The Tears of Monterini by Amanda Weinberg
Paperback published by Red Door 6th August 2020
Monterini, Italy. 1921. Yacobo Levi, an intellectual dreamer, works in the family bookshop. Angelo Ghione, a contadino, makes good wine by singing to the grapes. Lifetime best friends, their Jewish and Catholic families live side by side amidst a backdrop of village communal life, Etruscan tales and the growth of Benito Mussolini. Born on the same day, their children grow up and fall in love. When the 1938 racial laws are passed, the love between Bella and Rico thrives amidst and perhaps because of the fear and uncertainty. When Angelo discovers their liaison he suggests they marry but life is complicated and tensions simmer beneath the surface of love and friendship. When war is declared on the day of Bella’s wedding to Michele a fellow Jew, the peaceful village they live in is torn apart, and the Levis find themselves displaced and fighting for their lives. Will life ever be the same again?
My review
The Tears of Monterini has been well written, and with the writing style of this Regligious theme gives you characters that you pay full attention too.
What I liked about The Tears of Monterini is that the author Amanda Weinberg was inspired to write her debut fiction book by true events in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
This story weaves through with sadness, love and betrayal, generosity of the human spirit and conflict and hatred
The story is set in a fictional village of Monterini, Italy
The Tears of Monterini start in Monterini 1912.
I liked the fact that this story is full of characters with different Regligious believes. I loved the part where Jacob Levi, reads his Hebrew prayer book reading from one pslam to the next.
The news of a double pregnancy spread around Monterini, with labour of Santina and Bella on the same day.
Sadness gripped me on the twenty-first of June 1921, Jacob’s wife Bella dies giving birth.
Jacob’s mother and brothers were killed in the Great War.
Angelo Ghione is married to Santina, who was considered suitable by his father, they have a baby son Enrico, and since the death of Jacob’s wife, santina is now going to feed Jacob’s bab for him.
Jacob works in the family bookshop where most of his clients were wealthy Jewish families from Rome to buy a Haggadah for Passover, a biblical text or the latest Pirandello play.
As Angelo’s son Rico and Jacob’s daughter Bella grow up together, Angelo teaches Ella and Rico how to take cuttings from mature vines.
With 340 pages, full of much more into the story that I don’t want to give away, I read this book for long stretches at a time and at every opportunity I had.
I would like to thank RedDoor for sending me a finished paperback a fridge magnet and post card, and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour today.
ABOUT AUTHOR AMANDA WEINBERG
The Tears of Monterini is Amanda ‘ first novel. She studied Modern Language at the University of East Anglia, followed by a PGCE at King’s College London. She ran a company in International Advertising Sales and now teaches French and German. She lives in London with her family and spends a lot of time in Pitgliano Italy, the setting for the Monteriniof the title. The book is inspired by true events in the Tuscany and Emilia- Romagna areas. She has literary representation by Curtis Brown.
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