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Leaving Marinella: An Italian Immigrant Family Saga, from Sicily to America
Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 6, 2026
26631 of 45K
Thank you NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and the author, Christopher Amato for an advanced copy of this book.
The book follows a multigenerational tale of Sicilian immigrants spanning the turn of the 20th century. An addictive, emotionally vivid, and poignant historical drama. The author’s realistic depiction of the early transatlantic crossing and the brutal hardships of the 19th-century Italian immigrant experience makes it a highly compelling read.
This is an amazing book. You know how sometimes you pick up books at just the right moment? This was one of those times. I was heavily invested in the characters and the sweet, quiet 5 year old that sailed to America. I love what the author did with the family’s story. You learn about the roots in Sicily and the need to assimilate to being an American. And then you’re introduced to the next generation and the next generation. It all ties up in the end absolutely beautifully. This is one of the best books that I’ve read in a while.
Another call out about this particular book that stands out for me is the lack of cussing, serious violence, extreme sadness & explicit scenes. It is not very often you can pick up a book without some of these aspects.
I don’t give out five stars very often & I read it between 100 and 200 books a year. Well done, Christopher Amato! I look forward to reading future novels.
Thank you NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and the author, Christopher Amato for an advanced copy of this book.
The book follows a multigenerational tale of Sicilian immigrants spanning the turn of the 20th century. An addictive, emotionally vivid, and poignant historical drama. The author’s realistic depiction of the early transatlantic crossing and the brutal hardships of the 19th-century Italian immigrant experience makes it a highly compelling read.
This is an amazing book. You know how sometimes you pick up books at just the right moment? This was one of those times. I was heavily invested in the characters and the sweet, quiet 5 year old that sailed to America. I love what the author did with the family’s story. You learn about the roots in Sicily and the need to assimilate to being an American. And then you’re introduced to the next generation and the next generation. It all ties up in the end absolutely beautifully. This is one of the best books that I’ve read in a while.
Another call out about this particular book that stands out for me is the lack of cussing, serious violence, extreme sadness & explicit scenes. It is not very often you can pick up a book without some of these aspects.
I don’t give out five stars very often & I read it between 100 and 200 books a year. Well done, Christopher Amato! I look forward to reading future novels.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“Leaving Marinella” by Christopher Amato is a sweeping tale of America and of the immigrants who brought the country into the 20th and 21st century. It is a family saga at its best and I was hooked from the very first page and carried through until the end of the book. The story begins in the late 1800s in Sicily. A family is hard hit by adverse social circumstances and poor health, so a five-year-old child is sent to America to be handed over to his uncle in Boston. Things do not go as planned for that child, and like many others who were without protection from the law, he was cruelly exploited. We follow Tommaso into adulthood, where he marries and has a family, creating the new generation of Americans. Like many of that generation, Tommaso never really discusses his past, and instead, he looks ahead to the future. For him, the greatest moment in life was when he became an American citizen. But his story of how he came to America at such an early age and his early years becomes forgotten. By the time his descendants want answers to these questions, it’s too late. Or is it?
This novel tells the story of one person, one family, and yet, it is representative of so many who made their way to the United States in the 1800s and 1900s with dreams of having a better life. In fact, heartbreaking homesickness, the cruelty of powerful exploiters, the support and encouragement from people in the same ethnic/language community, the love of family and friends—these are themes that can resonate with immigrants regardless of the time period and the destination. Books like this are so important to humanize immigrants and their individual stories. Even though this novel describes a story over 100 years old, it is still timely.
I was grateful to receive an ARC of this novel, and my opinions are my own.
This novel tells the story of one person, one family, and yet, it is representative of so many who made their way to the United States in the 1800s and 1900s with dreams of having a better life. In fact, heartbreaking homesickness, the cruelty of powerful exploiters, the support and encouragement from people in the same ethnic/language community, the love of family and friends—these are themes that can resonate with immigrants regardless of the time period and the destination. Books like this are so important to humanize immigrants and their individual stories. Even though this novel describes a story over 100 years old, it is still timely.
I was grateful to receive an ARC of this novel, and my opinions are my own.
July 29, 2026
Leaving Marinella
An Italian Immigrant Family Saga, from Sicily to America
by Christopher Amato
Rated: 5 star rating
This book is absolutely incredible. It is a huge family story that starts in the fictional town of Marinella, Sicily, back in the late 1800s and goes all the way to modern times.
The story begins with a couple named Saverio and Rosa, but after a tragedy, their young son Tommaso ends up coming to America alone as an orphan in 1900. He has a really rough time moving between places like New York, Detroit, and finally Norfolk, Virginia. He changes his name to Thomas and tries so hard to just be a regular American that he lets go of his Italian roots just to survive.
Then, the book jumps way into the future to his grandson,Tony. Tony ends up going back to Sicily to figure out his family history, learn the language, and he falls in love with a local woman named Michela.
It is amazing how the story comes full circle. The author knows Italy really well because you can practically smell the food and see the beautiful coast when Tony is exploring.
I loved how this book showed the difference between the grandpa who had to give up his culture to survive, and the grandson who got to go back and find it. It makes you really think about your own family history. It is a beautiful, emotional, and easy to read story that keeps you interested the whole time.
If you love a good family story, with beautiful settings, and historical details that feel real, you have to read this book.
Thank you, NetGalley, Black Rose Writing, and author Christopher Amato, for providing me with a copy of this ebook for book review consideration. All review opinions are my own.
#NetGalley
#BlackRoseWriting
#ChristopherAmato author
#LeavingMarinella
http://goodreads.com/patriciasreading...
http://www.patriciasreadingroom.blogs...
An Italian Immigrant Family Saga, from Sicily to America
by Christopher Amato
Rated: 5 star rating
This book is absolutely incredible. It is a huge family story that starts in the fictional town of Marinella, Sicily, back in the late 1800s and goes all the way to modern times.
The story begins with a couple named Saverio and Rosa, but after a tragedy, their young son Tommaso ends up coming to America alone as an orphan in 1900. He has a really rough time moving between places like New York, Detroit, and finally Norfolk, Virginia. He changes his name to Thomas and tries so hard to just be a regular American that he lets go of his Italian roots just to survive.
Then, the book jumps way into the future to his grandson,Tony. Tony ends up going back to Sicily to figure out his family history, learn the language, and he falls in love with a local woman named Michela.
It is amazing how the story comes full circle. The author knows Italy really well because you can practically smell the food and see the beautiful coast when Tony is exploring.
I loved how this book showed the difference between the grandpa who had to give up his culture to survive, and the grandson who got to go back and find it. It makes you really think about your own family history. It is a beautiful, emotional, and easy to read story that keeps you interested the whole time.
If you love a good family story, with beautiful settings, and historical details that feel real, you have to read this book.
Thank you, NetGalley, Black Rose Writing, and author Christopher Amato, for providing me with a copy of this ebook for book review consideration. All review opinions are my own.
#NetGalley
#BlackRoseWriting
#ChristopherAmato author
#LeavingMarinella
http://goodreads.com/patriciasreading...
http://www.patriciasreadingroom.blogs...
Review of advance copy received from Author
In reading Leaving Marinella by Christopher Amato, we first meet Saverio Mancuso and Rosa, then their son Tommaso, who in 1900, at the young age of five travels from Sicily to America on the SS Grabow steamship after the untimely death of his parents. It was his father's hopeful wish that his son have more opportunities that America offered. Crossing from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Atlantic Ocean into New York, young Tommaso experiences violent storms that pound the ship while he's confined to steerage, bullies who terrorize him, and then his father's friend dies aboard the ship—the person responsible for passing him to an Uncle living in Boston. We see the Statue of Liberty through Tommaso's eyes before being ferried to Ellis Island and the Registry Building for medical examinations. But when a succession of unfortunate events force Tommaso (Thomas) into an orphanage, survival becomes acute with the exploitation of child labor, and I couldn't put this book down, not for a minute.
Fraught with hardship for the Mancuso forefathers, this sweeping saga comes full circle in their unforgettable journey of fulfilling the promise of a better life for the generations that follow. A poignant family saga whose essence is the evolution of family and the endurance of the human spirit. Vivid and heartwarming, reading this book played in my mind like a motion picture. Be sure to put this one on your reading list!
Fraught with hardship for the Mancuso forefathers, this sweeping saga comes full circle in their unforgettable journey of fulfilling the promise of a better life for the generations that follow. A poignant family saga whose essence is the evolution of family and the endurance of the human spirit. Vivid and heartwarming, reading this book played in my mind like a motion picture. Be sure to put this one on your reading list!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Amato’s heart-gripping novel Leaving Marinella tells an American story that begins at
the turn of the 20 th century with the voyage of Tommaso, a five-year-old orphan from a small village in
Sicily, who is put by his relatives on board a ship bound for a new world: The United States of America.
But in this new land of opportunity the exploitation of the poorest, most vulnerable children to make
the fortunes of the rich is spun as charity – how else would these orphaned children eat, how would
they survive, if they weren’t given work? – and Tommaso is handed over to a purported “orphanage,”
where he and a group of other immigrant children are made to work ten hours a day, seven days a
week, in exchange for a place on the floor to sleep, the meagrest food to eat, and harsh treatment by a
handler to whom they must turn over every penny they earn.
And yet the cruelty young Tommaso endures from some is offset by the kindness and help of others,
and he survives, thrives, and, ultimately builds a life and family, whose stories, continued in the book
through three generations, will ultimately circle back to the story of a five-year-old immigrant boy.
Mr. Amato based this book on the story of his immigrant grandfather, and he tells the story from his
heart. Moving and thought-provoking, don’t be surprised if Leaving Marinella at times moves you to
tears. Five Stars!
the turn of the 20 th century with the voyage of Tommaso, a five-year-old orphan from a small village in
Sicily, who is put by his relatives on board a ship bound for a new world: The United States of America.
But in this new land of opportunity the exploitation of the poorest, most vulnerable children to make
the fortunes of the rich is spun as charity – how else would these orphaned children eat, how would
they survive, if they weren’t given work? – and Tommaso is handed over to a purported “orphanage,”
where he and a group of other immigrant children are made to work ten hours a day, seven days a
week, in exchange for a place on the floor to sleep, the meagrest food to eat, and harsh treatment by a
handler to whom they must turn over every penny they earn.
And yet the cruelty young Tommaso endures from some is offset by the kindness and help of others,
and he survives, thrives, and, ultimately builds a life and family, whose stories, continued in the book
through three generations, will ultimately circle back to the story of a five-year-old immigrant boy.
Mr. Amato based this book on the story of his immigrant grandfather, and he tells the story from his
heart. Moving and thought-provoking, don’t be surprised if Leaving Marinella at times moves you to
tears. Five Stars!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Amato has written a classic family saga that unfolds over five generations and almost 140 years, following the Mancuso family’s emigration from Sicily and the new life they build in America. At its heart is Tommaso, whose tale tugs at your heartstrings: his parents died when he was very young, he leaves Italy on a beat-up German ship with a bunch of young men he barely knows, and through mishaps he ends up in a very dicey and unsavory “orphanage.”
Leaving Marinella is also a classic immigrant tale, about the wave of European immigrants flooding to the U.S. in the late nineteenth century, and the struggles they endured as they fought for the American dream. The question of whether or not to assimilate into their new home country, and to what extent they can do so without losing their heritage, is a subtle undercurrent throughout the story. Despite the natural process of one’s heritage diluting over the generations, the desire to embrace both homeland and heritage wins out in the end.
Amato writes with deceptively straightforward prose, building a layered story through action and situation, with lovely turns of phrases sprinkled throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who loves family sagas, stories of personal triumph against all odds, and Italian culture!
Leaving Marinella is also a classic immigrant tale, about the wave of European immigrants flooding to the U.S. in the late nineteenth century, and the struggles they endured as they fought for the American dream. The question of whether or not to assimilate into their new home country, and to what extent they can do so without losing their heritage, is a subtle undercurrent throughout the story. Despite the natural process of one’s heritage diluting over the generations, the desire to embrace both homeland and heritage wins out in the end.
Amato writes with deceptively straightforward prose, building a layered story through action and situation, with lovely turns of phrases sprinkled throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who loves family sagas, stories of personal triumph against all odds, and Italian culture!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Author Christopher Amato writes like the ocean waves—smooth and powerful. Prepare to be washed away in a current of love, loss, resilience, and rediscovery. Leaving Marinella is a sweeping family saga spanning generations that will leave you with a tear in your eye.
Every word carries weight, allowing the reader to grow close to each character as they play their part in this epic family journey. We see how the choices and struggles of those who come before have a direct bearing on those who come after.
Sandwiched between a hopeful young Sicilian father in 1895 and his great-grandson’s journey to uncover the family’s past, live life’s joys and trials. It is in these day-to-day moments that a life is made. The smiles, dinners, hugs, deaths, and triumphs that happen every day within a family build character and shape the lives of the people within the family. Sometimes, it is all the small things, the never-recorded things, that mean the most and have the greatest impact.
Every word carries weight, allowing the reader to grow close to each character as they play their part in this epic family journey. We see how the choices and struggles of those who come before have a direct bearing on those who come after.
Sandwiched between a hopeful young Sicilian father in 1895 and his great-grandson’s journey to uncover the family’s past, live life’s joys and trials. It is in these day-to-day moments that a life is made. The smiles, dinners, hugs, deaths, and triumphs that happen every day within a family build character and shape the lives of the people within the family. Sometimes, it is all the small things, the never-recorded things, that mean the most and have the greatest impact.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“Leaving Marinella” is an extraordinary tale of a family's resilience and hope amid tragedy. A boy’s dying father sends him on a ship to America for a better future, but when the seven-year-old’s guardian dies during the journey, he finds himself utterly alone in a foreign land.
Years of struggle and survival follow as the boy grows into a man, working to stay alive while navigating the harsh realities of immigrant life in America in the early 1900s. The author weaves together the stories of numerous characters whose lives intersect with the boy throughout his life.
This book captures the heartbreak and resilience of the immigrant experience, illustrating how one boy’s determination to survive ultimately leads to the fulfillment of the American dream.
Years of struggle and survival follow as the boy grows into a man, working to stay alive while navigating the harsh realities of immigrant life in America in the early 1900s. The author weaves together the stories of numerous characters whose lives intersect with the boy throughout his life.
This book captures the heartbreak and resilience of the immigrant experience, illustrating how one boy’s determination to survive ultimately leads to the fulfillment of the American dream.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Leaving Marinella is a personal family saga that begins with the circumstances that force a 5-year-old orphan to immigrate from Sicily to the United States. En route, his temporary guardian dies, and his traveling companions fail to connect with his uncle. He is indentured as child labor for many years until he leaves at news of an opportunity for a steady wage. The story follows his life, and continues with his grandson's as he researches their family heritage, leading back to Sicily, where he falls in love. Like other powerful immigrant stories about the 1900s, Tommaso's life is one of hard work, cruelty, and friendship as he strives for a better life. Themes of loss, separation, family, and love are explored.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Leaving Marinella tells the story of three generations of a family facing love, loss, hardship, and happiness, growing stronger through each experience. In a small Sicilian town, young Saverio meets Rosa, but life proves challenging. Will Saverio provide Rosa with the life she deserves? Can Rosa give him the children they desire? This captivating tale will have readers eagerly turning pages to discover what happens next. Christopher Amato skillfully captures the emotions, inspiring readers to explore their own family history.
LeeAnne James, Award winning author of The Thin Blue Line Series
LeeAnne James, Award winning author of The Thin Blue Line Series
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews