Read May 2019. Published 7th May 2019.
Mariastella Fortuna is born in the tiny, poverty stricken, Calibrian mountain village of Ievoli. Born just after the First World War to Assunta and Antonia Fortuna, she is named for her dead sister - the sister who died from suspected Spanish Flu, brought back from the war by her good for nothing father. The father that leaves for America, when she is only a few weeks old, to make his fortune.
Antonio is more or less absent throughout Stella's childhood - only returning occasionally for brief visits home and to plant more children in his long-suffering wife's belly and terrorise his family. No one misses him when he is not there, although it would be nice if he actually sent money back to his wife to support their growing family.
Assunta bears three more living children as a result of Antonio's increasingly infrequent visits, another daughter, Concettina, and two younger sons. She does her best to support them any way she can and they are happy living their hard, simple lives - lives they understand.
Stella loves her mother and sister deeply. Her father is another matter. As the oldest child, Stella is witness to the tyranny Antonia inflicts upon them all during his visits, and is disgusted by the way he makes sexual demands on, and degrades, their mother. Stella has no wish to become a wife and live the life her mother lives. She vows she will never marry and have children.
Stella is beautiful, intelligent, unconventional and fiercely independent. Unfortunately, she is also destined to nearly die several times throughout her life. Maybe calling her Stella Fortuna (lucky star) has tempted Fate and attracted the Evil Eye? Or is Stella haunted by her namesake that died?
Whatever the reason, Stella nearly dies three times during her childhood alone, but survives each time, against the odds. These will not be the last times Stella must fight for her survival - through both physical and mental damage.
Before the outbreak of World War Two, good for nothing Antonio insists that it is time for his wife and children to join him in America. Assunta and the children are reluctant. This will mean leaving everything the know behind, including Assunta's blind mother, to travel to a strange country, where they will not even be able to speak the language.
Unfortuntely, they have little choice and after one aborted attempt, which could have resulted in all of their deaths (one more attempt by Death to claim Stella), the family finally reach the shores of America in 1939. Assunta and the children now have no reprieve from Antonio's rule of iron and any freedom they experienced in the mountains of their homeland is gone forever. America is a strange new world, with strange ways, and they will all have to get used to living with their father. Can Stella remain true to herself and her vow, or will she have to bow to patriarchy in order to survive?
This is the most wonderfully written, sprawling tale that spans decades, two continents, and the dark secrets of the Fortuna family. You become totally immersed in the world and history of these characters.
Stella is fighting against subjugation by the patriarchy with every fibre of her being, but she is a woman ahead of her time. She sees no need for her life to follow the path laid down by tradition, but her options are limited. How does a young immigrant woman escape from the dictatorship of her father, especially when she has no money and speaks very little English?
Although Stella has managed to survive all that life, and death, could throw at her in her rural homeland, life in America will be very different for her. The Fortunas will be leaving poverty behind, but how much better will their lives be really?
Stella is not always likeable, but she is a survivor, even though her journey will not follow the path she desires. Stella's life will be in danger at least three more times, and she will also have to survive the death of her own spirit when she is unable to escape her fate.
There are some hard moments to read in this book, but it tells so beautifully of the struggles of women in the last century against the expectation that their lives must revolve around being wives and mothers. Most women today, thankfully, have choice and are not forced into marriage as a way to escape their own fathers. Antonio will also prove himself to be more of a monster than even Stella thought possible.
I particulary liked that the story is told by a female descendant of Stella's who has been able to enjoy the kind of life that Stella wanted for herself - free to make her own choices - but who would not exist if Stella had been able to choose.
I was completely engrossed in this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It covers some important issues through the telling of the story, as the Fortuna family pass down the decades, and will leave you with a lot to think about when you are finished. Fantastic debut Juliet Grames!
No comments:
Post a Comment