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A review by makealongstorycourt
The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
3.0
This was okay??
For a translated novel, I was very impressed with the nuance. I think that can sometimes get lost in translation (literally), and the writing can be a bit clunky. Fortunately the translator for this one did a fantastic job.
This is marketed as a historical fiction novel, but I didn’t feel like I learned much about 1930s Fascist Italy as I would have expected from a historical fiction piece. Yes, the setting was there and the names and locations were very old Italy. But I didn’t read too much detail about the political or social atmosphere of the setting itself. Thus, it felt more like a mystery/thriller with a litfic touch. It felt very lightweight to be considered historical fiction.
The plot itself was fast paced and enjoyable. I was invested in Francesca and Maddalena’s evolving friendship. However, the plot was also very standard. The themes of the novel communicated the difficulty of being believed as a woman and generalized ostracism. Did I enjoy reading? Sure. Will I remember it? Probably not.
For a translated novel, I was very impressed with the nuance. I think that can sometimes get lost in translation (literally), and the writing can be a bit clunky. Fortunately the translator for this one did a fantastic job.
This is marketed as a historical fiction novel, but I didn’t feel like I learned much about 1930s Fascist Italy as I would have expected from a historical fiction piece. Yes, the setting was there and the names and locations were very old Italy. But I didn’t read too much detail about the political or social atmosphere of the setting itself. Thus, it felt more like a mystery/thriller with a litfic touch. It felt very lightweight to be considered historical fiction.
The plot itself was fast paced and enjoyable. I was invested in Francesca and Maddalena’s evolving friendship. However, the plot was also very standard. The themes of the novel communicated the difficulty of being believed as a woman and generalized ostracism. Did I enjoy reading? Sure. Will I remember it? Probably not.