The Countesses of Castello

The Countesses of Castello

Three sisters live in three flats in an aristocratic palazzo in Cagliari's ancient Castello quarter, where rich and poor are mixed as they used to be in the old days. The eldest, Noemi, dreams of lost splendors, while the second, Maddalena, dreams of having a child. The third, known as Countess Butterfingers 'because she's clumbsy, hands made of soft cheese and because the whole world of reality hurts her weak hard, also made of soft cheese', dreams of love. Countess Butterfingers is the only one with a child, Carlino, a little livewire and a fine pianist. Around the family and its persistent illusions there are characters- the old nanny, the shady neighbor, the shepherd Elias- who are more solid but no less fleeting, because after all it is only illusion that does not flee.

Milena Agus' latest novel takes us back into that world all her own, where enchantment and disenchantment are blended without ever passing judgment or dissolving the mystery.

Milena Agus was born in Genoa to Sardinian parents and now lives in Cagliari, where she teaches Italian and history at a secondary school. The House in Via Manno, her second novel, won three Italian literary awards, and has been a bestseller in Italy, France and Germany. In December 2008, Milena Agus was awarded the prestigious Zerilli-Marimo Prize in New York. A film adaption of the novel is in production.

The Countesses of Castello
Scribe
Author: Milena Agus
ISBN: 9781921640698
Price: $24.95