Francesco's Song: Love, War and Rememberance: A Novel Based on True Events - Softcover

Furio, C. M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1512091847 ISBN 13: 9781512091847

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015

Synopsis

Set amidst the drama of Fascist Italy, Francesco’s Song is the gripping story of one man’s struggle to survive. Based on family history, C.M. Furio tells the poignant story of young Francesco as he grows up in the small seaside town of Mola di Bari. The saga of birth, love and death in rural southern Italy unfolds as Italy becomes involved in the cataclysm of world events. Francesco’s carefree youth ends when, the oratory of Mussolini and the false sense of patriotism seduces him and he joins the military police of the Italian armed forces, the Carabinieri Reali. Stationed in Yugoslavia and later in Milan, everything he treasures is threatened as he confronts events during the war and witnesses firsthand the destruction of his homeland. Fleeing from the occupying Nazi, Francesco is sheltered by sympathizers of a growing resistance movement. He enters the darkest period of his life. where his only dream is to be reunited with his family and the love of his life, Francesca. Based on letters and war-time documents found in the author’s family home Francesco’s Song is a moving portrayal of the struggles of the Italian people during the war years and the customs that bound them. It is the story of an immigrant who never lost the love for his homeland and who valued family above all else.

About this title

About the Author

C.M. Furio, Colomba M. Furio-Spigner, is a technologist and educator. She holds a doctorate from New York University, where she researched   the cultural background of Italian immigrant women and its impact on the unionization movement in New York City Garment Industry and published several scholarly articles on this topic. She was an IT professional on Wall Street for over ten years where she worked as a Programmer, Systems Analyst and Project Manager before making a transition into teaching.  She was an educator with the New York City Department of Education and CUNY and continues to teach part-time.  An avid photographer and artist, she lives on Long Island with her husband and two sons.

Review

Midwest Review of Books"Impressively well written and deftly drawing from real-life sources, "Francesco's Song" by Colomba M. Furio-Spigner is an exceptionally crafted novel and an absorbing read from beginning to end. Indeed, "Francesco's Song" is one of those works of literary fiction that will linger on in the mind and memory of the reader long after the novel itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Very highly recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections."

Small Press Bookwatch: January 2016"A work of deftly crafted fiction that is inspired by letters and war-time documents that author C. F. Furio found in her family home, "Francesco's Song" is an inherently fascinating read from first page to last and firmly established C. F. Furio as an exceptionally gifted novelist. Highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Francesco's Song" is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.00)."

HSN : Historical Novels Review: May 2016  C. M. Furio's Francesco's Song follows the fortunes of a young man named Francesco whose life mirrors the experiences of many thousands of young Italians in the years leading up to the Second World War.
Francesco is born in a small seaside town in southern Italy and as a young man falls under the spell of insurgent leader and future dictator Benito Mussolini. Francesco joins the army, theCarabinieri Reali and is posted to Yugoslavia and Milan. His wartime experiences roughly acquaint him with the grim realities beneath patriotic slogans that originally fired his imagination.
Furio based the story on elements of her own family history, and this certainly aids the general air of verisimilitude in Francesco's Song.
The characters are well-realized, and the young man's wartime experiences are memorably unsentimental. The end-paper photos and documents further add a touching personal dimension to the story.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1512091847
• ISBN 13: 9781512091847
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 388