In 1860, Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina, a towering Sicilian aristocrat who spends his time on astronomy, sees Garibaldi's redshirts land on the island and the Bourbon kingdom crumble. His charming nephew Tancredi joins the revolution, then marries Angelica, daughter of the newly rich Don Calogero Sedara. Fabrizio accepts that his class is ending, and the novel follows his final years with a mixture of irony and sorrow, from a grand ball in Palermo to his death.
Anyone interested in the Risorgimento, or in how old families adapt to political upheaval, should read it. It gives a quiet, elegant look at decline, and at the idea that change can be mostly a matter of appearances.
Deep, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1990
- Publisher
- Feltrinelli
- Language
- IT
