Originally published 1996 | ||
Similar Marco e Mattio, An infinite number, La notte della cometa, The Chimera, Terre selvagge |
Heart of Stone is a novel written by the Italian writer Sebastiano Vassalli and published in 1996 by the publishing house Einaudi. It is the story of a stately house owned by lord Basilio Pignatelli, traced from the birth of the Italian Reign to today. Vassalli shows Italy's economic changes, in which Italians are the key players.
Contents
Plot
The novel is set in Novara, a small town surrounded by snowy mountains, where lots of wars took places, for example the one against Crucchi. This story shows us the difficult period of the economic progress by describing the huge house and its owner's life. The main character of the novel is the majestic building, which was done up by the well-known architect Antonelli. The owner was lord Pignatelli, a Neapolitan gentleman, who came to Novara to join the royal army. The property was passed on to the heirs, until the family couldn’t afford the house anymore, so the family was made to rent out some of the house's rooms. Day by day the residence became buttered and its owners left it. Today the building offers refuge to vagabonds.