Book description
Set during the first half of the twentieth century, this is the
story of the Brunis, a family of farmers from the Italian Padan Plain
who have worked the land since time immemorial. And it is a story
about the homeless multitudes, travelers, and tinkers, roaming Europe
during the hardscrabble nineteen-twenties and thirties. In this
expansive novel, these two worlds meet when the Brunis open their
great barn and offer it as a refuge for those in need of a warm, dry,
and safe place to sleep and eat. The barn becomes font and inspiration
for a series of vivid stories involving sundry strangers, the Bruni
parents themselves, and their nine childrenÂ-seven boys and two
girlsÂ-who will grow into young men and women during World War I and
its aftermath. Told in the tradition of country folktales and framed
by the devastating years of strifeÂ-two world wars and the years of
fascismÂ-these stories will delight readers from the first page to the
last. Manfredi's A Winter's Night provides a timely reminder that
simple values and a sense of solidarity with our fellow human beings
remain of vital importance, above all in a world undergoing momentous
and rapid change.
