some form of miracle. Somehow, Stella is able to live her life even though she is constantly in fear that something or someone is out for her. Death curse aside, Stella also has to deal with the fact that she’s different. She is the only girl who does not want to get married, does not want to have babies and definitely does not want to serve a husband for the rest of her life. She’s a girl with spunk and curiosity. Something everyone should admire. It was both sad and inspiring to see her fight for her freedom during a time when that just didn’t seem to be an option.
♠ Concettina (Tina) - Tina, forever the little sister, is a follower. It is easy to relate to her because she is so innocent and meek. And while this could potentially frustrate readers, it surprisingly doesn’t.
♠ Antonio *Inhale* *Exhale* FFFFFFFFFFFF********************KKKKKKKKK. Goddamn, I have never hated a character more. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s okay to think about murdering someone as long as they are fictional. Antonio is one of those characters that makes you think: Yeah, okay, I’m not that bad. I mean, gosh. He just made my blood boil. What an entitled, perverted piece of sh*t that should burn in hell. There are not a lot of people on my “Burn in hell list.” Not even my old therapist is on there and we all know how I feel about her. (F**k you, Ms. E***)
But let’s focus on the positive. As I mentioned earlier, this novel is historical fiction but it isn’t like other historical fiction’s that I have read. Most of them feel very depressing and all the characters are being challenged or endangered by war or political issues. This one doesn’t. It’s a very small town and slice of life-y and ends up feeling more like a light and uplifting family books then what it is at its core. We get to see a lot of coverage of the Fortuna family which was just… so, so much fun to read. Juliet Grames did such an amazing job of portraying the family. I literally burst out laughing at one scene that I replayed twice because it was just too funny. That said, this book covers a whole lot of heavy topics like rape, rape, some death, curse, and rape. So, prepare yourself for that.
One of the best aspects of this book, in my opinion, was the Italian culture. I, as an American, know nothing about Italy. Though I do want to visit it someday, this far, I know nothing and so it was really cool to get to learn more about it. It was done so in such a fun and interesting way. It’s kind of sad that I’ve learned more about Italy from one book than in all of my history classes.
I also enjoyed the mild paranormal vibes I got. This book isn’t marked as magical realism on Goodreads but I will definitely mark it so. I loved the underlying theme of religion and spirits and ghosts that gave the book such a creepy and spooky feel which made it all the more enjoyable.
One final note. I really like the fact that the entire book is told using the perspective of a granddaughter who is doing a sort of research paper. The idea of using that as a POV and narrator was so creative and unique.
Overall, an amazing and unique historical fiction novel. Everyone needs to read this!
Bottom Line:
4.5 Stars
Age Rating [ R ]
TW: Rape, Suicide
Cover: 3/5 ~ Characters: 4/5 ~ Plot: 5/5 ~ Audio: ⅘
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: May 7th, 2019
Publisher: Ecco (HarperCollins)
Standalone: Yes
Best Format: Paperback/Hardcover
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dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This was a well-written, complex story. The rating, however, is for how much I enjoyed it. And while I can see how it is objectively probably a good book, it was ultimately a story about a strong, fiery woman broken by life, and that’s just not a story I enjoy or got anything out of. If it weren’t a book club pick, I would have DNF’d at around 85 pages, and I don’t think it would have been a bad choice for me.
This was a wonderful book and I gobbled it up in a day. I'll start with my reasons for giving it four instead of five...there was a bit of a slow section in the middle where the sisters were courting and many names were dropped and I lost track of who was who, also I was not completely a fan of the way the book ended.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this novel. It reminded me heavily of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugindes: a family saga full of secrets, drama, and struggles that crossed the ocean to America where we see story continue. This book is both a highly specific delve into the Fortuna family, and a glance over the history of the 20th century. I enjoyed the way the story was told as it had a certain knowing feel to it, while also feeling very personal. I liked that there were some things that remained a mystery and the narrator admits it.
Stella is a fantastic tragic heroine of her own story - the things she experiences as a girl and woman in a traditional family are heart breaking but I couldn't take my eyes off her. I think the portrayal of her relationship with Carmelo was very interesting - not only for how women of this generation and community were treated, but also for the fact that Stella never let his looks or his attempts to be thoughtful blind her to how badly he treated her. The main players in this book are so well thought out and multi-faceted and they felt real. A few of the later characters blend into one a bit but that is actually addressed in the story.
I loved the parts in rural Italy because there's such a heavy sense of time and place; the beauty of the countryside and the simplicity of life, and yet the limitations and the poverty too. There's a beautiful and thought provoking idea of sisterhood in this novel too. Overall, this was just a wonderful and absorbing story.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this novel. It reminded me heavily of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugindes: a family saga full of secrets, drama, and struggles that crossed the ocean to America where we see story continue. This book is both a highly specific delve into the Fortuna family, and a glance over the history of the 20th century. I enjoyed the way the story was told as it had a certain knowing feel to it, while also feeling very personal. I liked that there were some things that remained a mystery and the narrator admits it.
Stella is a fantastic tragic heroine of her own story - the things she experiences as a girl and woman in a traditional family are heart breaking but I couldn't take my eyes off her. I think the portrayal of her relationship with Carmelo was very interesting - not only for how women of this generation and community were treated, but also for the fact that Stella never let his looks or his attempts to be thoughtful blind her to how badly he treated her. The main players in this book are so well thought out and multi-faceted and they felt real. A few of the later characters blend into one a bit but that is actually addressed in the story.
I loved the parts in rural Italy because there's such a heavy sense of time and place; the beauty of the countryside and the simplicity of life, and yet the limitations and the poverty too. There's a beautiful and thought provoking idea of sisterhood in this novel too. Overall, this was just a wonderful and absorbing story.
**spoiler down below**
This was an incredibly conflicting read for me. It genuinely was nothing but sad the entire time, and I don't really know what the moral of the story was supposed to be because Stella ended up with absolutely nothing that she wanted and she went through immense amounts of pain only to suffer as basically a vegetable for the last 20 years of her life. I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from this.
I do also realize that it is a historical fiction, and times were much different back then than they are now, but it was just incredibly heartbreaking to see absolutely no growth in any of the characters. Sure, they physically grew and aged, but every single one of them succumbed to the evil and anger in their hearts which made all of them (except Bernie because fuck yeah, save that dog) incredibly unlikeable. I also didn't appreciate the constant dumbing down of Tina and making her out to be an absolute villain because she's 'dumb' and 'simple' and didn't get the life she wanted. Bitch, I'd be pretty depressed and jealous if I found out I couldn't have the entire life I wanted too! Stella is an incredibly unsympathetic character, but I suppose who would be in a situation where she's been told her entire life that nothing she wants matters.
The writing was genuinely beautiful, and that is the only reason this gets three stars. The author is fantastic at weaving her words together and telling a very large-knit story. But I don't feel better after reading this book. I don't feel as though there is any hope for people who have experienced pain or trauma. I just feel sad, hopeless, and angry.
This was an incredibly conflicting read for me. It genuinely was nothing but sad the entire time, and I don't really know what the moral of the story was supposed to be because Stella ended up with absolutely nothing that she wanted and she went through immense amounts of pain only to suffer as basically a vegetable for the last 20 years of her life. I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from this.
I do also realize that it is a historical fiction, and times were much different back then than they are now, but it was just incredibly heartbreaking to see absolutely no growth in any of the characters. Sure, they physically grew and aged, but every single one of them succumbed to the evil and anger in their hearts which made all of them (except Bernie because fuck yeah, save that dog) incredibly unlikeable. I also didn't appreciate the constant dumbing down of Tina and making her out to be an absolute villain because she's 'dumb' and 'simple' and didn't get the life she wanted. Bitch, I'd be pretty depressed and jealous if I found out I couldn't have the entire life I wanted too! Stella is an incredibly unsympathetic character, but I suppose who would be in a situation where she's been told her entire life that nothing she wants matters.
The writing was genuinely beautiful, and that is the only reason this gets three stars. The author is fantastic at weaving her words together and telling a very large-knit story. But I don't feel better after reading this book. I don't feel as though there is any hope for people who have experienced pain or trauma. I just feel sad, hopeless, and angry.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
NOT for faint of heart. Stella’s story is truly remarkable but I give a massive caution and trigger warning to anyone embarking on the laborious journey of reading this book: The final third of the book is littered with depictions of violence and abuse. It felt relentless and challenging to skip over because of how unpredictable the depictions were.