Voices in the Evening - Natalia Ginzburg

Voices in the Evening by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by D.M. Low / ISBN 9780811231008 / 125-page paperback from New Directions *** From one of Italy’s greatest writers, a stunning novel “filled with shimmering, risky, darting observation” (Colm Tóibín) After WWII, a small Italian town struggles to emerge from under the thumb of Fascism. With wit, tenderness, and irony, Elsa, the novel’s narrator, weaves a rich tapestry of provincial Italian life: two generations of neighbors and relatives, their gossip and shattered dreams, their heartbreaks and struggles to find happiness. Elsa wants to imagine a future for herself, free from the expectations and burdens of her town’s history, but the weight of the past will always prove unbearable, insistently posing the question: “Why has everything been ruined?” "The concepts, emotions and characters in her books are complex and unforgettable." ― Laurie Anderson, New York Times "Sharp and lively." ― Lydia Davis "I’m utterly entranced by Ginzbur