Den fjerde kysten

by Virginia Baily

For alle som elsker Elena ny bok fra forfatteren av bestselgeren tidlig en morgen!  Lilianas elskede mann har vært død et halvt år da hun finner en bunke sedler med en «Unn deg noe fint, kjære». Samme morgen leser hun en overskrift i den italienske avisen La Repubblica som på et øyeblikk river henne ut av hennes komfortable liv i England og tilbake til årene i Italia. Umiddelbart vet hun hva hun må gjøre. Hun må reise tilbake til Roma og gjenerobre det livet som hun ikke klarte å sitt virkelige liv ... Den fjerde kysten er en gripende roman som på briljant vis kaster lys over en glemt periode i italiensk historie og viser hvordan kjærlighet og krig setter spor – også flere tiår senere.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Italy, Historical, Fiction, Africa, British Literature, 20th Century

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

My most recent novel is 'Early One Morning' which
came out in the UK this summer. Set in Rome in the 1940s and 1970s, it is “fearless, witty and full of flair” (The Guardian) and “as gripping as any thriller” (Daily Mail). It was Waterstones, Goldsboro Books and Hatchards' ‘Book of the Month’ in August, hit the Sunday Times bestseller list that month and was dramatized on BBC Radio 4 in October. It was published in the US in late September, Holland in October and is being translated into 10 other languages.

My first novel ‘Africa Junction,’ (as Ginny Baily) set in Devon and West Africa, won the McKitterick prize in 2012. I used the prize money to live in Rome for three months to research ‘Early One Morning.’

My short stories and poetry have been widely anthologized. I'm the co-founder and editor of Riptide short story journal, based in Exeter. I'm also the editor of the Africa Research Bulletin.

I am represented by Nicola Barr at Greene & Heaton agency.

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

She looked and she started to see, but she pushed the seeing back down, out of her own sight

I found this a wildly uneven book: it opens vividly as 18 year old Liliana arrives in Tripoli in 1929 to stay with her brother who has been forced to leave Italy for not being a member of Mussolini's Fascist party, Libya being an Italian colony, taken over in pursuit of Spazia Vitale, the equivalent of Hitler's Lebensraum. But then almost immediately we're taken back in an extended flashback to when Liliana is 12, and it's about 100 pages before we return to her journey to Tripoli.

In the meantime, we're treated to yet another of those over-used split narratives that introduces us to Lili at 69: nothing much happens in this 'now' strand other than to make the point that Libya comes under the repressive rule of Gaddafi - and to eventually solve one of those 'dark family secret' mysteries that abound in fiction. Liliana makes irritatingly cryptic comments ('Farida must have told Stefano what Liliana did and he must have decided he no longer wanted to include her in his life') - creating a kind of 'fake suspense' as everyone else knows what Liliana did 50 years ago, except the reader - though it's not hard to make a pretty close guess because, again, the 'secret' is an over-used and sensationalist trope of contemporary fiction a double rape! wife and sister both pregnant by the same man! a double birth scene as both have babies on the same day! sister hands her baby over to wife and regrets it for the rest of her life! until she stumbles across her granddaughter in 1980 and the family can be finally be reunited!

If I'm sounding irritated, it's because in between the over-used fictional clichés and the technical issues with dry flashbacks filled with 'telling', masses of indirect speech and switching PoVs, there's some really good stuff here. When we're in the sections where 1929-30 is the present, we have a gripping story of Liliana's corrupted innocence. The scenes of Tripoli are evocative and her friendship with a Bedouin woman are beautifully done with nuance and intimacy. Stephano's desire that Farida is 'Italianised' is another form of colonialism, acted out on a personal level. A subtext is also raised as to why some people accept complicity with corrupt regimes such as fascism or that of Gaddafi and why some people rebel and resist, whatever the personal cost - but this theme isn't explored any further.

Flashes of thoughtful political engagement and some lovely writing about female friendship, cultural difference, colonialism and betrayal get over-written and bogged down in the 'mystery' of what Liliana did 50 years ago that separated her from her family. Too many time-switches, an unnecessary 1980s strand, and a melodramatic 'secret' took away from what I enjoyed about this book. A leaner, more pared back story after a ruthless edit would have made this a stronger read for me.

Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC via NetGalley

[SueKich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parted by politics.

“They change their sky, not their soul, who rush across the sea.” Horace.

Virginia Baily tells an intimate family story to explore the impact of totalitarianism in Italy in the late 1920s and early 30s. Liliana is a good Catholic girl brought up by a strict mother and a weak father who kowtows to the prevailing wind of rising fascism. Much to the father’s dismay, Liliana’s adored older brother Stefano is a socialist. But as Mussolini’s regime becomes increasingly entwined with the Catholic church, young Liliana follows the path her parents have set out for her. When Stefano gets into trouble with the authorities, his parents insist he escapes to safety in Italian-occupied Libya – and this is where, in 1929, Baily’s story opens, with Liliana's longed-for visit to her big brother.

The Fourth Shore gives the reader some real insight into a little-known period of Italian colonial history with some brief background of how Libya went out of the frying and into the fire with Gaddafi. So politically and geographically it has much going for it. It is also the portrait of a young woman whose naiveté leads those she most cares about into life-threatening danger. Up until the clangingly predictable denouement, this is an absorbing tale marred, in my view, by the author’s time-shifting telling of it. I do wish writers would have more confidence in the straightforward narrative, especially when the story is a strong one, as this is. 3.5*

My thanks to Fleet for a review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

[Tiah]

~She had been trying to teach him to iron ever since they had come to Rome three years before. He seemed to think he was constitutionally incapable of doing it.~

~'We will sleep under the desert sky and drink camel milk by starlight.'
Stefano thought that he would prefer a glass of wine, but didn't say so.~

~It is as if she has been made to wear a costume that does not quite fit, but she must act as if it does. It is uncomfortable, but needs must.~

~The wound is the place where the light enters you.~

~People said that Italians couldn't lose their accent in English unless they had been brought up bilingual, but Liliana had given it a go. The hardest thing had been cutting off that sound, that extra vowel sound Italians like to add to the end of a word. Severing it. And then adding in an extra vowel sound inside the word, butting it off the end and putting in the middle or at the beginning. Shifting and splicing.~

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 1/2 stars.
This book isn't worth reading. The plot is predictable, the characters stale, the antagonist is a one dimensional caricature with absolutely zero other traits than being a psychopathic misogynist. He was barely above the level of a plot device. His name was Ugo for God sake, you might as well have named him Satanio De Rapiste.
When I was around 200ish pages in I actually messaged my mate and predicted the "twist" at the end of the book.
Ok, another thing. It's not a bloody twist. SPOILERS I guess.
Estranged family member meets their great niece for the first time. Lots of years have passed and MANY secrets have been hidden. What's that? The great niece is ACTUALLY her granddaughter all along???? OH MY STARS AND STRIPES, I definitely wouldn't have guessed that solely by the random bloody choice of relative our MC meets.
Not only that, but the moment they have the big reveal the book ends. All the hate and trauma that Farida and Liliana have experienced together and buried never gets reconciled. Baily leaves us with just imagining it. The emotional climax of the book is at its end and we don't get to see it. Frankly, I think because Baily had written herself into a corner. Zaida's dad is a comatose political dissident who can't go back to Libya, so neither can Zaida. And if Zaida can't go, neither can Liliana, so her and Farida can't properly reconnect because of there being a bloody dictator in charge of Libya.
It's not good writing when you leave the reconciling to the imaginations of your readers, unless your planning on doing a sequel, but the way you left it didn't make it seem as though you had plans for that.

I have a good many more gripes about this book but I'm not going to write them all down here. If you ever happen to bump into me on the street, I'll happily talk your ear off with my other misgivings.
All in all, I'm fourth sure I didn't enjoy The Fourth Shore.

[Rihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

هي رواية ولكن ل دِقتّها العالية ربما تكون وثيقة تاريخية لمرحلة من تاريخ ليبيا "الشاطئ الرابع" كما يحلو للطليان تسميتها بهذا اللقب.. بما أن ل إيطاليا ثلاثة شطآن لتصير ليبيا الرابعة.
حكاية سردية وخلطة عجيبة للأماكن وشواهدها الزمنية عن ليبيا كمجتمع إنساني وثقافي وهوية متوسطية تُبدع فيه الكاتبة ڤيرجينيا بايلي في الخوض في التفاصيل بل تفصيل التفاصيل عبر الأحداث الدرامية لقصة أقرب أن تكون واقعية للأحداث والمشاهدات والمعايشة اليومية والمظهر والسلوك والعادات والتقاليد والأكلات والملابس والحرف والأسواق والميادين والحواري وحتى الجوامع والكنائس وأسماء الشوارع ووصفها لمدينة طرابلس في فترة العشرينات وصفاً حقيقياً متقناً بصورة لاتصدق جعلني اتساءل بقوة وانا استمتع بقراءة الرواية ولم يغب عن ذهني لحظه.. ما الدي يجعل كاتبة إنجليزية من وضع ليبيا خلفية لروايتها ومسرح لأحداثها …؟؟؟
بل وتضع تفاصيل وأحداث ومشاهدات وسلوك بشر وغيرها من التفاصيل التي لا يعرفها الاّ الليبين وربما تغيب حتى عن الليبين إنفسهم..!!!!!
ولكنها تتقنها وتصورها بحرفية وكأنها عاشت حياتها او حتى جزء من حياتها في ليبيا وهي التي لم تعش في طرابلس ولا حتى ليبيا قط..!!
وقد بحثت ولم أجد إلا إنها عاشت فترة من حياتها في إيطاليا وأحبت تاريخها وبرغم التعتيم عن ليبيا بعد الخروج منها منهزمين ولكن الكاتبة نبشت وكتبت عن المحظور والإستعمار وويلاته في المستعمرة الليبية..
إذا ليبيا والتي حضرت بقوة في مسارين إثنين الأول ليبيا خلال فترة الحكم الفاشيستي كأرض أحلام للمواطن الإيطالي بما توفره من فرص حياة أفضل والمسار الثاني كمجتمع غني تاريخياً وثقافياً وسياسياً.. ومن خلال السرد بين زمنين بين عشرينات وثمانينيات القرن الماضي.. حيث تحلق ڤيرجينيا بين فضائين وهو سرد طفولة وشباب بطلة الرواية "ليليانا" في إيطاليا وزيارتها لأخيها "ستيفانو" المقيم في طرابلس ويعمل في رالي السيارات والمتزوج من ليبية وهي "فريدة" وعلاقة الصداقة التي تجمعهما ومحاولة كلاً منهما تعليم الأخرى ومساعدتها قبل ان تهوي صداقتهما بسبب الطيار الحربي الإيطالي "أوغو" الذي تنساق عواطفها وراءه ولكنه يسمم حياتها ويحاول إخضاع ليليانا وإذلالها ولا تسلم حتى فريدة من براثنه في إشارة من الكاتبة إلى أن الفاشية الإيطالية لم تكن محصورة فقط في الدول المستعمرة وإنما أيضاً لكل من رفض سياستها من الإيطاليين "مثل ستيفانو وأخته" الذين هربوا من جحيم الفاشية في بلادهم لتلاحقهم في مستعمراتها.
إذاً رواية تفضح التعتيم الإعلامي لجرائم المستعمرين بالرغم من تركيزهم على البناء والتشييد والطرق والأسواق والمعارض لتصل لحقبة الثمانينيات وعهد القذافي واللجان الثورية وأغتيال المعارضين متنقلة بين ليبيا الدولة المستعمرة وليبيا التي تعيش حكماً دكتاتورياً في زمن الرواية لتنسج رواية تنتقل بين دول ثلاث هي ليبيا وإيطاليا وبريطانيا والحقيقة عشت متعة كبيرة حين قرأت عملاً أدبياً تشعر بمتعة السفر عبر الزمن واني قد مررت بتلك الأماكن وعشت معها تفاصيل حدثت في مرحلة ما من عمري وشوارع وأزقة لازلت اعبرها وأعيشها حتى بعد ان تغيرت مسمياتها وتفاصيلها ولكن تخيلتها وكأنني أمامها وجهاً لوجه.
بقى تسأل آخير.. هل تنوي الكاتبة ان يكون لها جزء ثاني تكملة للرواية لإن هناك العديد من التساؤلات التي لم تجب عليها ووجدتها عالقة في ذهني حتى بعد تكملة الرواية وأتمنى ان يكون حدسي صحيحاً وأن هناك تكملة للحكاية مع العجوز ليليانا والشابة الليبية سعيدة.
-ح.ريحان

[Amira · Rating 4 out of 5]

رأيت صديقتي في نادي القراءة تتحدث عن الرواية بإعجاب فقررت اقتناءها وقراءتها، الرواية غنية بالتفاصيل والأحداث والشخصيات، لدرجة أنني أفقد تسلسل الأحداث أحياناً، فالكاتبة تذهب للحاضر وتعود للماضي كثيراً، عمل ذلك على زيادة التشويق والإثارة مع عدم فقدان حبكة الحكاية.

أكثر ما أبهرني هو كيف لكاتبة إنجليزية أن تكتب عن ليبيا بهذه الدقة والغنى في التفاصيل وبطريقة صحيحة جداً. كتبت خلالها عن العادات والتقاليد والأكل واللباس وعن فظائع الاحتلال الفاشي الإيطالي في ليبيا.

بدء كل فصل بمادة بريدية أو تذكار معين كانت جميلة جداً.

الترجمة جيدة جداً وتنقل كل التفاصيل بطريقة عميقة.

الأحداث كثيرة وغامضة في البداية لكن مع نهاية الرواية تكتمل الصورة.

[kaylasbookishlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place in Italian colonised Libya, we follow Liliana on her journey to the Italian Fourth Shore. There is so much that happens in this book and I was intrigued the entire time. This book spans decades and follows Liliana through all the different phases of her life. An international event happens that pulls her back into her former life living with her brother and his Libyan wife.

[Matthew Ted · Rating 1 out of 5]

My 21st book of October - what a month it has been for me. I'm chuffed.

This was a bookclub book, chosen by another member. My rating doesn't really reflect the novel, but my own tastes. It's essentially as if someone came up to me and asked me if I wanted to try their cheese and I told them, "I don't like cheese," but they insisted, so I eat it and then I shake my head and say, "sorry, I didn't like it."

Someone in the club really liked it. I can think of a few people who would, actually. But personally it's not really my cup of tea. The book isn't BAD, so don't be put off by this rating, that's what I'm trying to say. I actually think I'll give it to a few people I know who would really enjoy it.

[Andrea Karminrot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich finde es immer wieder sehr spannend, wenn man beim Lesen noch etwas dazu lernt. Das Buch Die fremde Küste spielt in Libyen, genauer gesagt in Tripolis. 1920 nannten die Italiener es die vierten Küste Italiens.
Liliana Ist die Hauptfigur des Roman. Sie ist 13 Jahre alt als ihr erwachsener Bruder Stefano nach Libyen flüchtete. Das faschistische Regime widerspricht dem liberalen jungen Mann. Da Italien damals die Kolonialmacht in Libyen war, verspricht sich Stefano dort ein sicheres Auskommen. Stefano ist Auto-Mechaniker und findet in Tripolis, an der fremden Küste Italiens, ziemlich schnell eine Anstellung im Motorsport. Dort wird gerade die Autorennstrecke Monza gebaut und befahren. Nicht lange nachdem der junge Italiener in Tripolis angekommen ist, bittet ein Freund Stefano, ihn auf einer Wüstenreise zu begleiten. Am Ende hat Stefano seine Ehefrau gefunden. Eine Beziehung, die von den Italienischen Behörden nicht gut geheißen wird. Mischehen sind nicht erwünscht!
Liliana vermisst ihren Bruder sehr. Als sie 17 ist, bekommt sie die Gelegenheit an die fremde Küste nach Tripolis zu reisen. Ihr Bruder wünscht sich, dass Liliana seiner libyschen Frau italienisch beibringt und sich europäischer zu verhalten. Auf ihrer Reise nach Tripolis trifft Liliana auf einen Oberst der Luftwaffe, den sie nicht mehr aus den Augen lassen kann. Fast hörig, folgt sie dem weitaus älteren Mann. Oberst Ugo Montello steckt ihr einen Zettel zu, dass er sie an einem bestimmten Tag in Tripolis vor der Kathedrale abholen wird. Und damit beginnt eine verhängnisvolle Affäre an der fremden Küste Libyens.

Der Roman hat mich schon wegen den geschichtlichen Hintergründen stark gefesselt. Die Hauptakteurin ist Liliana. Ihre Geschichte wird in verschiedenen Zeiten erzählt. Die 69 jährige Liliana erinnert sich an ihre Jugend in Tripolis, als sie in einer Zeitung von einem Unfall liest. Sie kennt den Mann, der in einem Krankenhaus in Rom liegt. Liliana reist nach Rom und trifft auf ein Leben, an das sie sich eigentlich nicht mehr erinnern wollte. Sie hat sich so lange vor der Wahrheit versteckt, dass sie selber nicht mehr weiß, was damals geschehen ist. Erst nach und nach lassen ihre Gedanken es zu, dass Licht in die Angelegenheit kommt und bringen sie selbst im Alter noch an ihre Grenzen.
Lilianas Leben war ein Abenteuer und hat mich mehr als einmal berührt und überrascht. Zum Ende hin wird immer klarer, in welcher brenzligen Situation sich die junge Frau befunden hatte.
Die Überschriften über den Kapiteln sind Bruchstücke aus Lilianas Leben. Postkarten, Zeitungsausschnitte und Erinnerungen, die Liliana in einer Schublade gesammelt hatte. Dinge, an die sie sich nicht mehr erinnern wollte.
Die Autorin hat sich einiger Bücher und Dokumente bedient, denn einen Aufarbeitung der Geschehnisse in Nordafrika, von Seiten der Italiener, gibt es kaum. Welches Grauen die damaligen Kolonialisten in das Land brachten, steht kaum geschrieben. Sie betont in ihrem Nachwort, dass es sich hier um einen Roman handelt. Ihre Figuren sind frei erfunden. Die italienische Geschichte dahinter, ist wahr!

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is for an intelligent reader who is committed to doing some of the work. The story and the skilful juxtaposition of characters, time and place are intriguing - added to which the undercurrent and historical/political backdrop add depth as back stories interweave and unravel. It says much about the human condition, cruelty, friendship, bravery against all the odds, and how lives collide and connect. Literary fiction at its best working on many levels - a story that remains with you long after the book is shut.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful novel, sensitively written. The skilfully woven story flows between different eras of the last century, but is mainly focused on Italy's fascist ambitions in Libya, and the effect on the lives of one family, and on the female protagonist especially, who we come to know both as a young woman and also as an older one suddenly reconnected with early events in her life through tragic circumstances. As with the author's previous book ("Early One Morning") the writing is poetical, with some lovely, lingering images of sight, scent and sound. It is a powerful tale demonstrating lessons from history that we should all heed. In making the evils clear, there is some brutality - but it is written with such elegance that the most delicate reader has no problem remaining fully engaged with the story. There is a strong sense of the need to have the full picture, and to feel outrage at the wrongs perpetrated not just during this time, but at any time of conflict and dictatorship. I highly recommend for an exciting - and a beautiful - read.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I adored this book to start with, and was completely swept away in the history of Italy and the rise of fascism. Told through the eyes of a very naive girl/ young woman, she is blind to a lot of what is happening as she accepts it as the way things are, not seeing the violence and horrors until her eyes are violently and shockingly opened to reality.
The sense of place and time is palpable, and the tensions the story creates are deeply affecting.
However, somewhere along the way it loses something. The ending becomes obvious too early on, and is just too unbelievable. The danger of Liliana’s lover make her ongoing relationship with him questionable - I could see his allure, but she either needed to see his danger and be afraid to break it off, or he needed to be nicer to her so it was believable that she could not see him for what he was.
It was still worth the read, it just didn’t live up to its early promise.

[Cynthea Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first page, I loved this book. Virginia Baily certainly know how to write a page turner. I get lost in her descriptive writing; she described the streets of Tripoli so well, she had me walking down them. She also has a phenomenal ability to build up her characters, so you can get inside their minds and understand their raison d’etre. I loved the portrayal of Ugo. He was evil!

I enjoy novels that instruct me and this one did. I knew very little about the fascists in Italy in the twenties and thirties, and knew even less about the Italians in Libya. It seemed to be well researched and instructive; but the historical aspects didn’t dominate the plot. I thought that the way the story swung from the life in Libya to Rome in the 1980s worked well.

I’ve now read all of Virginia Baily’s novels and this one is probably my favourite.

[Richard Bellamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with Early One Morning she uses flashback from a near contemporary present to the 1920s and 30s to good effect to narrate a dark and not fully acknowledged moment of recent Italian history. However, although the story is obviously different, the narrative structure is perhaps a little too similar to that of the earlier novel, which reduces its impact if you've read them both. In particular, I felt the relationship between the two women at the heart of the book might have been developed more - the final shared episode is somewhat sketchily told. By contrast, the opening section of the book was perhaps longer and more detailed than necessary. Still, an enjoyable and at times moving read on an important and neglected topic.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was completely ignorant of Italy’s involvement in Libya before reading this novel. The details about life in Mussolini’s Italy and the colonisation of the Libyan oasis are both fascinating and disturbing. I loved the development of the friendship between Liliana and Farida, and the way that, as she encourages Farida to become more Italian, Liliana comes to know and respect the Bedouin way of life. Some of the plot points were a little predictable, Ugo is perhaps too much of an arch villain, and the time shifting narrative style was sometimes annoying, but I enjoyed the overall package. I will definitely be reading Early One Morning soon.

[Julia Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group, and the author Virginia Baily.
I am a big fan of historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this novel. I had a little to no knowledge of Italy's occupation of Libya, and was fascinated to learn some of its colonial history.
An incredibly absorbing story, with vivid characters and scenes, most notably in the relationship between Liliana and Farida. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in this genre.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story and was fascinated by the details of life in Italian colonial Libya.
However, I found it hard to engage initially, which was down to the structure: each chapter flips between not only different timelines, but different character viewpoints, and this made it hard for me to find a point of engagement.
Once I was in though, the story unfolded to a satisfying conclusion. There were some themes hinted at towards the end which could have been made more of earlier on, to be effective.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase The Fourth Shore here for just $10!

In the late 1920s, 17-year-old Liliana arrives in Tripoli ready to join her brother and his wife. Drawing together Mussolini, fascism and deception, Liliana's life becomes less of the idyll she had imagined and something far far different. Well written and full of historical interest, Baily manages to educate and entertain in this stunning novel.

Elisa - The Book Grocer

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found The Fourth Shore to be an interesting look into the rise of fascism and corruption and is stunningly written. I was most intrigued by the relationships between the characters, particularly Liliana, Stefano and Farida. The book doesn’t shy away from the ugly truths and harsh realities that these people faced which I commend it for. Some parts were a little lost on me, but that’s just a failure on my end I’m sure. All in all it was a very well written story and I’m glad I took the time to give it a go.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story as it's well researched and well written.
I appreciated the vivid descriptions and the well researched historical background.
The characters are well thought and not stereotyped, I liked the character development and I think they're fleshed out.
The plot was well crafted, a bit predictable at times, but engrossing and entertaining.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, read it in two days - brilliant and heart wrenching tale of family, heartbreak, war, colonialism, family, power and female friendship. Had me in tears at one point, and totally transported me to post war Northern Libya - a place I now feel like I have visited.

Thoroughly recommend.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learnt a ot of history in this book in a very interesting way. I had no idea of Italy's involvement in North Africa in WW2. My book group a enjoyed this story of love and betrayal, of a clash of cultures, of power. We love Lilliana and her fight for survival and thought the ending was just right.

[Merryn Allingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Virginia Baily before, but this book was passed to me by my daughter. It proved a wonderful read, taking me to a period and setting - Mussolini's Italy and the Italian colonisation of Libya - that I knew almost nothing about. It was beautifully written too, and despite the sorrows and heartaches of the elderly heroine's life, it ended on a joyous note.

[Aouus Shrara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i saw it last summer in the summer expo in Tripoli. I like it and i fall on it’s story. I saw by the novel old tripoli and old libya old barqa. It was a great trip. I hated Liliana at the begging then i saw how she was kind. By the end of it i love my culture more and more. Now when I’m walking around the old city i remember how it was and how we should respect our culture.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sparked my interest because as the author states, little is said about Italy's colonization of Libya or really connections between the two countries. My maternal grandfather fought in North Africa and since he died at a young age in the 1930's all we had was a photo of him in uniform and no story.

[Zoë Hood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really ambitious novel about Italy, its history and its colonial past - but it's also set in Libya and the UK, which I also found fascinating. Definitely has the psychological impact of an Elena Ferrante. Really good!

[Abby Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully vivid, compassionate and powerful story about family and friendship in dark times. Set in the 1920-30s and contemporary times, the story centres on a young Italian woman who wrestles with the lure and terrible impacts of fascism on the lives of Italians and the poor Libyans who they were colonising. A gripping story about class, gender, race, faith, politics and love.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the shadow of fascism creeps across Italy, Liliana is too young to imagine the damage it will bring to all she holds dear. After all, what could be wrong with patriotism? Isn’t the Duce right in wanting to recover what has been stolen from her country in the aftermath of the First World War?
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Fascism in the ascendant: The Fourth Shore & In the Full Light of the Sun https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post...

[Pam Posel · Rating 5 out of 5]

No 1 Ladies

I found this an interesting book with history of the Italians in Libya as a background. It is a well written and easy to read story. It wasn’t what I expected and gave me more than just a love story.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much liked this story and was compelled to search for information about the Italian invasion of Libya. Although the ending seemed obvious I was compelled to finish the book to ensure my guess had been correct.