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In this charming, deeply atmospheric novel set against the Amalfi Coast of the 1950s, two women form an intense and lasting friendship that embodies the paradoxes of Italian society.
Inspired by her own adventurous, unconventional life, actress and writer Goliarda Sapienza’s recently rediscovered novel takes the reader to the sun-drenched town of Positano in southern Italy. There, while working on a film, Goliarda encounters the captivating Erica, a beautiful widow called “Princess” by the locals, who has been the object of much speculation. As the two women grow closer in spite of their different personalities, they gradually reveal more about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and the ghosts from their pasts that continue to hang over them.
Writing the story of their transformative friendship thirty years later, Goliarda offers a profound reflection on love in its many forms, and opens a window onto an enchanting time and place that lingers in the mind. And this unlikely bond, forged between a leftist idealist and a traditional aristocrat, acts as a microcosm of Italy, illuminating its complex, competing impulses.
Genre: Historical
In this charming, deeply atmospheric novel set against the Amalfi Coast of the 1950s, two women form an intense and lasting friendship that embodies the paradoxes of Italian society.
Inspired by her own adventurous, unconventional life, actress and writer Goliarda Sapienza’s recently rediscovered novel takes the reader to the sun-drenched town of Positano in southern Italy. There, while working on a film, Goliarda encounters the captivating Erica, a beautiful widow called “Princess” by the locals, who has been the object of much speculation. As the two women grow closer in spite of their different personalities, they gradually reveal more about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and the ghosts from their pasts that continue to hang over them.
Writing the story of their transformative friendship thirty years later, Goliarda offers a profound reflection on love in its many forms, and opens a window onto an enchanting time and place that lingers in the mind. And this unlikely bond, forged between a leftist idealist and a traditional aristocrat, acts as a microcosm of Italy, illuminating its complex, competing impulses.
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"An illuminating story of female friendship, Meeting in Positano has it all: colorful characters, a thought-provoking narrative, and the spectacular setting of the Amalfi Coast. Sapienza’s delightful novel is a small gem and not to be missed!" - Anita Abriel
"An elegy for a town and time lost, a Jamesian meditation on class and privacy, an intimate and often glamorous account of a charged friendship, a cry of the heart against the dark pull of oblivion—Meeting in Positano is all of these and more. How lucky we are that this potent novel of ideas by Goliarda Sapienza has been rescued and given its place among her singular literary accomplishments." - Christopher Castellani
"A profoundly intimate book, achingly beautiful, like a warm, lyrical daydream. As I turned the pages I felt as though I were in postwar Positano, brushing the sand and salt from my skin, a silent character in Goliarda’s world of tragic possibility." - Jamie Ford
"Goliarda Sapienza’s Meeting in Positano is a gorgeously written meditation on female friendship and human connection, as well as a lyrical ode to Positano, one of the most enchanting places in the world. This lovely book, full of joy, nostalgia, and tragedy, is not to be missed." - Alyssa Palombo
"Set amid the landscape of the enchanting, evolving Amalfi coast, Meeting in Positano pays homage to the mystifying and impenetrable affection between two women. It is like reading a love letter from the past, one rife with the truths about friendship that most of us wouldn’t dare utter aloud: desire, envy, nostalgia, adoration. Complex and evocative, this story is not to be missed." - Sarah Penner
"Meeting in Positano is an absolute dream of a novel. Set on the magical Amalfi Coast, it is full of beauty and yearning, secrets and art. The friendship at the novel’s center is so compelling, and ultimately heartbreaking, I felt I was swept along with Goliarda and Erica, by the dazzling sea, through the Positano nights." - Luanne Rice
"An elegy for a town and time lost, a Jamesian meditation on class and privacy, an intimate and often glamorous account of a charged friendship, a cry of the heart against the dark pull of oblivion—Meeting in Positano is all of these and more. How lucky we are that this potent novel of ideas by Goliarda Sapienza has been rescued and given its place among her singular literary accomplishments." - Christopher Castellani
"A profoundly intimate book, achingly beautiful, like a warm, lyrical daydream. As I turned the pages I felt as though I were in postwar Positano, brushing the sand and salt from my skin, a silent character in Goliarda’s world of tragic possibility." - Jamie Ford
"Goliarda Sapienza’s Meeting in Positano is a gorgeously written meditation on female friendship and human connection, as well as a lyrical ode to Positano, one of the most enchanting places in the world. This lovely book, full of joy, nostalgia, and tragedy, is not to be missed." - Alyssa Palombo
"Set amid the landscape of the enchanting, evolving Amalfi coast, Meeting in Positano pays homage to the mystifying and impenetrable affection between two women. It is like reading a love letter from the past, one rife with the truths about friendship that most of us wouldn’t dare utter aloud: desire, envy, nostalgia, adoration. Complex and evocative, this story is not to be missed." - Sarah Penner
"Meeting in Positano is an absolute dream of a novel. Set on the magical Amalfi Coast, it is full of beauty and yearning, secrets and art. The friendship at the novel’s center is so compelling, and ultimately heartbreaking, I felt I was swept along with Goliarda and Erica, by the dazzling sea, through the Positano nights." - Luanne Rice
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