The Letter Carrier
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The Letter Carrier
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See moreIn a novel that is a bestselling phenomenon in Italy, a newcomer to a small town brings with her a gust of modernity, stirring up the passions and secrets of a community on the cusp of change.
What would happen if you finally met your soul mate - but they were married to someone else?
THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
'Ambition, forbidden love and great longing... A magnificent storyteller' Adriana Trigiani
Salento, Italy, June 1934. A coach stops in the main square of Lizzanello, a tight-knit village where everyone knows each other. A couple gets off: The man, Carlo, a child of the South, is happy to be back home after a long time away; the woman, Anna his wife, is a stranger from the North. Carlo's brother is there to meet them, and he and everyone else can't help but notice that Anna is as beautiful as a Greek statue. But Anna is not like the other wives. She doesn't gossip or attend church. She reads books no one else has ever heard of. She even wears pants, just like a man, and thinks a woman should have rights just like a man. There aren't many options for a woman with Anna's sensibilities, so when she learns that the post office is hiring, she leaps at the opportunity.
A female letter carrier? It is unthinkable. But Anna soon becomes the invisible thread connecting the town as she delivers letters between clandestine lovers, families waiting to hear news of loved ones away at war, even helping those who can't read. But for some in Lizzanello, letters come too little and too late. The seamstress, who was Carlo's first love, can't help but look at Anna as having taken her rightful place. Carlo's niece has put herself in a loveless marriage after an impetuous act of jealousy. And Carlo and his brother find themselves trying to cover up a recently unearthed surprise that could shatter all of their lives.
'Transportive, poignant, lush... Giannone brings the sun-soaked vineyards of southern Italy to life. At the beating heart of it all is Anna, the rule-breaking, big-hearted letter carrier' Juliet Grames
'Weaving herself into the fabric of a southern Italian village during WWII, Anna challenges the status quo as the first female letter carrier in town' Barnes & Noble
'[A] five-star read . . . If you love a family saga, sprinkled with historical fiction elements, and strong female protagonists, you need to read this book' theSkimm
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781035435814
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 June 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Headline Review
Contributors:
- Translated by Elettra Pauletto
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 32.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 194.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 416
About the Author
Francesca Giannone graduated in communication science and studied at the CSC in Rome, the oldest European film school. She has published various short stories in literary magazines, both in print and online. She currently lives in Milan, but her heart is still in her native Lizzanello, a seaside town in the Salento region. She hopes to live there again one day. The Letter Carrier is her debut novel.
Also by Francesca Giannone
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