REVIEWS
Average Customer Review:
Charming, A reader from USA
This is a very charming and
heartwarming story that takes you back to the times you may have experienced or
heard your ancestors speak of. I loved this book and couldn't put it down.
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Innocent Heart, Laughter and Tears
Book
Description
A Memoir: Innocent
Heart, Laughter and Tears is
a captivating account of the life of Maria Marzia Maiello, her beloved mother,
Vincenza, and her loving brothers.
Born in 1920, she was raised in the
small Italian town of San Nicola La Strada, in the Campania Region, twenty miles
north of Naples. Maria learned early that family was the only true wealth, and
hard work was at the core of life. When she wasn't roaming the flowered meadows
or playing with her playmates, Maria's days were devoted to school, embroidery
classes and helping feed the farm workers. Steeped in local folklore, her
evenings were filled with stories of spirits and werewolves, witches and wayward
saints.
At ten years of age, Maria fled her adored native Italy with her
mother and brothers, to spare the children the rising tide of fascism. They left
their loved ones behind to find freedom in the United States, and to fulfill
Maria's fondest dream of finally meeting her father in America.
Here are
Maria's treasured memories of family, friends and neighbors, and her tales of
the way life once was lived in Southern Italy. They are told in her own words
lovingly recorded and transcribed by her daughter, Antonia. Coupled with
irreplaceable family photographs and a detailed genealogy, they form the
precious legacy of a life dedicated to family, and represent a rare oral history
of Italian town culture.
ISBN: 188289751X
Hardcover: 160 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.83 x 8.85 x 5.82
Price:
19.95
About the
Author
The
child of Italian immigrants, Antonia Sparano Geiser learned to appreciate her
family's traditions and cultural heritage together with their reverence for
education, great food, and great operatic music. A senior account executive
with a mortgage-banking firm, Geiser is a member of the Museum of Italian
Culture and the American Business Women's Association. A native of Kingston,
New York, Antonia Geiser lives on Long Island with her husband and their two
dogs. She is currently at work on her next book, a collection of traditional
Italian recipes
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