Publisher's Synopsis
1943. In a Palermo devastated by Allied bombing, 12-year-old Cristina, suffering from polio, loses
her home in the old Albergheria neighborhood and with her family is forced to take refuge at her
grandmother's house in the suburbs. In the story, the events and violence of History intersect with
those of which Cristina is a victim. Her lifeline is represented by her deep friendship with her cousin
Franca and with the very rich young marquise Laura Betalli, a cultured and feminist ante litteram.
Amidst a thousand difficulties, readings, smiles, music, fears, horrors and first romantic
experiences, the three girls will realize their aspirations, and Cristina will succeed, with her
stubbornness and passion for art, in finding the human redemption to which she aspires. A story of
hope and resilience.
