The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

Juliet Grames used her grandmother’s life in early twentieth-century Italy as a foundation for this novel about two sisters—Stella and Tina. Everyday things in their Italian village erupt into life-threatening situations that Stella somehow survives until even her mother believes she must be a source of curses. Stella’s father, Antonio, continually denigrates the women in his life, but still, Stella thrives and does all she can to protect her sister. Through personal experience, I understand how misogyny can destroy a woman’s self-worth. The beauty of fantasy and Stella’s unwavering determination combine to make Grames’s novel a beacon of hope for… show more.