“A perfect summer read [that] brims with heart . . . Don’t be surprised if you keep turning the pages long into the night, spellbound by its magic.”—The Denver PostA sweeping saga about four generations of a family who live and love on an enchanting island off the coast of Italy—combining the romance of Beautiful Ruins with the magical tapestry of works by Isabel Allende.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST … Allende.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Los Angeles Public Library • Kirkus Reviews
“Captivating . . . [Catherine] Banner’s four-generation saga is set on an island near Sicily, where myths of saints get served up with limoncello at the Esposito family’s bar. . . . The island is fictional, but consider this dreamy summer read your passport.”—People
“A lusty page-turner that weaves romance, rivalry and the intricacies of family expectations into one glorious tale.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune
Castellamare is an island far enough away from the mainland to be forgotten, but not far enough to escape from the world’s troubles. At the center of the island’s life is a café draped with bougainvillea called the House at the Edge of Night, where the community gathers to gossip and talk. Amedeo Esposito, a foundling from Florence, finds his destiny on the island with his beautiful wife, Pina, whose fierce intelligence, grace, and unwavering love guide her every move. An indiscretion tests their marriage, and their children—three sons and an inquisitive daughter—grow up and struggle with both humanity’s cruelty and its capacity for love and mercy.
Spanning nearly a century, through secrets and mysteries, trials and sacrifice, this beautiful and haunting novel follows the lives of the Esposito family and the other islanders who live and love on Castellamare: a cruel count and his bewitching wife, a priest who loves scandal, a prisoner of war turned poet, an outcast girl who becomes a pillar of strength, a wounded English soldier who emerges from the sea. The people of Castellamare are transformed by two world wars and a great recession, by the threat of fascism and their deep bonds of passion and friendship, and by bitter rivalries and the power of forgiveness.
Catherine Banner has written an enthralling, character-rich novel, epic in scope but intimate in feeling. At times, the island itself seems alive, a mythical place where the earth heaves with stories—and this magical novel takes you there.
Praise for The House at the Edge of Night
“A gorgeous, sweeping story set over four generations . . . calls to mind Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Beautiful Ruins.”—Interview
“Like pictures of a childhood summer, or a half-forgotten smell, this book is sweet and heady with nostalgia . . . [and] comforting as a quilt.”—NPR
“Rich and immersive, this book will take you away.”—Vox
“A masterful piece of storytelling, infused with the miraculous (both in stories and in everyday life) while maintaining the difficult balance between the explainable versus the inexplicable . . . captivating and beautifully rendered.”—Sara Gruen, author of At the Water’s Edge
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Really enjoyed this book!
Really liked this book – a combo of history and generations of a family.
I truly loved this book and have recommended it to others who have enjoyed it!
I loved the fact that this book incorporated a couple generations yet still the story centered around the small island where the family lived. One could just imagine the island with its beauty and isolation from the rest of the world. Yet the rest of the world touched this small island and family members had to deal with how the world was changing. The characters were well formed and their ability to handle the changes that came their way is what made this book to endearing to me.
loved it!
Beautiful descriptions
The tale quickly drew me in until I felt myself to be a part of it. Thoughtful and insightful, simple without being simplistic. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
I suffered through this book. The beginning was good but it went on and on and on. Perhaps if it had been half it’s length I could have endured it.
It’d been a while since I’d read a book with a setting that I just didn’t want to leave. For some reason, the descriptions reminded me of the world that maybe the imaginary creature, Pinocchio inhabited. A tiny island corner of Italy where people love, live, pray, argue, build, destroy, remake…all told with a quiet, at times humorous wisdom. I really treasured reading this one….
The saga of both the family and country as all inter-related and evolved.
This believable story takes place over the twentieth century on a small island in southern Italy. How might such a backward and isolated community respond to Mussolini and the Nazi dominance of Italian thinking and war engagement? Good versus evil and the coming together of humanity in the name of love.
Wonderful saga with great characters
Author did a great job with this book. Loved the entire cast. Almost wanted to live with all of them as friends and neighbors. Seemed so real !
Loved this book from beginning to end. The character development is truly incredible.
If you are not a believer, by the end of this story you will be. As long & torturous as the island dialect. Thoroughly engaging & hard to put down.
Loved, loved, LOVED this book. The characters are now my friends.
Not the kind of book I was expecting. Disappointing.
This book has me getting regular updates on flights from my city to Palermo… House at the Edge was *slightly* reminiscent of 100 Years of Solitude insofar as an arching story that spans several generations sans the magical realism. But I liked the idea that each chapter begins with an endemic ‘fairy tale’ and is then followed by the story of the Italian island where the action takes place. I enjoyed walking with the characters through the 20th century experience–seeing a small rocky island, dominated by a somewhat arrogant ‘Count’, move from pastoral to increasingly modern life, and how it suffers in the war years (over nationalism, politics and conflict that have or should have nothing to do with this tiny community). It really fired the imagination and compelled research beyond the novel…did I mention I’m getting flight price notifications? LOL
Thoroughly enjoyed this story.
I loved reading this book. The author really drew you in. After reading about this family in all these generations, I feel like I was there. Like I knew them. She also did a wonderful job of not just telling you a story, but showing you EVERYTHING. She was so beautifully descriptive. As you read you picture where on the island you are. What the wind is doing. How your character reacts. I haven’t read a book this good in years. I loved it.