{"product_id":"the-year-of-our-love-isbn-9781635420623","title":"The Year of Our Love","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor fans of Sally Rooney’s \u003ci\u003eNormal People\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn extraordinary story of friendship and love across class lines, this rich, evocative novel traces the history of modern Italy, from 1975 to 2013, through the fate of one couple. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Valerio and Olivia grow up together in the Morganti family’s opulent villa in Bologna, inseparable friends even though they come from vastly different worlds: Olivia, the Morgantis’ daughter, is the heir to a large industrial fortune, while Valerio is the son of their gardener and maid. Largely sheltered from the dangers rampant in the unstable Italy of the 1970s, the two share their first innocent kiss at five years old, which heralds the start of a decades-long relationship.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e From Valerio having to move to a poor neighborhood in Rome and Olivia making her entrance in high society, life tries to separate them at every turn, but without success, so strong is the bond between them. Year after year they meet only for a few moments, which feel like they’re eternal, and their friendship turns into something more intense, and scary. They take different paths: Olivia travels the world looking for herself, while Valerio devotes himself to a prestigious career that doesn’t satisfy him, in a country that is quickly losing its identity in the political crises of the Berlusconi era. Still, they keep meeting again and again at crossroads in life.“Deeply engrossing…This exquisitely written epic love story traverses forty years of dark Italian history.” —\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Acclaimed Italian writer Bonvicini creates satisfying characters who are charming, short-sighted, selfish, and loving. Her rendering of the politics and social structure of Italy from 1975 to 2013 have a nuanced authority, and the blend of the personal and political feels authentic and adds depth and significance to the story. Readers of \u003ci\u003eBeautiful Ruins\u003c\/i\u003e (2012) by Jess Walters, \u003ci\u003eLike Water for Chocolate\u003c\/i\u003e (1992) by Laura Esquivel, and Gabriel García Márquez will appreciate the star-crossed\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003epain Bonvicini delivers from start to finish.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Deftly explor[es] class differences and family dynamics…Keenly observant…This book is recommended for readers who like an unconventional love story and are interested in the political and social upheaval in Italy during the late twentieth century.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A childhood friendship ebbs and flows over the course of several tumultuous decades in Italy’s recent past…Bonvicini’s star-crossed soul mates are ready for their miniseries.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Sweeping, surprising, and bristling with specificity, this novel combines the best ingredients of a love story with unflinching snapshots of a contemporary Italy roiled by violence, corruption, and social upheaval. The clarity, honesty, and veracity of Bonvicini’s writing will conquer you from page one. The first work of this acclaimed author to appear in English, thanks to Antony Shugaar’s supple translation, is cause for celebration.” —Jhumpa Lahiri, author of \u003ci\u003eInterpreter of Maladies\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Namesake\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Year of Our Love\u003c\/i\u003e is a layered, riveting story of love and complicated friendship set against a tumultuous period in Italy’s history. Fresh and stylistic, with characters that will remain with you, this modern saga has a clear ring of authenticity. Caterina Bonvicini delivers a thoughtful, enthralling story full of twists and turns. A story not to be missed.” —Jan Moran, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Chocolatier\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“From the first paragraph of Caterina Bonvicini’s \u003ci\u003eThe Year of Our Love\u003c\/i\u003e, I was transported to 1970s Italy. Instantly, I found myself tangled in the intricate web of Valerio and Olivia’s decades-long relationship. Part love story, part family saga, part historical coming-of-age tale, it’s impossible to turn away from Valerio and Olivia’s complicated bond as they navigate the boundaries of class, family obligations, and the vagaries of their own hearts. A beautiful, heart-wrenching tale.” —Laura Morelli, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Night Portrait\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Gondola Maker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A deeply moving and memorable novel that captures love’s intensity and the losses that come with adulthood. In prose that is restrained but pulses with emotion, Bonvicini reminds us that the compromises we make in our youth can haunt us all our lives, and the people we love are often, in equal measure, the source of our distress and our only comfort.” —L. Annette Binder, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Vanishing Sky\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Year of Our Love\u003c\/i\u003e is a triumphant love story about an indomitable girl and a tenderhearted boy destined to be together regardless of differences in class or circumstance. Get ready to fall in love with Olivia and Valerio as you experience their lives from childhood through adulthood in tumultuous modern Italy. Vividly crafted, wry and witty, this novel captivated me from the first page to the last.” —Suzanne Redfearn, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eIn an Instant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A deeply moving, surprising love story that digs into the depths of the human heart. Bonvicini expertly explores the blurred boundaries between class and crime, showing us just how far desperation and desire can push a person, and leaving us wondering what it is, in the end, we are all really after.” —Serena Burdick, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Girls with No Names\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFind Me in Havana\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Caterina Bonvicini has created a vivid, engaging, and utterly convincing world in these pages. Over the course of three tumultuous decades, a man and woman who have loved each other since childhood meet and part, circle each other’s lives, snatching hidden moments, while the word ‘goodbye’ is forever on their tongues. Few writers are able to capture so perceptively the human tragicomic yearning after happiness. \u003ci\u003eThe Year of Our Love \u003c\/i\u003eis a book for these times: compassionate, funny, and dead-on accurate.” —Eleanor Morse, author of \u003ci\u003eWhite Dog Fell from the Sky \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eMargreete’s Harbor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Nothing better than this novel for understanding Italy in the last half century. Everything is subtle, nothing is predictable...There is humor, wit, delicacy, gravity...You have to read \u003ci\u003eThe Year of Our Love\u003c\/i\u003e, a powerful and poignant tragicomedy.” —\u003ci\u003eLe Monde\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Bonvicini avoids every faux pas in this book, perfectly calibrating structure and style.” —\u003ci\u003eCorriere della Sera\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These pages are filled with freshness, naturalness, and melancholy. The result is vivid and spirited.” —\u003ci\u003eLe Figaro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaterina Bonvicini \u003c\/b\u003elives between Rome and Milan and holds a degree in Modern Literature from the University of Bologna. Her novel \u003ci\u003eL’equilibrio degli squali\u003c\/i\u003e (2008) was hugely acclaimed and won the Premio Rapallo, Premio Fregene, and Premio Frignano in Italy, and the Grand Prix de l’Héroïne Madame Figaro in France. It was followed by \u003ci\u003eIl sorriso lento\u003c\/i\u003e (2010), \u003ci\u003eCorreva l’anno del nostro amore\u003c\/i\u003e (2014), \u003ci\u003eTutte le donne di\u003c\/i\u003e (2016), and \u003ci\u003eFancy Red\u003c\/i\u003e (2018). Her books have been translated in several countries.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAntony Shugaar\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of a number of books and has translated hundreds of others, including \u003ci\u003eEverything Is Broken Up and Dances\u003c\/i\u003e by Edoardo Nesi and Guido Maria Brera, \u003ci\u003eNotes on a Shipwreck\u003c\/i\u003e by Davide Enia, and \u003ci\u003eThe Piranhas \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSavage Kiss\u003c\/i\u003e by Roberto Saviano. His translation of Gianni Rodari’s \u003ci\u003eTelephone Tales\u003c\/i\u003e received the American Library Association’s 2021 Batchelder Award. He is the editor-in-chief of Redcar Press, a new publishing house focusing on translated fiction and graphic novels.","brand":"Other Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301710221541,"sku":"NP9781635420623","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781635420623.jpg?v=1767742356","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-year-of-our-love-isbn-9781635420623","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}