"A perfect summer read [that] brims with heart . . . Don't be
surprised if you keep turning the pages long into the night, spellbound
by its magic."--The Denver Post
A sweeping saga about four generations of a family who live and love on
an enchanting island off the coast of Italy--combining the romance of
Beautiful Ruins with the magical tapestry of works by Isabel Allende.
**NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR - Los Angeles Public
Library - Kirkus Reviews
**
"Captivating . . . [Catherine] Banner's four-generation saga is set
on an island near Sicily, where myths of saints get served up with
limoncello at the Esposito family's bar. . . . The island is fictional,
but consider this dreamy summer read your passport."--People
**"A lusty page-turner that weaves romance, rivalry and the intricacies
of family expectations into one glorious tale."--Minneapolis Star
Tribune
Castellamare is an island far enough away from the mainland to be
forgotten, but not far enough to escape from the world's troubles. At
the center of the island's life is a café draped with bougainvillea
called the House at the Edge of Night, where the community gathers to
gossip and talk. Amedeo Esposito, a foundling from Florence, finds his
destiny on the island with his beautiful wife, Pina, whose fierce
intelligence, grace, and unwavering love guide her every move. An
indiscretion tests their marriage, and their children--three sons and an
inquisitive daughter--grow up and struggle with both humanity's cruelty
and its capacity for love and mercy.
Spanning nearly a century, through secrets and mysteries, trials and
sacrifice, this beautiful and haunting novel follows the lives of the
Esposito family and the other islanders who live and love on
Castellamare: a cruel count and his bewitching wife, a priest who loves
scandal, a prisoner of war turned poet, an outcast girl who becomes a
pillar of strength, a wounded English soldier who emerges from the sea.
The people of Castellamare are transformed by two world wars and a great
recession, by the threat of fascism and their deep bonds of passion and
friendship, and by bitter rivalries and the power of forgiveness.
Catherine Banner has written an enthralling, character-rich novel, epic
in scope but intimate in feeling. At times, the island itself seems
alive, a mythical place where the earth heaves with stories--and this
magical novel takes you there.
**
Praise for The House at the Edge of Night**
**
"A gorgeous, sweeping story set over four generations . . . calls to
mind Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Beautiful
Ruins."--Interview**
**
"Like pictures of a childhood summer, or a half-forgotten smell, this
book is sweet and heady with nostalgia . . . [and] comforting as a
quilt."****--NPR
**"Rich and immersive, this book will take you away."--Vox
"A masterful piece of storytelling, infused with the miraculous (both in
stories and in everyday life) while maintaining the difficult balance
between the explainable versus the inexplicable . . . captivating and
beautifully rendered."--Sara Gruen, author of At the Water's Edge
