Издания и произведения

Kādas sicīliešu sievietes neparastais mīlestības stāsts, laikmeta hronika vai detektīvromāns ar rūgto mandeļu aromātu... Ir 1963. gads, taču Sicīlijas lauku apvidos laiks šķiet apstājies un sastindzis gadsimta sākumā: te vēl pastāv kungu un kalpu kārta, mafijai ir neierobežota vara un salas iedzīvotāji nejūtas piederīgi pie Itālijas. Kādā no Sicīlijas gleznainajām kalnu pilsētiņām nomirst bagātās Alfallipes ģimenes kalpone, bijusī mandeļu vācēja, saukta par Mandeļnieci. Viņas pēkšņajai nāvei seko daudz dīvainu notikumu – un mazpilsēta sāk dūkt valodās. Katram ir savas atmiņas, savs viedoklis, taču Mandeļnieces patiesā dzīve visiem…

Un racconto che si muove a spirale intorno alla figura di Maria Rosalia Inzerillo, conosciuta come "la Mennulara". Ora e morta e tutto il paese di Roccacolomba si chiede chi e stata davvero. Tutti ne parlano, tutti hanno in qualche modo avuto a che fare con lei, tutti sanno e non sanno, c'e chi la odia e la maledice e chi la ricorda con gratitudine se non con venerazione. Ne parlano soprattutto gli Alfallipe, del cui patrimonio la Mennulara e stata sempre oculata amministratrice. Le voci che rimbalzano dal passio serale alle portinerie ingigantiscono e intorbidano le trame di quella donna che rabbia, passione, intelligenza hanno portato…

The child of poor farmers, La Mennulara became a maid for a well-to-do local family when she was only a girl; by dint of hard work and intelligence, she became the indispensable administrator of the family's affairs. Still, she was a mere servant, and now (as this story begins) she is dead. As the details unfold about this mysterious woman, The Almond Picker assumes the witty suspense of a thriller, the emotional power of a love story, and the evocative atmosphere of a historical novel. Set in Sicily in the 1960s, a violent, complicated society in the midst of tumultuous change, The Almond Picker is the story of a woman who negotiated…