{"id":3048,"date":"2024-11-02T10:29:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-02T14:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/?p=3048"},"modified":"2025-02-03T15:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:56:13","slug":"breakfast-speaker-june-21-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/breakfast-speaker-june-21-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakfast Speaker June 21, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Winner, 2019 IPPY Gold Medal for
\nHistorical Fiction
\nFinalist, 2019 Northern Lit Award
\nShortlisted, 2019 Fred Kerner Book Award
\nWinner, 2019 International Book Awards
\n(Best Cover Design \u2013 Fiction)<\/h3>\n

La Brigantessa\u00a0<\/em>is based on true events in the aftermath of Italy\u2019s 1861 Unification, a turbulent period known as \u201cThe Decade of Fire\u201d (1860-1870), when scores of brigands rebelled against the harsh policies imposed by the new government, which in turn ordered the destruction of these outlaws and anyone harbouring them. Gabriella Falcone is a peasant girl who works for Don Simone, the parish priest. She is forced to flee her hamlet of Camini in Calabria in 1862 after stabbing Alfonso Fantin, a wealthy landowner who sexually assaulted her. Devastated to leave her fianc\u00e9 Tonino, and knowing her fate will be life imprisonment at best if apprehended, she allows the priest to lead her through the harsh Aspromonte mountain range to seek refuge in an isolated monastery. They soon discover that Fantin has survived and is employing the forces of law to pursue Gabriella and bring her to justice. Gabriella and Don Simone continue their journey to seek yet another safe haven but soon fall into the hands of brigands. Gabriella is catapulted into a world she has only ever heard about in nervous whispers, a world where right and wrong, justice and vengeance take on new meanings, and where the boundaries between good and evil are blurred. Gabriella is drawn into the role of\u00a0brigantessa<\/em>\u00a0and discovers that the convictions she once held dear no longer have a place in this wild, unlawful territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a beautiful novel, one that vividly recreates the heartbreak and drama of one of the most turbulent periods in Italian history.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Nino Ricci, award-winning author of\u00a0The Origins of Species<\/em>,\u00a0Testament<\/em>, and\u00a0Sleep<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the writing and storytelling of\u00a0La Brigantessa<\/em>, Rosanna Battigelli reflects the very passion and glory, the suffering and hope of the times that her Gabriella Falcone must endure and over which she must triumph.\u00a0La Brigantessa<\/em>\u00a0is written with great heart and conviction\u2014such that, in an era when truth is at a premium, no one will question the truth of this narrative. In fact, the great achievement of this novel is that Rosanna Battigelli is able to make fiction feel truer than truth, truer than non-fiction. Bravo!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Joseph Kertes, founder of The Humber School for Writers and author of\u00a0Gratitude<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Afterlife of Stars<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBased on actual events,\u00a0La Brigantessa<\/em>\u00a0is the triumphant, epic tale of a young woman\u2019s incredible courage and resilience during one of Italy\u2019s most tumultuous decades. This heart-wrenching, unforgettable novel was an addictive read that will stay with me for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mirella Sichirollo Patzer, author of\u00a0The Orphan of the Olive Tree<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0The Prophetic Queen<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this historically accurate novel, Rosanna Battigelli uses every detail from pigeon soup to Southern Italian traditions to bad omens, bad luck, and retaliation. As unpredictable as summer storm clouds, as enjoyable as homemade Calabrian sausages, you should read this book with a glass of strong red wine and a supply of baci chocolates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Maria Coletta McLean, author of\u00a0My Father Came From Italy<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Summers in Supino: Becoming Italian<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLa Brigantessa<\/em>\u00a0is a feast for the senses. The author\u2019s visceral descriptions of events, both terrifying and exhilarating, instantly transport the reader to the sun-bleached hills of Post-Unification Calabria. The novel is a meditation on class, politics, and women\u2019s roles without losing sight of intrigue and adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winner, 2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Historical Fiction Finalist, 2019 Northern Lit Award Shortlisted, 2019 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner, 2019 International Book Awards (Best Cover Design \u2013 Fiction) La Brigantessa\u00a0is based on true events in the aftermath of Italy\u2019s 1861 Unification, a turbulent period known as \u201cThe Decade of Fire\u201d (1860-1870), when scores of … Continue reading Breakfast Speaker June 21, 2025<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breakfast-speakers-2025"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8RivX-Na","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3048"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3088,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3048\/revisions\/3088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wenetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}