From our first introduction to Maria we learn so much about her  upbringing, her piety and her hard working ways setting the tone for this entire book.   A sense of hope and excitement permeated these first pages as Maria eagerly anticipates meeting the man her father is arranging for her to marry.  It's 1923 and in Italy during these post war years suitable men are not easily found.     Maria is 25, she's a devout Christian and fears she'll remain a spinster for life.   She prays alot, honours her Madonna of the Mountains statue, and has faith the Madonna will keep her safe.

After so much hope about her marriage I feared things would turn out badly.    In fact, in the context of the times, her marriage to Archille could be considered successful.   Initially they seemed to work well as a team, they created a home, started a family, built a business.   But life was not easy and through Maria we were privy to their trials and travails the way they survived the second world war, dealt with fascism, denunciations, hunger, disease, death and destruction.   Over the years Maria turns to the Madonna to confess her sins, express her innermost thoughts, fears, hopes and desires and to keep them safe. 

Coming from a completely different time and upbringing I struggled with the attitudes towards women; the way females were expected to obey the men in their lives be they father, brother, husband, son.      Whilst I was happy to see Maria's strength in other situations I couldn't quite reconcile this strength with her acceptance of the domestic violence and the rules enforced by her husband and son.   I struggled with the moral principles of the day which seemed to dictate that all ties with  daughter Amelia were severed for defying her parents wishes.     However, it's books like these that remind me not to take my freedoms for granted, that make me walk a mile in another person's shoes.

By books end Maria was again filled with hope as she and her family (minus Amelia) emmigrated from Italy to Australia.    This was a gently paced story and was one I enjoyed.     Thanks to author Elise Morbida for her lovely writing, to Spiegel & Grau for publishing it and of course NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was beautifully written with period details but left me a little cold. I realized towards the end of the book that it felt like there was an absence of hope throughout most of the story. The main character, Maria marries at an older age (for the time) at the end of WWI. Most of her internal dialogue actually happens with a statue of the Madonna. Once Maria is married for a few years, it seems like the Madonna admonishes her instead of providing a source of comfort. Interesting historical fiction if you like this time period (before and during WWII Italy) but the main character feels distant from the reader.
Thankfully the book left me with a better feeling by the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

The Madonna of the Mountains has at its centre Maria Vittoria and her life over a twenty five years period. The story is set in Italy, during the interbellum, World War II and post-war.

First and foremost, it's a story of survival and family.
Life is difficult, many are poor, they have too many children to feed. Women are second-class citizens. Men and religion rule.

Getting married is all a young woman aspires to. It's a business transaction of sorts. Love is an afterthought, a luxury. There's duty, bearing and raising children, and the million and one domestic tasks.

Although Maria married late for that era, she knows she's lucky to have five children still alive. She works hard alongside her husband, Achiles, they prosper and have their own grocery store. The war years were difficult, but they survived it.

There were things I liked about this novel, its realism, the characters were well-drawn, especially, Maria. But the novel's flow and pace ebbed and flowed together with my interest and attention. I understood the importance of the Madonna for Maria, but I skimmed over most of the dreams/prayer sections.

The Madonna of the Mountains was a simple and very realistically drawn story, where nothing much happened unless you discount marriage, kids, making a living and surviving the war. While I appreciated many parts, the way they were put together didn't quite work for me, I felt detached for the most part.

I have tried and tried to finish this book but just can't get past the crazy, screaming woman and don't know where that's going. It's such a slow read. It's a "did not finish" for me but since I didn't complete the book I won't review it on public media, wouldn't be fair to the author as it probably has a great ending.

thanks for the opportunity

I love historical fiction. I have read many books of this genre. Although this book was good, it did not
distinguish itself from the others available.

I tried this book, but it was not for me. It was a tedious and gloomy story. I see lots of good reviews for this book so it was liked by many others. It just wasn't a book I enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this even though there is a ton of WWII out there. I thought the characters were very well developed and the writing was smart.

This was an interesting book that delt with WWII era Italy and issues that aren't covered much. While it was interesting the first part was a bit slow. I still enjoyed it however.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I really enjoyed this book.
It’s the story of Maria Vittoria, from the mountains in Italy. When the story begins she is 25 and living at home with her parents and siblings and is considered as approaching spinster age.
It begins with her father going off to another town to find a husband for her and follows her life through her own marriage and family. This all takes place beginning in 1925 - 1950, and the majority of it through WWll.
Throughout the book she is devote and prays to her statue of the Madonna of the mountains,and the Madonna speaks to her, knows her mind.
This book is about womanhood, motherhood, and of course survival, since these were war years.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Random House for the ARC!

The Madonna of The Mountains is a richly drawn portrait of life from the 1920's to the 1950's. I loved all the details the author used to describe life at that time, from the type of food people ate, all the way down to the texture of clothing. I felt immersed in this era and how it might have been like to live in these characters lives.

It took a while for the action to start up, with the first 20% of this book showing what everyday life would have been like. While this was fascinating, it did make for a slow beginning. I felt that Maria wasn't evolving in any way.
But that did change with the onslaught of WWII. Then Maria must use all her strength to keep her family alive during tremendous hardships. The choices she made were questionable, but show she would do anything for her family. The guilt she feels is manifested in her internalized dialogue with The Madonna of the Mountains.

I always love a good story of survival, and this book delivered.

What would you do to keep your family safe?  Maria Vittoria grew up in the Italian Mountains during war, and felt lucky to marry a handsome veteran.  Highly religious and a firm believer in hard work makes her a good help mate when they finally get their store.  Having four children and living in the time of the National Fascist Party marks her, though.  She has to be stronger, harder, to trust no one.  Her faith, her icon Madonna gives her strength and guidance.

When her husband runs afoul of The Party, how far will she go to protect him?  And will she be able to handle the fallout?  How will this war shape her family???

My thoughts:

I have to start by saying I really have no strong opinion of this book.  I just don't think it was totally for me, and thus my feelings are going to get in the way here.  Lots of people love this book, hopefully many more will.  For me.... it was just meh.

The writing style was good, with clear descriptions of the area that made me love the mountains.  Maria, our main character, was well developed and fairly interesting.  The book had a good flow and was mostly easy to follow (faint praise, I know, but if I have to keep stopping to figure out where I am and what's happening.... I usually just credit it to sloppy writing).  On a technical stand point, this is a stellar work.

Sadly it took far to long to peak my interest.  It wasn't until 35% into the book that I was committed to moving forward-  I was waffling with the idea of it being a DNF.  Then it wasn't until 70% into the book that I actually cared about the characters and the ending.  I feel like that has more to do with my preferences as a reader, though, than with the worth of the book.  I would have liked to have a better picture of the other characters.  Achilles and Primo get fleshed out a bit better, but the girls are an enigma for most of the story and there are two other sons that I don't feel I ever really got to know.  Then there's the Madonna.  Throughout the story, it seems to be talking to her from time to time- judging or giving peace in turn.  Is Maria hearing this?  Is she imagining this is what the saint would say?  Is she a bit insane?  Who knows?  I never got a clear picture there and, frankly, I don't feel like it did much to help the story.  I also didn't like the relationship between Achiles and Maria.  He hit her, and everything was always her fault and her problem to fix.  It wasn't a partnership at all.  Am I to infer that this is how the author believes relationships were in that time?  That she should be okay with it?  Only Primo ever stood up for her.  Her daughter actually seemed to ridicule her for it.  Why did she stay?  Why accept his treatment?  There was a moment when she knew, in her head, that Achiles was going to beat her unless Primo was home- and she acted as if she deserved it!  This was upsetting for me.  I guess, if I could see more things that made him a good mate- besides his looks and strength- I could like him better.  For me, it's a three star book and that's generous.

On the adult content scale, there's sexual content, violence and some language.  It is definitely geared toward older readers.  I give it a seven.

I was awarded an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

4 steadfast stars to The Madonna of the Mountains ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Madonna of the Mountains is an epic story of one woman’s life. Maria Vittoria is born in the mountains of Italy. The story follows her early life in the mountains, her marriage, and the births of her four children. During this time the National Fascist Party and Mussolini rule Italy, and Maria’s family struggles to survive the harsh war times.

During those tumultuous times, Maria has no idea whom to trust. She is surrounded by snoopy neighbors, Nazis, and a Fascist cousin, and her only goal is to keep her family safe.

Eventually, Maria’s children grow and spread their wings, and she is still fighting to preserve her family.

Maria very much epitomizes the quintessential selfless mother who puts her family first ahead of everything else. She is a complex character and one I admired and respected.

There were many nuances to the author’s writing, small things that added up to make a wonderful whole. For instance, the Madonna speaking to the devout Maria, guiding her, and beautiful imagery and depictions of the area where Maria lives.

Thank you to Elise Valmorbida, Spiegel & Grau/Random House, and Netgalley for the complimentary copy.

Wonderful historical fiction ! Maria has not had an easy life and then, well, her father marries her off because she's a spinster at the age of 25. Valmorbida brings rural Italy during the period 1923 to 1950 through Maria, a woman whose most profound conversations are with her statue of the Madonna. Her husband Achilles and her children, their shop, their daily life are all difficult. There's terrifically informative depictions of the various political forces shaping Italy during this time period. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is for fans of the genre.

This is an epic story of the life of Maria Vittoria Montanari, who was born in Italy. The book begins in 1923 when she's twenty-five, almost considered past the prime age for marriage. Her father sets out on a mission to find Maria a husband. She's attractive (although not quite as pretty as her younger sister Egidia), strong, and a hard worker. She is embroidering a sheet for her dowry trunk with delicate flowers to use for her marriage bed. She recites prayers from her only book...small, blue and 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. Maria seeks out comfort and guidance throughout her life while in reverent prayer before this statue, and these "conversations" if you will are italicized sporadically during this saga.

Maria and her new husband Achilles move to an Italian village named Fosso and set up their own grocery store. Some of my favorite parts of the book are the wonderful detailed descriptions of how she cooks, cleans and maintains the store. Just prior to her marriage when she's still living in her family home in Monastero, she is washing laundry before dawn. It is a very elaborate process involving numerous trips to retrieve water, two buckets at a time hanging from a pole that she supports across her neck and shoulders. They make their own soap, violet perfume, and use every plant and animal resource without waste.

It was a riveting read how Maria, Achilles and their children lived through the horrific period of World War II. The terror of their store being visited by surly and frightening army factions, enduring food rationing with barely enough to eat, air raids, bombing and illness. I was utterly fascinated by the food sources Maria employed to feed her family such as pigeons, lizards and snails! There was also an exquisitely detailed passage involving the raising of silkworms, a skill one of Maria's daughters learned in a convent which was considered "more valuable than a dowry".

I was briefly disoriented about 30 percent into the book by a rather weird foray into the mind of a local madwoman named Delfina. It seemed like the story had gone off the grid to some extent, but the "fog" quickly passed and this glorious family saga resumed.

This is a superbly crafted story of an attractive, strong, spiritual, and resourceful wife and mother who loved and protected her family through some very trying times.

I read about 26% of this book and couldn't really get into it. Because I didn't finish it, I couldn't give it a rating.

Madonna of the Mountains is a historical fiction about the consequences of WWII in the valley of Italy, as told through the eyes of a woman with very little rights, subservient and loyal to her husband and family, despite how little many of them value her. They are “tied together by duty and love and fear.” Her consolation is in her prayers to the catholic Madonna statue in her room, and the encouraging or reprimanding replies she hears, representing her own subconscious.

This book will be a difficult read for those who despise religion, injustice, coerced infidelity, or the ill-treatment of women, but is probably best for those looking for an everyday account of the struggles of the common woman in this time period and location, and how she uses her ingenuity to survive and provide for her children.

I had to think a lot on how I would review this book. In hindsight, I wish I wouldn’t have chosen it. But the description sounded so much better than the actual book. The story is told in third person and I did not like the way it was written. Maria is the main character along with her husband Achille, and her 5 children. The book does give a lot of insight into the customs and rules everyone had to follow during this era. A woman’s husband was usually chosen by her father, and that decision was dependent upon his ability to care for, support and to raise a Christian family.
The story starts out well, but then we jump forward several years and I started getting lost in the children, the family, the war, the black market and the prison sentence. I’m sure a lot of research went into the writing of this book, but I felt a lot of the details were lost along the way and the story suffered. I found this to be a rather depressing, heavy story, the most emotion I could muster was toward the end, where you could possibly see a light at the end of the tunnel for Maria and Achille. Otherwise this book did not evoke much emotion or caring for Maria or the other characters.
Unfortunately I give this 3***’s.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"Everything is piece by piece, Maria thinks. God’s creation of this world, day by day. War. Hunger. A sick child’s
convalescence. Mountain water on granite, drop by drop. A woman’s reputation. Stitch by stitch."

The Madonna of the Mountains is a historical fiction set in Italy starting in the 1920s and spanning a few decades. The story mostly follows Maria Vittoria (though there are a couple other perspectives thrown in,) a hardworking, prideful young woman from a small mountain village. At the start she is 25 and hoping for a husband that will marry her despite her "old age" and help her to move up in the world, maybe even emigrate to La Merica. We follow Maria through her life as a wife, mother and worker during times of peace and war.

Without a doubt my favorite part of this book was the prose itself. Beautiful and winding, it reads like the natural flow of Maria's thoughts, something especially impressive for a book written in third person, which happens to be my preferred perspective. Occasionally interspersed with the voice of the Virgin Mary offering guidance to devout Maria, which I really loved. I also thought the progression of time was done very well, occasionally taking jumps (something necessary for a book covering decades) without every feeling like I missed out on parts of her life. Through this expression of time I thought the author was able to explore themes of the generational gap and what is truly passed down from parent to child beautifully. These themes being exactly what makes me love multi-generational family sagas in the first place.

My biggest gripe with the book was my connection to main character Maria, or rather lack-there-of. I never came to love or really care for her at all. I'm not sure if this was a result of the character, her being so prideful and sometimes cruel, or the soft, light writing never giving me the sense that I truly know her. Overall, I really enjoyed Elise Valmorbida's story and would recommend to anyone that loves historical fiction or family sagas as much as I do!

The novel is beautiful and engaging, illuminating a point of view and setting not seen as widely in historical fiction. Maria is a wonderful, unforgettable character.

A slow read that gets better as it goes along.
The Madonna of the Mountains by Elise Valmorbida took awhile for me to get into it. Told primarily from the point of view of Maria Vittoria (it occasionally slips into other POVs), we start out in the early 1920s as she meets her future husband for the first time. She then moves away from her family’s house and starts to build her life with her husband, Achille.
As Maria is our main character, it’s important that we as readers connect with her, and sadly, I did not feel any connection to her, or her story, at all. Throughout the novel she has a religious focus that, at times, mainly at the beginning, felt inauthentic to me. As the book goes along, her Catholic faith feels more real, and maybe that was a point of the book, but I just didn’t connect to the religious aspects of this read.
Maria is a hard worker, and her determination and drive to support her family helps carry the novel along. I found the sections set during WWII the most compelling, as Maria scavenges for food and teaches her children how to survive on very little. I haven’t read too many books set in Italy during WWII, and I fear many references went over my head, but I still learned a bit about how it was to live in Italy during this time period.
I went into this read thinking that there’d be a romantic storyline here, and there really wasn’t. Maria and her husband, Achille, have a difficult marriage, and there were times I just wanted to shout at Achille, and later on, their son, Primo. The synopsis mentions the patriarchal society, and there are scenes here that are anger inducing and difficult to read.
I think The Madonna of the Mountains will either be a book that you love, or that you are bored by. I personally found it on the slow side, and really had to push through the beginning, but once I got past the 50% mark it picked up. I do feel that I’ll think of this book when thinking about WWII novels, as it was a different perspective on the war.

Bottom Line: It takes awhile to get into and gives a different perspective on WWII.