The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna audiobook

Both Stella Fortuna and her sister Tina are alive today and this fictionalized account is written by a family member. It’s really Stella’s story and it spans one hundred years. As you might imagine, a lot happens. It begins in a remote mountain village in Calabria, Italy and ends in Connecticut. So this is an immigrant story about a family and what a family it is. It’s a tale about surviving numerous brushes with death as well as poverty both in Italy and the USA. It’s also about the bond between two very different sisters and the struggle to break free of cultural expectations. I would be remiss if I did not add, as a trigger warning, that there is abuse both psychological and physical. Nonetheless, it is a well told and fascinating story of an ordinary family with the extraordinary ability to survive each other.

This was a fantastic read- from start to finish.It reminded me a lot of Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude from time to time although the magical realism in this one wasn't as dominant.This is the story of an Italian American immigrant family through the character Stella Fortuna and her encounters with danger nearly resulting with her death. Starts from a small Italian village in mountains, where Fortuna's struggle to make ends, a poor life in village. Then fate takes them to America in it's complicated ways, I really loved this part where decades of the Italian immigrants lives were explored, how much they worked to make America 'great' and what it took to be a citizen.Comparisons between the refugee crises and the people fleeing ww2 from Europe to America were spot on...Some Trigger warnings: The book touches dark and disturbing subjects (rape, incest) from time to time but it doesn't go cringey/graphic and more importantly doesn't victimise the female characters so I did the feel disgusted like I felt in some other books. The style of writing is poetic and names are such an important part of this book- which made me think of A Hundred years of Solitude a lot!I can go on forever but this is an epic book, could be defined as a lot of things; a family saga, a slice of history, a look at women's struggles in Italian traditions, I have read this over a weekend and literally was lost in the pages. Really enjoyed it, a five star read.One final note: I was really disheartened by the books name as there seems to be a trend with '7 somethings...' but this is definitely worth checking out. Could have had a more original name for this fantastic story I think!

Oh this book. I’m not even sure where to start…I had some doubt when I picked it up to start reading, epic family drama not being in my immediate comfort zone – then an hour later I’d devoured multiple chapters only emerging when my alarm went off for work. That’s how it gets you…The scene setting is intensely immersive, from the small Italian village to the wider sprawl of America, Juliet Grames descriptive prose puts you right at the heart of the story, it opens up around you with breathtakingly beautiful effect.This gorgeous book lives and breathes within the hearts and sometimes dark souls of its characters, the ever expanding Fortuna family, right at the centre of that sits the much haunted, vividly real, spiky and ahead of her time Stella Fortuna.Through the months, years and decades Stella faces every kind of adversity and you are with her every single step of the way. She is formed and grown through many inciting events, the heavy weight of a woman’s lot in life in those times is fascinatingly compelling, as you see the impossibly independent Stella bend, sometimes break, but never totally give up.All around her other beautifully drawn and utterly authentic characters circle, her Mother Assunta and sister Tina being the centre of her world, a world ruled by the selfish patriarch Tony Fortuna. There are many more as the generations expand and as a reader you suck every single one of them into your consciousness where they will remain, this is an insanely powerful novel on every level.The plotting is a work of complete genius, the phases of Stella’s life focused around each of her almost deaths, often ironically so, there’s not many people whose lives have been saved by a typo. In what seems like no time at all you are at the end, all the deeply held secrets revealed, leaving you at a loss as to what to do next. It’s one of those stories that as an emotional reader you’ll never let go.The Seven Or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is a sprawling epic, an intuitive, nuanced expression of the female condition, of life battles won and lost, it is without doubt one of the best books I’ve read maybe even ever.I hit every range of feeling possible at various points of reading this so therefore I have absolutely no choice but to highly recommend it. Beautiful, complex, heart breaking and real. Go get it.

Stella was the second child of Assunta and Antonio Fortuna and the second Stella because the first Mariastella died from influenza when she was an infant.Assunta had a difficult life and a cruel husband. He was not nice to her, would leave for months at a time and not send her money, but she survived and did everything herself and took care of her children. Assunta didn't have a happy life except for her children.THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA tells the tale of the lives of the author's family and specifically Stella and Tina who were the best of friends as they grew up in Italy and as they aged in America until the final accident happened. The accidents that caused Stella to almost die were quite unbelievable. Stella was definitely an amazing person to say the least. Her mother, Assunta, was also quite remarkable.If you are Italian or simply know an Italian, you will want to read this book for many reasons. There are so many references to things that happened in my Italian family that made the read more special - especially the food aspect and the Italian expressions used. THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA should be read if only to learn about the difficult lives of Europeans, the immigration process, their struggles in America, their work ethic, their schooling, their traditions, their customs, their family loyalty, and their religious beliefs.This book has feelings and emotions oozing out of it and has you living the lives along with the characters. The characters will grow on you, you will cry and laugh along with them, and at times be horrified.The writing in this book is beautiful and descriptive and is an outstanding debut. Marvelous, magnificent, original, and impressive are some adjectives to describe this book.You will not want to put it down. 5/5This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is written so well, so researched, filled with so much emotion and veracity that I was sure it was a true story. Only it’s not, and I’m a little upset to find that out. Regardless, this book is one of my more favorite reads of 2019. It isn't perfect, but in terms of a historical fiction novel, it's pretty close.At first, I thought the length of this novel was a little daunting, considering there are so many words to a page, too. It’s not that I don’t read a lot, it’s just that I’ve noticed some historical fiction books can feel too long and I get bored midway. Not with The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna. Even though it’s nearly 500 pages, every single one of those pages grabbed my attention. Stella’s life, her family, her traumas - everything was so incredibly fascinating. I couldn’t get enough.Very rarely do I read a book where the trauma a character is going through makes my skin crawl and my stomach churn. In this book, not only did I feel like that when reading Stella’s misfortunes with men, but I also felt it with Assunta, her mother. These poor women went through so much during that time, it’s unbelievable how strong they had to be not to fall apart.The men, putting aside how some of them treated women, went through their own traumas, as well. They were forced to fight and risk their lives by going to war. So many men died fighting a war that seemed pointless, and that’s a whole different tragedy on its own.I loved this novel. I loved how it goes through Stella’s entire life. It’s beautiful. The whole “curse” that surrounds her, which I won’t spoil, but I believed in, is brilliant. It’s a novel close to perfection, only some moments the pacing felt off and it would throw me out of the story momentarily. Other than that, Stella’s story is a powerful one.

I, like many other readers, often crave something refreshingly original to immerse myself in but discovering it with enticing synopsis and then finding it beautifully executed happens incredibly rarely. The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, Ms Grames debut novel, right from the get-go had my undivided attention, and the further I read the greater the impossibility of being able to put it down became; it was then that I knew this was a single sitting page-turner and that sleep would have to wait.Many writers make the mistake of thinking that there must be a certain number of characters making up the cast of a book but that is far from true. What I particularly loved here was that the story centres around one special, or even extraordinary, woman and her Italian-American family. Her family play the other major roles, or supporting roles, and the rest of the cast play small, inconsequential roles enabling the focus to be on Stella and those important to her. At its core, this is a heartfelt tale of family transgressions and the long-time twisted rifts that can occur as a result.It is a richly told drama principally about the complexities and nuances of family relationships, betrayal, secrets and the fine line between love and hate. It's crystal clear that the author has acute observational skills and an eye for intricate detail which both contribute to the compelling nature of the plot. This is a beautifully imagined, supremely readable novel and is truly unlike anything I've ever enjoyed before. I imagine this would be superb as a quirky summer/holiday choice for lounging in the garden or in the sun. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.

4.75*Šiais metais jau perskaičiau 25 knygas, bet Stela Fortūna išlieka kol kas pati pačiausia. Dar ir dabar pamenu, kai vidurnaktį vos vos pramerktom akim bandžiau sufokusuoti vaizdą ir pabaigti likusius puslapius - nenorėjau užmigti nesužinojus kaip baigsis Stelos gyvenimo istorija.Atrodo, rašant net trūksta žodžių apsakyti, kokia ši knyga nuostabi, tuo pačiu ir nejaukiai jauki. Aprašomas skurdus Italijos kaimelis tik parodo to meto realybę, be pagražinimų, tokią, kokią ir mato to laikmečio žmonės. O mes skaitydami arba netikime, arba nenorime tikėti, jog kažkada taip buvo. Kita romano pusė - šeimos santykiai, santykiai tarp vyro ir moters. Moters padėtis šeimoje. Jau galite nujausti, kuria linkme viskas sukasi.Šiek tiek magiškojo realizmo jokiam kūriniui nepamaišė. Man jo norisi tik daugiau ir daugiau. O kalbant apie kūrinio pradžią.. pirmasis "plot twistas" tokio lygio, kad tai perskaičius, aš vis grįžau ir grįžau skaityti iš naujo. Nepatikėjau. Bet nepatikėjau gerąja prasme, kaip autorė sugebėjo jau pradžioje viską apversti. Emigracija į JAV - kitas žingsnis. Gal buvo kruopelyte prasčiau, bet tiek pat įdomu kaip ir pradžioje. Tik pabaiga, manyčiau, šiek tiek nuvylė. Norėjosi kažko tokio persmelkto drama. Kažko, kas užsibaigtų su griausmu. Tačiau visumoje knyga nereali. Nereali kaip ir pati rašytoja. Duodu ranką nukirsti, jog skaitysiu ir kitas jos knygas. Ką ji parašys, mano akys net ir varvėdamos skaitys.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It definitely wasn't the type of book you can fly through in a day, but it was a great story spanning the entire life of Stella Fortuna.I also enjoyed the format the author used, telling the story from her granddaughter's perspective. Great book!

Fantastic read, I highly recommend it! I am a first generation Italian-American, and this book really resonated with me. It felt like I was reading about the lives of my own family members. I felt sad when I turned to the last page!I need more books Ms. Grames!

A multigenerational epic that, like PACHINKO and MIDDLESEX, made me reconsider how simultaneously enormous and intimate one story can be.

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The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is a unique and emotional journey centered around the life (and many near deaths) of Stella Fortuna. Born in a small countryside village in Italy, we watch Stella grow and develop into a beautiful, independent, hardworking young woman. After experiencing trauma at the hands of men in her past, Stella does not want to follow the normal course expected of women like her, and she rebuffs marriage and raising a family.This was a powerful look at the roles of women and the impact of trauma. The book is full of trigger warnings (child loss, rape, physical and sexual abuse, homophobia, infertility) as the Fortuna family faces countless heartbreaking and challenging situations. Though Stella's life was full of hardship, abuse, and mishaps, it was also full of beauty, love, and family.