A Kiss from Maddalena
Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2003. Item #1531 8vo. 220 x 150 mm., [8 ¾ x 6 inches]. [12], 338 pp. Quarter-bound in publishers’ light red cloth with gilt lettering on the spine and beige speckled paper over boards; illustrated unclipped dust jacket. Book is Near Fine: spine slightly skewed and creased; minor bumping on the corners and at the head and foot of the spine but otherwise a very solid copy with the text block clean. Jacket is Near Fine: minor creasing, soiling and shelf wear but still bright and attractive. First Edition. Christopher Castellani (b. 1972) is an American novelist and essayist currently Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University. Born in Willmington, Delaware to Italian immigrants, his writing explores themes of family, religion and the immigrant experience. A Kiss from Maddalena is his first novel and follows the romance between a young Italian boy and the titular Maddalena as they navigate the tumult of the Second World War in Italy. It won Castellani the Massachusetts Book Award and was noted for its warmth and sensitivity as well as its insightful treatment of rural life.
Price: $15.00