A different perspective on the usual WWII story, with strong, imperfect characters and a fascinating political climate. I found this novel to be realistic and refreshing.

The pacing was rather slow in this historical fiction novel. The story itself was just “okay” for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Madona of the Mountains is a historical novel by the writer Elise Valmobida. I had not read anything from the author before but a short research in advance has shown me that the author has already made a name for herself.
Personally, I always find myself in the temptation to read historical novels – especially about periods that I may not yet know so much about. This often encourages me to take a closer look at past events. I don't necessarily expect facts about a historical novel; I want to be entertained and learn something new. I can therefore look away very well if there are minor inconsistencies, as this is still a case of fiction and not a non-fiction book.

The Madonna of the Mountains is the foremost story of Maria Vittoria in Italy from the 1920s to the 1950s. First, we get to know the young Maria, who grows up in a remote mountain region and has to leave it when she marries the war hero, Achille - a man chosen by her father for her. But Maria is not the kind of woman who will stand up for herself. Together, the couple will have four children, and during the war, it will be Maria who protects and holds her family together. She develops from an naive, young woman to her family's savior against inner and outer catastrophes.

For me, Maria was an insanely interesting character. At the beginning, we get to know her as a dreamer – a dreamer of the world outside and its endless possibilities. Quickly, she becomes disillusioned by the reality of her marriage and the new life that comes alongside Achille. Then there are attacks on her family from the outside and from within. In contrast to many of the stories published during the second, the focus here isn’t so much on the events of war but more on the people who live nearby. As the owner of a small business, Maria experiences the effects of the war on many levels. In addition to her desire to keep business running and thus to continue to ensure the family's success, she must also take a look at how her children grow up and go on their own paths, which do not necessarily have to be in line with wishes. I may not approve of every act of Maria, but on the other hand, the novel has a bittersweet melancholia about the sacrifices for her own family, which I found to be truly compelling.

The novel took me to an Italy that I knew little about so far, and the author describes the landscape and its people in an impressive way. It is easy to imagine the hard life of Maria and to get a sense of the forbearance of time. Many small aspects of history have stuck with me – recipes and everyday tips as well as the dialog between Maria and the Madonna. I am not particularly religious and often have my difficulties with strongly religious people, but I was able to understand Maria very well in her way. Her actions to the outside are often hard and often not very motherly but in the end, everything Maria does always has one goal: To protect her family.

After reading 50 pages I decided not to continue. Although I love historical fiction and this time period, this was not an engaging story for me. I liked Maria well enough but none of the other characters. There was a gloomy atmosphere in this novel and I lost interest.

Old maid Maria Vittoria was 25 years old in 1923, patiently expecting her father to find her a suitable husband that comes in the man Achille Montanari and after a short period of time, they are married, by 1928 the young couple have two children and a small shop in the village of Fasso, Italy. The rise of the Fascist Party during Mussolini’s reign and its demanding complete loyalty and all that such fervour entails such as when a neighbour reports on a neighbour, creates the issue of allegiance as does the ascent of the Nazi Party in Germany and the threat of war imminent confronts Maria with the desperate need to protect her family. As the story develops over the course of a few decades, life is revealed to be quite harsh for Maria, partially because of her marriage and in large part because of the political climate and WWII. Maria’s story is not romanticized as so often is done in historical fiction, rather it is harsh and at times gritty. There is no prettying up the choices before and actions were taken by Maria.

Maria very much epitomizes the archetypal selfless mother who puts her family first ahead of everything else. She is a complex character that the reader learns to love as she is strong both emotionally and physically and has the courage to do what it takes to protect her family, often having to decide amongst challenging choices, she is forced to be quite hard and dogmatic at times. But her motivations and emotions are genuine – the survival and love for her children are her prime motivators. She is fascinating, but one that has the potential to create mixed feelings by the reader throughout the story. Maria’s strength of character and conviction is to be admired and respected, her fortitude and steadfast devotion to her family, protecting them at all costs and through all means possible, and also her ability to take charge during times of crisis is extraordinary -- yet at times when one cannot help but feeling frustrated at her stubbornness and strict adherence to oppressive rules and traditions during certain critical moments.

Maria is devout in her faith which is conveyed in her ongoing conversations with the Madonna and she often feels as if Mary speaks to her directly. She recites prayers from her only book, a small, blue volume bound in leather..."The Christian Bride". She also has another precious treasure: her Madonna of the Mountains figurine enshrined on a plinth in a glass bell jar that she has with her always. The Madonna is her lifeline, her support and salvation, that which soothes her soul when days are hard, and it is the Madonna of the Mountains that Maria reaches for when seeking answers. It is the voice she hears when she is uneasy in her soul over things she has done, and the words of the Madonna that range from offering comfort to giving cautionary warnings, and often, also, to counsel are what she clings to.

The imagery of the world around Maria is beautifully offered, the descriptions of the sights and sounds, the significance of the number of times the church bells ring and how they ring in a melancholy way are evocative and picturesque. The intermittent Italian phrases that are used throughout this book, brings the romantic language to life but never feels burdensome to the reader. This book raises many moral and ethical questions such as what would one do to survive, what is one's self-worth? This book is about womanhood, motherhood, and of course survival without sacrificing oneself.

DNF @ 13%

This book just wasn't suited to my reading tastes - the narrative was pushing through really slowly and I couldn't get interested in the plot whatsoever.

I just didn't like any of it.

Call it modern sensibilities but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters or the story itself. The plot is quite slow throughout the story and is told in a tone that never clicked for me. My biggest issues were the characters though. The Madonna was condescending even when Maria had done nothing wrong and I couldn't stand the husband or pretty much any male character. Me hoping a character dies when the protagonist wants them to live was odd as a reader. Unfortunately Maria herself was flat to me even though I was rooting for her. I kept waiting for her to put her foot down, to stand up for herself or her children, but she didn't and I was so disappointed. This just wasn't the book for me; the description sounded great and maybe my own assumptions got in the way but I hope others enjoy it more so.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Random House, and the author Elise Valmorbida for the opportunity to do so.

The Madonna of the Mountains by Elise Valmorbida is the story of a woman and her family surviving in Italian countryside in the years leading up to World War II and during the war. The story is a quiet one, focused on the day to day struggles of life. That may be purposeful, but in this case, it leads to a very slow paced story. I keep waiting for more. Note that the ending to me seems to indicate that a sequel might be coming.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/02/the-madonna-of-mountains.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

The Madonna of the Mountains was an eye opening story, of the realities and hardships in a rural part of Italy during 1920's, the fascist era, and World War II. A tale spanning the lifetime of a woman (Maria), with limited women's rights of her era, a hard marriage, and much fear of the regimes. Was certainly interesting, yet was a bit hard for me to relate to the characters. I appreciated the thorough research and authenticity of the voices in this book. Thank you NetGalley for the reviewer e-copy. All opinions are my own.

#TheMadonnaOfTheMountains #NetGalley

The novel is about the life of a young bride to be after WWI in an Italian village. The story goes around the sacrifices made by the main character which is the bride to be. She had bad luck compared to her lucky sister who married a respectful and rich man. She needs to survive her abusive and violent husband and the agonies of the WWII. I didn't like the way that the author trivialized the intrafamilial violence. I wished to see a stronger main character and a truly emancipated woman as the main character's sister.

Very interesting journey alongside an Italian woman from her fretting about finding a husband at a mature age of 25, to having a family, WW II struggles, and disillusionment of what she may have envisioned life to be.

enjoyed reading the last section of recipes, too.

I generally really enjoy historical fiction, particularly about WWII, and this was no exception. We met Maria in Italy in the years before WWII begins and that adds an interesting slant to the lead up to the war. Just a really great story encompassing a growing family during difficult times.

Started off slow, I almost put it into my did not finish pile, but I persevered and I'm glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations of the family and how they survived the war years and beyond

What an excellent historical fiction hidden gem. Set in early 20th century Italy, The Madonna of the Mountains follows a country girl, Maria Vittoria, through her marriage and birth of four children, chronicling the family’s struggles against the backdrop of Fascist Italy during WWII.

This is one of the more convincingly historical novels I’ve read recently. Valmorbida’s characters are all distinctly of the time period; their trials and tribulations and character arcs are all expertly intertwined with the setting. After incidentally reading two other pieces of historical fiction set in Italy in the month of July, both of which were tonally anachronistic to the extreme (though in one case I believe it was intentional on the author’s part, but I digress), The Madonna of the Mountains was a breath of fresh air. This is a thoroughly convincing account of a country girl hoping against hope that she isn’t too old to marry at the age of twenty-five; a young wife struggling to keep her family fed when food rations are scarce; a mother trying to stave off the dishonor that one of her children has brought to her family. Valmorbida also infuses the narration with northern Italian dialect, and I always love foreign language integration into a novel, but being able to recognize where the dialect deviated from standard Italian was definitely part of the fun for me, and helped anchor me to these characters’ culture.

I will emphasize that unlike a lot of my favorite historical fiction, this is above all else a very quiet story. It concerns itself with the day to day of Maria’s life, the very very subtle ways in which her attitudes start to shift over time. This is not a WWII novel, and the conflicts are recounted from Maria’s very limited perspective (which isn’t to say that it isn’t well-researched; Valmorbida simply hides her research in the background rather than bringing it front and center). So while I did really, really enjoy this, it did lack a certain emotional punch that I’ve come to expect from historical family sagas which are steeped in unapologetic melodrama. But if you’re looking for something a little more subdued, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this.

Thank you to Netgalley, Spiegel & Grau, and Elise Valmorbida for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweeping historical work of the culture of Italy in times gone by. Its is the saga of a family, of heartbreak and of love.
I enjoyed reading this historical novel about small town life in Italy. The characters are richly drawn and all add to the saga. The setting is written in a realistic manner that brings each detail of Italian life fully to the readers attention and senses.
The Madonna Of The Mountains is set during twenty-five years of Maria Vittoria’s life. The book opens in 1923, in a small Italian village where marrying off your daughters must be done before they are 25. As Maria is twenty-five , Maria’s father finds a suitable mate in Achille, and the pair begin married life in a small village running a grocery together. . They have five children and suffer very hard times of poverty during the war. When the war ends, Maria and her family face a new and different life together with their family as Italy rebuilds.

This is a book about families, hardships, war and keeping a family together in hard times.
This book is a very enjoyable historical drama and well written of Italy in the time period.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review. A excellent read !

The Madonna of the Mountains is a saga covering the 1920s-1950s through the eyes of Maria Vittoria, an Italian woman in the mountains of Northern Italy. Known to her family as simply Maria, the protagonist starts the novel as a spinster who must marry before her younger sisters are allowed the opportunity. To this end, her father seeks a husband for his daughter he considers proper, a young World War I veteran named Achille. After the two meet and marry, Achille takes Maria to the plains where they run a grocery store. Over the years, the couple has five children, each who face their own struggles though mainly the two oldest, Primo and Amelia, and the youngest, Bruna, are profiled the most.

The Madonna of the Mountains aims to show the struggle of womanhood under Fascist rule and within Italy’s patriarchal and religious society. In fact, this is the key to the novel as we see how Maria handles the associated struggles. In all that goes wrong, Maria turns to religion for comfort. Under Fascist rule, Maria is forced to make many choices for her family to support them, especially after two key events. And throughout, Maria grapples with her forced marriage and how that has affected every aspect of her life, including relationships with her own family. One added complication is that of her cousin, Dullio, a dedicated Black Shirt. Readers will also see all the day to day tasks Maria was expected to perform. And no novel set in Italy is complete without a vendetta, curses, superstitions, and family disputes.

In all, I think that The Madonna of the Mountains met the goal it aimed for. Readers will complete the novel with a greater understanding of both womanhood in Italy and of life under Fascist rule. The character of Maria is not perfect, and if she were, the story would lose a lot of meaning. She shows that love for her family, mainly her children, takes precedence over most everything, even if she must resort to sketchy means to ensure food is on their table or take drastic actions again those she is closest to. Italy under Mussolini was not a good place to live; in fact, I have heard stories from my own family. It was harsh, especially for those who refused to join the Fascist Party and this novel does not hesitate to show this. In the end, Maria is a very human character and that makes her relatable to most readers and the setting in which she is placed illustrates an era and place often not covered in English-language literature.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "The Madonna of the Mountains"
by Elise Valmorbida. A very nice work of historical fiction. It was different from other works of historical fiction but I also found myself bored at times

“You’ve got to get married or you’ll end up like that witch in a nightdress.” Mama says whenever Maria is excitable or ungrateful.

The year is 1923 and Maria is twenty-five, unmarried and without options unless her father’s journey through the mountains in the slowly burgeoning spring should find her a husband. She dreams of marrying near Easter, where the date chosen will signify to al a position of esteem. And yes, her father is fortunate (it is after The Great War) and finds Achille Montanari, a man with ‘prospects’ even if her wedding contains the bleating of farm animals in the second room of her in-law’s house. Soon, however, Maria and Achille have two young children and a small shop in Fasso, although she still doesn’t feel ‘settled’, particularly not when the tenor in the country begins to change with the increasing power gained by Mussolini and the ever more frequent appearance of the “Brown Shirts”, the fascists that soon will threaten everyone and everything she’d known.

Above all, this is an unvarnished and often bleakly honest portrayal of the life of one woman, as she struggles with unexpected choices, struggles and even loyalties as her life progresses. Truly, Maria’s only hope, once the dreamy optimism of what a marriage and a life COULD be has faded with reality, her only option is survival. Survival and safety of her family, keeping her (now 4) children safe, and making the correct choices when navigating the ever-changing waters of social interactions as people, also in their own battles for survival, become less open, perhaps even less trustworthy, as time goes on.

Valmorbida has presented a story that is somber reading, but all the more lovely for it. Maria isn’t the chirpy heroine, determined to face her fears and move forward with a smile, easily navigating troubled times, shortages, gossips and danger. No, she is real and often stubbornly resisting change, fearful and obstinate, even haughty at points, with a frequent tendency to find herself remembering her own mother, her tendency to use old sayings and a rather archaic attitude to move through times of trouble. Of course, her faith is a constant presence as well, as her early lack of understanding about the world and the changes to come, all too quickly is a thing of the past, leaving her (as we all are) unprepared for the twists, turns and changes that life will bring.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9Ue/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

The Italian Catholicism of Maria’s youth and adulthood is unsparing in its severity. The Madonna of the title is not a gentle, nurturing mother, but the stern voice of guilt. Not until Maria begins to forgive herself will the Madonna begin to forgive her.

I know post-WW2 Italian immigrants, and this story feels true to their experience, and the experience of their children. It is heartbreaking in its picture of faith, guilt, hardship, family and ultimately, hope.

My Rating: 4 stars

This is the third book I’ve read so far this year that takes place in Italy – this time around, the setting is in the mountains and later in the countryside, during a tumultuous time period starting not long after the end of the Great War and spanning through the Second World War. It is the story of Maria Vittoria, an ordinary woman who grows up in a respectable, devoutly religious family in the Italian mountains and follows her life through marriage, the birth of her children, and later her struggle for her own survival as well as that of her family during the war. Maria is a fascinating character, but one that I had mixed feelings toward throughout the story. I admired and respected Maria’s strength of character and conviction, her fortitude and steadfast devotion to her family, protecting them at all costs and through all means possible, and also her ability to take charge during times of crisis -- yet at times, I could not help feeling frustrated at her stubbornness and strict adherence to oppressive rules and traditions during certain critical moments. I had to constantly remind myself that this was a different time and place – a time of war in a heavily patriarchal society where women had strictly defined roles and the ultimate goal was survival as well as preservation of family and kin. Given the circumstances and the time period in which she lived, Maria fulfilled the expectations placed upon her and then some – first as daughter and sister, later as wife and mother. Of course she was by no means perfect -- she had to make so many tough decisions and though my modern sensibilities made it difficult for me to agree with some of the actions she took, I admired her strength and resolve as well as her unrelenting devotion in making the best of what she had for her family.

At 300+ pages, I wouldn’t consider this a particularly long book, yet it covered so much ground in terms of subject matter. The story itself I felt was at times quiet and subtle, as we got to dive deep into Maria’s innermost thoughts, especially those projected through the words of the Madonna (the statue she kept devotedly by her side throughout her life). At the same time though, the tumultuous time period against which this story was set – the backdrop of war, political struggle, societal concerns, kinship and family relationships, etc. – also made the story feel epic, a sweeping family saga as the book’s summary states. The writing was beautiful and incredibly atmospheric in its description of the mountains and the Italian countryside as well as the various scenes of the family’s everyday life (for instance, the section about Amelia’s silkworms and the entire silk-making process).

In general, I like to read across different genres and have made a personal goal for myself to read widely and diversely (which I am happy to report has been going extremely well) – with that said though, historical fiction has a special place in my heart and this book is definitely a worthwhile read in that category. I don’t know much about the author Elise Valmorbida nor have I read any of her previous works, but after reading this book, I am inclined to change that soon. I definitely recommend picking this one up and letting yourself be transported by this well-written family saga!

Received ARC from Spiegel & Grau / Random House via NetGalley.