The Madonna of the Mountains by Elise Valmorbida
It starts with a 25 year old Maria, who is already passed a marriageable age, but it’s not her fault that there are no marriageable men in nearby villages. The men were taken by war. But she prays to her icon of the Madonna of the Mountains and continues to hope for a handsome husband. As this is her last straw to get married, her father travels to another valley with her picture to get her a husband. He comes back with a handsome man Maria was praying for. They get married before Easter, a time which rich people pick. She is very proud to be getting married before Easter.
With two kids they move to a town of Fosso, where her husband buys a grocery store with living quarters above. Maria hopes for more kids. Under Mussolini’s regime families with six or more kids get released from taxes. She feels sorry for their new neighbor butcher, who is single and paying heavy taxes.
At 44 with five kids and two miscarriages, Maria no longer wants to go through another pregnancy. It’s been already three years since the WWII began. Rationing of the food is harsh, not enough for a person or family to survive on. People buy goods at black market to survive despite harsh punishment if caught.
Two years later, in 1944, Germany invades Northern Italy. The following year, American forces liberate Southern Italy and move northwards.
I didn’t like the character of La Delfina, a madwoman. She didn’t add much to the story. I was glad that she took only a small part at the beginning of the story. But even those few pages should have been given later on to Amelia, Maria’s daughter. A character that stood out to me, a strong-willed young woman, who follows her heart despite her family disapproval. Amelia is so different from her mother, but at the same time you have to give Maria credit for being a strong woman herself; feeding her family through the worst hunger time and keeping her family together.
The author skillfully paints a picture of an Italian family: woman’s duties, man’s role, neighbor’s scrutinizing eyes and gossiping lips, families’ feuds. However, the story lacks a background of historical events during WWII. You hardly get to know Mussolini’s regime through this story. The time-period could be presented much better. However, the story is very well-written and pretty engrossing. Therefore, I left it at 5 stars.
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