The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is a sweeping saga of a multi-generational Italian family that leaves their beloved village of Ievoli in Calabria and settles in Connecticut in pursuit of a better life.

Rich cultural detail and touches of magical realism infuse this emotional family story of strength and survival. The main character, Stella Fortuna is a fiercely headstrong, tough-as-nails persona whose near-death experiences and refusal to conform with her family’s old-fashioned, oppressive patriarchal traditions cost her dearly. Stella’s actions test, shape, and influence family relationships and events over the course of several generations, adding depth to the portrayal of the immigrant experience.

This epic debut novel by Juliet Grames is at turns heartwarming and heartbreaking. It is an ode to family love, sibling rivalry, and enduring loyalty.

This did not turn out to be the novel for me. It had a lot of positives, but I just couldn't get into it. The pros: charming narrator, lots of great detail about living in Calabria, Italy in the early 1900's, wonderful figurative language. The con though is a big one. I just couldn't get into the storyline or the characters. It reads like a historical retelling of two sisters lives and I just kept waiting for the point. I guess I wanted a more traditional plotline. I think other people might like this book who don't mind the less traditional plotline or people who want to learn more about living in Southern Italy 100 years ago. It just didn't happen to be the book for me. It is well written and entertaining. I would say to give it a try and see what you think. 3.5 stars

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well written novel with strong female characters. The men were mostly awful, but I felt sorry for Carmelo. He was imperfect, but he loved and deserved to be loved in return.

This is a review that I wrote for our in-house publication, promoting new titles:

The first Mariastella Fortuna was born in the mountains of Calabria, Italy, to Assunta and Antonio Fortuna, but she died while still a baby, due to a fever. A few years later, Assunta gave birth to another baby girl, also named Mariastella, who seemed to have horrendous luck and hardship and nearly died numerous times. Stella grew up to be gorgeous, strong, hardworking, and extremely outspoken. She adored her mother and younger sister Tina, but hated her odious father and despaired of ever having happiness when Antonio arranged to have the whole family immigrate to Connecticut just as WWII starts. Stella thought she had escaped her greatest fear – marrying and being utterly subservient to a man – but traditions die hard and she is forced into marriage by her father, where her life turns 180 degrees into her worst nightmare. Consoled only by her relationship with Assunta and Tina, how could anyone explain why Stella spends the last 30+ years of her century- long life without ever saying a single word to the generous, loving Tina?

This engrossing and heart-felt family drama, told in the format of a narrative from a young family member, is warm, quirky, and equally sad, but its most striking characteristic is the depth that emerges from the extremely long, difficult life of Stella Fortuna.

This is the story of Mariastella Fortuna, the second. The original Stella died when she was just a toddler andwhen her father, who had emigrated to America, came back for a visit bringing unidentified (probable Flu) germs with him. Stella the second experiences odd brushes with death, despite her mother's best efforts to ward off the evil. The family lives in rural Calabria, in southern Italy, and eventually Antonio Fortuna demands his wife and children emigrate to America. Life is hard for the Fortuna's in Italy, as Antonio does not send money home. Life in America is harder as well as unfamiliar, though, and all of the family members pitch in, moved along with Stella's forward thinking, to make enough money to buy the family a home. Stella swears she will never marry or be at the mercy of any man, but her father changes the course of the life Stella wants for herself.

Stella and her sister Tina are close in age, and close in everything they do. Eventually after many years, the unthinkable happens and the sisters have a "blood" feud which causes them to become enemies. Their lives are so entwined that their family members can spend time with just one of them at a time. The story spans close to 100 years, and a lot of history and a lot of events happen that lead up to the events in their lives - they are 95 and 96 years old when the story opens; the feud has been going on for 30 years.

It is not a pretty story of redemption, la dolce vita in the Italian hillsides, or in Connecticut where the family settles after Tony's summons. It is a messy tale, not easy to read of both physical and mental abuse as well as incest. Yet there is so much truth in families with hidden jealousies, thoughts, dashed hopes and dreams; things taken for granted that are not necessary best we have to offer. It is the story of great beauty that fades, of small moments that can affect an entire life in good and bad ways. It is the story of Italian Immigrant lives, hardship, and joys. It left me feeling sad for those small moments wasted that cannot ever be made up. It's a book that makes one think, and consider, and maybe appreciate a little more some of life's better moments.

I was given the book from Net Galley in exchange for a review. I am glad I read it and can review it, but it is not a tale that is easily read, and it will not leave the reader wishing for more. It is a tale of truth and of life and of death.

The life story of Italian-American Stella Fortuna is told through an interesting conceit, the times she nearly died. We follow her through the desperate poverty of her childhood in rural Italy to the bewildering experiences of Ellis Island and life in a new country as a teenager, and finally wife, mother, and widow in suburban Connecticut. We learn about the childhood experience that she could never leave behind and finally we understand the basis for the ride between Stella and her sister, once her closest friends and now her bitterest enemy.

This is a universal story of the immigrant experience in America between the wars, especially for women. How I wish my grandmothers were still here. This book made me understand what questions I should have asked when I had the chance.

This book is a beautiful story about an amazing woman. Full of heart and family, this book shows family and life as Stella immigrates from Italy to America and her relationship with her sister. Full of memorable characters, this book is the best book I've read this year. Please read this book.

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna was hard to get into at first. You’re given a lot of information right off the bat, and it’s hard to keep track of who’s who. However, after the first death, the story gets its rhythm, and I really started to enjoy it. The story starts off in a small village in Italy and eventually follows the family over to America when they emigrate before Wold War II. The incredible near deaths of Stella Fortuna were unbelievable to read about, but the true back bone of this book were the vivid descriptions of the family’s home life. In particular, the struggle many Italian immigrant families had to undergo after arriving in America was enlightening. There are parts that are hard to read about (rape & sexual abuse), but it was wonderful to read about a very complicated woman’s life from start to finish.

All the years as an Editor must have been well spent because I could not believe that this is the work of a debut author. Juliet Grames has engulfed us into this family narrative so completely I felt like I understood the Italian being spoken, found myself warding off the evil eye and wanting to stand up to all the injustices that Stella and her family had to endure. The novel began with the author wanting to know her Grandmother and Great Aunt's story and the result is a portrait of a full, fantastic life filled with love, hate, abuse, pride, family secrets and many, many near deaths. This is an epic tale of a proud immigrant Italian-American family - a recipe handed down over the years full of love, secret ingredients and loads of spice. Saluti! My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Really beautifully written story of the Fortuna family which follows them from a tiny village in Italy to Hartford, CT. It's slow to start, picks up about a third of the way in, then rockets to its conclusion, which left me feeling slightly dissatisfied. Despite some pacing issues, the story of the women of the family and their unwavering love for one another made it worth the read.

I was pretty captivated with the first couple of sections with this book, but I felt like there were too many rifts in the exposition for me to stay focused. It's unfortunate because I do like multi-generational stories, but I guess this book isn't for me. I still think some people would find it captivating.