Death in the Mountains: The True Story of a Tuscan Murder

by Lisa Clifford

"This is the true story of the murder of Artemio Bruni, a peasant farmer in the mountains of Casentino, north-eastern Tuscany, in the winter of 1907. Artemio was my husband's great-grandfather. For reasons not understood by my husband's family, Grandpa Artemio's death was never investigated. It was not reported to the police, nor did Bruna Bruni, Artemio's wife, ever demand justice. How could that be possible, I asked my mother-in-law - mafia? 'No, no, you don't understand,' she answered. 'Things were different in the mountains one hundred years ago. Grandpa and Grandma were poor farmers, no one could have cared less about them. Grandpa was a nobody and life was cheap in Tuscany then.:

When Australian author and journalist Lisa Clifford moved to Florence to be with her Italian husband, an unsolved murder in his family became part of her life. The more Lisa found out about it, the more intrigued she became - so much so that she was driven to investigate the tragic events of a century ago. Soon it was not just the murder that obsessed her but also the harsh existence of Artemio and his family, one that had continued unchanged since the middle ages and had none of the warmth and sophistication of the Florentine life she knew. Death in the Mountains is Lisa's brilliant recreation of the life and death of Artemio Bruni, and an evocation of the world of the Tuscan mountains in the early 20th century. It is both a murder mystery and a beautifully observed picture of a lost Italy.

Genres: Italy, Book Club, Nonfiction, True Crime, Mystery, Crime, Travel

253 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way it described Tuscany life at the turn of the century. Well written with a satisfying ending.

[Midnight Library Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible book. The integration of the Italian words and phrases with the story makes you feel like you're learning not only about the Bruni's story, but also a language and a culture. The way this book is written really submerged me into the story and made me feel like I was there with the family, living it with them, and I was severely disappointed when it ended, with me bawling my eyes out in a local cafe. Can you figure out who murdered Artemio Bruni before the end? It was a big surprise to me!

Read a more detailed review on my blog: https://danasreadingroom.wordpress.co...

[Jillwilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lisa Clifford married an Italian man - and along with this a story about his great grandfather who had been murdered in the mountains of Tuscany early in the 20th century. This book is a recreation of an almost feudal age - dirt poor families scraping a living and paying half their earnings to the wealthier overlords. No wonder there was a tolerance for social change - in their case through fascism (although this wasn't part of the book). She interviewed many older relatives to try to find out who had committed the murder at the heart of the story. The details of their lives were fascinating though I felt that she never completely nailed the personalities of all the key players. I thought of the Janet Malcolm book that I read this year - both stories of murder, 'real events' and both writers not quite able to capture the personal element. But I loved reading about the details of their daily lives and thinking about how wealthy we are in comparison. Just one example - the son was sent to drove sheep in winter. He was a little boy of about 10 years old and was away for about 3 months - he was paid one shoe (not two), for his work. What young people took responsibility for was breathtaking in comparison to the way we treat children now. Their's was a pretty hard society, we are a decadent one.

[Rufus Plawski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading “Death in the Mountains”. I picked the novel as my “just in case I have nothing else to read” book and was nicely surprised it gave me so much pleasure reading it. The book is very well written with detailed accounts of everyday life of families struggling to survive on rented land in feudal Tuscany at the beginning of the 20th century. With the author, you share the warmth, sympathy and admiration towards the Bruni family. I found the characters very convincing; both, those who were caring and generous and those who were greedy and envious of the successes of others. My mouth kept watering at the description of Bruna’s creative cooking using very few available ingredients: olive oil, chestnuts, pecorino and corn.

[Warren Fretwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true story of sharecropper life in rural Tuscany in the very early 1900s. Although dubbed a murder mystery, the author devotes the major part of the book sympathetically revealing Italian life as practiced in the mountains for hundreds of years.

Lisa Clifford captures daily existence in the Italian countryside with exquisite detail making you feel like you are present, observing the farmers, their families and neighbors eke out a living from the soil.
And, while she paints that picture, she also prepares to solve a long-forgotten murder.

You'll never guess who did it!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent surprise this gem of a book was. I picked this up in a second hand bookshop while on holidays. The true crime/mystery story of an Italian family in the 1900's, the author captured the essence of Tuscany at that time - very different to the Tuscany we know today. Following a tight knit community of hard working Tuscan peasant farmers, a 100 year old murder never investigated until today. Very satisfying, well written and interesting book.

[Jenna Vidal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow! This book is set just two decades before my grandparents were born. My nanna was also the child of a farmer in Italy, giving half of all their produce to their “boss” and never able to get ahead. I felt like I was leaning about her life with every page. I have never read anything like it. I am so grateful to the author for forever preserving the lifestyle of these beautiful people.

If you have any interest in Italian culture, I think you will enjoy this.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most moving stories I've ever read, of a family's heartbreak after the murder of a loved one, a tight-knit community which knows what's happened but can never say, and a distant relative's determination to bring the story to light. Over 100 years after the murder, Lisa Clifford, the Australian wife of the great-grandson, carefully pieces together the harsh lost life of both old rural Tuscany, and of great-grandfather Artemio.

[Lena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another highly underrated book.

Beautiful, smooth and vivid description of harsh Farmer lives in rural Tuscany a hundred years ago. So real that the book really got me transported back in time and into the murder case.

[Lesley Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved being immersed in the very realness of a fuedal time and the clash between personalities, at times drawing me in until I felt I was part of the very difficulties that surrounded this harsh lifestyle. Thank you for sharing something so personal Lisa.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! What an amazing story and so fantastically well-written. It was a pleasure to read from start to finish. A real cliffhanger with ample information to digest and think about between chapters.
I LOVED this book! One of the best books I have ever read.

[Emma Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Wow. Pretty brutal. So glad I didn't have to grow up in those conditions.

[Claire Malyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating on so many levels. Firstly the story of the murder of an Italian Farmer as the basis for the novel was a real page turner. As a foodie I loved reading about all Bruna's recipes and how her family survived on so little. The history of the Italian feudal system and the practice of share cropping was very interesting and I learned that this practice was not completely abolished until 1982. This was a real page turner with great insight into the social systems and family life.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up in the library & the blurb intrigued me-
"When Australian author and journalist Lisa Clifford moved to Florence to be with her Italian husband, an unsolved murder in his family became part of her life....." It sounded fascinating!
& it is! This book was a fascinating insight into the harsh life of peasant farmers in Tuscany in the early 1900's. So different to the romantic images we see these days. Now they had it TOUGH!

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written book. I felt like I was truly in the setting.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Death in the Mountains by Lisa Clifford. The detailed description of life in the Tuscan Hills was totally enthralling. Although the story is about a murder that happened in these mountains, I think the real story is about Bruna Bruni and the life that she led.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting story - learned a lot about how difficult life was for Italian farmers and their families in the early 20th century. Makes you very grateful!!

[Tesmos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Moody and evocative piece. And wonderful simple recipes from a peasant Italian kitchen.