Angel of Alta Langa: A Novel of Love & War
Alba, Italy, 1918. The Great War ends and pandemic rages in Piemonte. Fascism takes root in the ruins. Cornelia Bottero has lost her husband on the battlefield and her only child to influenza. Despite the risks, the wealthy widow charts her course to meet the moment and defy a regime that values women only as mothers of future soldiers.
Within Cornelia's circle are Sara, a spirited Barbaresco farm girl, and Doretta, the strong-willed daughter of a prominent Jewish banking family in Turin. Though from different worlds, they are both true Piemontese, united by courage, resolve, and a gift for friendship. As Fascist Italy descends into the hellish abyss of Hitler's Reich and his war against the Jews, Sara and Doretta see what adults do not see-cannot bear to see.
Cornelia senses their potential in the Resistance: Sara as a battlefield nurse, Doretta as a partisan. After Italy's surrender in 1943, the Nazis tighten their grip on Piemonte. The death count climbs as their liberation hangs in the balance.
Barbaresco, Piemonte, January 1946. The first post-war year dawns. Who has survived the madness to live on in a free, united Italy?
Angel of Alta Langa is a fast-paced, spellbinding saga of heartwarming emotion, unimaginable evil, gut-wrenching suspense, and abiding love inspired by real events. From the vineyards of Barbaresco and the forests of Alta Langa, to the putrid cells of a prison in Turin, experience the horror-and the humanity-of Piemonte's darkest years of the twentieth century.
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"With her sensibility and passion, Suzanne has slowly come ever closer to our culture and has absorbed its intimate values."
-Maurizio Rosso, author, historian, and proprietor of Cantina Gigi Rosso (Barolo)
"Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte is one of the most
important existing documents related to our area of Langa."
-Alberto di Grésy, Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy (Barbaresco)
"Angel of Alta Langa" is a spectacular, sophisticated and gripping book. Your deft and sophisticated detail, the development of complex characters, and the poignant history lessons all made for a riveting read.
--Bruce Kiely
"As someone who travels regularly to this part of Italy, it was fascinating to see the layers of its current prosperity pulled back and to see its long, tortured history brought intro view. It's a rip-roaring story too! A must-read filed with true-to-life characters in a setting that brings to life one of Europe's most dynamic periods. Read it!"
--John Rittmaster, owner, Prima Vini
"An emotional roller-coaster of a book which I couldn't put down! I virtually 'lived' the WW2 partisan life in the Italian Langhe vineyards with these wonderful characters and experienced all their joys, horrors and heartbreaks. A powerful and important story based on truth and beautifully written from the heart. It now lies in mine!"
--Faustina Gibley, Amazon Reviewer
"Wine family expert Suzanne Hoffman sets sweet and spicy interlaced love stories in the Fascist era and the Nazi occupation in Italy. The exact location is Piemonte, world renowned for its wines. There are heroes here, and we journey with them through perilous times. Hold on tight and take the trip to this utterly convincing world, long ago and far away."
--Shelby Key
