Sign-In
Cart
The Cursed Friend
Audio Book
General FictionHistorical Fiction
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: May 7 2024
Language: English
An unbreakable, life-changing friendship will lead two young girls from different worlds to rebel against the sexism, prejudice, and injustice they face living in 1930s Italy in this moving novel that echoes the spirit of beloved works by Elena Ferrante.
It is 1936, and in the small Italian city of Monza, on the pebbled bank of the Lambro, two frantic girls scramble to bury a body--the dead son of the city's most prominent fascist. If they are discovered, their lives and the fierce friendship they share will be in jeopardy.
A year earlier, Francesca Strada, the respectable and well-behaved daughter of bourgeois parents, yearns for a life beyond provincial conformity. She is fascinated by Maddalena, the town's rebellious outcast whom neighbors call the cursed one. Stubborn and proud, the young girl embraces their scorn, flouting social convention and gaining both ire and disapproval. Her indomitable nature-the unrestrained spirit of someone completely unafraid-fascinates Francesca. Then, one day, escaping the vigilant eye of her parents, Francesca finds herself caught in her first ever lie trying to protect Maddalena only to befriend her.
Quickly becoming inseparable, Maddalena teaches Francesca to defy animals, overcome her fear of blood, and revel in her body, recognizing it as something alive and present. But the threat from Mussolini's fascist goons is growing and Maddalena and Francesca become increasingly aware that as girls, they are not the free and independent individuals they yearn to be. Set against the backdrop of the Abyssinian war, The Cursed Friend is a timeless tale of female friendship, navigating loss and adolescence, and discovering the courage to denounce oppression and patriarchy.
Translated from the Italian by Elena Pala
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Salvioni, Beatrice
Also in
Historical Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Anniversaries, Volume 2: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl, April 1968-August 1968
Johnson, Uwe
Paperback
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
The Moonlight Runner: A Gripping Historical Novel of Survival, Bravery, and Romance
Robards, Karen
Hardcover
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River (Large Print Edition)
Lawhon, Ariel
Paperback
The Amalfi Curse: A Bewitching Tale of Sunken Treasure, Forbidden Love, and Ancient Magic on the Amalfi Coast
Penner, Sarah
Paperback
A Pair of Aces: Reese's Book Club (Large Print Edition)
Murray, Victoria Christopher
Benedict, Marie
Paperback
Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
Christie, Agatha
Paperback