The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna: Longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown 2020 for best historical fiction debut - Tapa dura

Witty and deeply felt * Entertainment Weekly * The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna achieves what no sweeping history lesson about American immigrants could: It brings to life a woman that time and history would have ignored * Washington Post * Twisty and complicated, but wholly original * Electric Literature * While the subject matter isn't always easy . . . the Fortunas are so lively and sharply drawn that you'll eagerly follow their journey from pre-World War II Italy to early aughts Connecticut * Vulture * Readers who appreciate narratives driven by vivid characterisation and family secrets will find much to enjoy here . . . [Grames is] an author to watch * Booklist * Compelling * Kirkus * Paint[s] sensually intricate portraits of Calabria and Connecticut. With her story of an "ordinary" woman who is anything but, Grames explores not just the immigrant experience but the stages of a woman's life. This is a sharp and richly satisfying novel * Publishers Weekly * Juliet Grames's epic novel . . . is rich in eccentric characters and unlikely encounters, and she inhabits a world that is tinged with magic but still limited by patriarchal values - and she carries with her a dark family history. It's an extensive, often cheeky, exploration of lineage, fate, and womanhood. * Buzzfeed * Reading The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is like listening to the rollicking stories of your Italian grandmother - full of memorable characters and speckled with fascinating bits of history. This is a fantastic and timely family story -- Jessica Shattuck A magnificent debut . . . a deeply felt, richly imagined world . . . Moody, original and profound. Brava! -- Adriana Trigiani By turns captivating, shocking, heartbreaking and life-affirming. This is no ordinary family epic; it is the story of generations of women who, in conformity and non-conformity, blaze with strength, compassion and formidable will . . . An extraordinary debut -- Vaseem Khan [Its] emotional force . . . illuminates every page. A beautifully painted portrait, majestic and masterful; a very fine novel indeed. -- Laura Carlin Fresh and intriguing . . . gripping -- Sabine Durrant I loved this meaty family saga . . . I couldn't help rooting for the complicated and unstoppable hero -- Joanne Finney * Good Housekeeping * Superbly enjoyable . . . a darkly funny story about two sisters . . . A class act - don't miss it. * Woman * Packed with family secrets and their repercussions, the novel memorably pins down the American immigrant experience. It's an impressive achievement. * Daily Mail * A sumptuous inter-generational saga . . . heart-wrenching * Observer * This powerful and compelling story has characters so beautifully drawn you'll feel you know them personally. Mouth-watering descriptions of Italian food and fascinating social history add to the novel's ever-changing canvas. With layer upon layer of misfortune for Ms Fortuna, this is far from an easy read, but its captivating plotting will keep you rooting for Stella until the end. * S Magazine, Sunday Express * This is wonderful storytelling, seamlessly capturing the love and horror at the heart of family. Juliet Grames's novel, tracing the extraordinary life - and deaths - of an ordinary woman, sits the reader down at a well-laden table, and offers a hugely satisfying feast. Delightful -- Mick Herron Thanks to gorgeous writing from Grames, it's full of beautiful passages and is the perfect book to take with you on holiday . . . a messy, complex and convincing story of women struggling to find their true power -- Francesca Brown * Stylist * A sweeping story of immigration, family, betrayal and most importantly, one extraordinary woman. This book is gorgeous, harrowing and magical -- Julie Cohen A compulsive, huge-hearted novel about family, home and how women move through the world; you don't read this book, you live it. -- Erin Kelly, author of HE SAID/SHE SAID

'You don't read this book, you live it' Erin Kelly If Stella Fortuna means 'lucky star,' then life must have a funny sense of humour. Everybody in the Fortuna family knows the story of how the beautiful, fiercely independent Stella, who refused to learn to cook and who swore she would never marry, has escaped death time and time again. From her childhood in Italy, to her adulthood in America, death has seemed to pursue Stella. She has been burned, eviscerated and bludgeoned; she has choked, nearly fallen out of a window, and on one occasion, her life was only saved by a typo. However, even the best-known stories still have secrets to reveal . . . and even after a century, Stella's is no exception. No woman survives seven or eight deaths without a reason. So, how did she? In a tale which spans nine decades, two continents, and one family's darkest, deepest-buried truths, the answer awaits. . . _______________________________________ 'A sweeping story of immigration, family, betrayal and most importantly, one extraordinary woman. This book is gorgeous, harrowing and magical' Julie Cohen 'Fresh and intriguing' Sabine Durrant 'This is wonderful storytelling, seamlessly capturing the love and horror at the heart of family. Juliet Grames's novel . . . sits the reader down at a well-laden table, and offers a hugely satisfying feast. Delightful' Mick Herron 'A beautifully painted portrait, majestic and masterful; a very fine novel indeed' Laura Carlin 'Packed with family secrets and their repercussions, the novel memorably pins down the American immigrant experience. It's an impressive achievement' Daily Mail