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Teri Maggio

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The Stone Boudoir: Travels Through the Hidden Villages of Sicily Kindle Edition

by Theresa Maggio (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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In this sparkling book, Theresa Maggio takes us on a journey in search of Sicily's most remote and least explored mountain towns. Using her grandparents' ancestral village of Santa Margherita Belice as her base camp, she pores over old maps to plot her adventure, selecting as her targets the smallest dots with the most appealing names. Her travels take her to the small towns surrounding Mt. Etna, the volcanic islands of the Aeolian Sea, and the charming villages nestled in the Madonie Mountains.Whether she's writing about the unique pleasures of Sicilian street food, the damage wrought by molten lava, the ancient traditions of Sicilian bagpipers, or the religious processions that consume entire villages for days on end, Maggio succeeds in transporting readers to a wholly unfamiliar world, where almonds grow like weeds and the water tastes of stone. In the stark but evocative prose that is her hallmark, Maggio enters the hearts and heads of Sicilians, unlocking the secrets of a tantalizingly complex culture.Although she makes frequent forays to villages near and far, she always returns to Santa Margherita, where she researches her family tree in the municipio, goes on adventures with her cousin Nella, and traces the town's past in history and literature. A beautifully wrought meditation on time and place, The Stone Boudoir will be treasured by all who love fine travel writing.

Print length

263 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Counterpoint
Publication date

April 1, 2003
File size

1138 KB
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Enabled
Word Wise

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Enhanced typesetting

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Maggio opens her tale with a memory of sitting under her grandparents' grape arbor in Carldstadt, New Jersey, wondering if their memories of Sicily were hard-wired into her consciousness. These essays, written over many visits, illuminate tiny Sicilian towns with glorious names: Polizzi Generosa (Martin Scorsese's father was born there); Catania, where men celebrate the feast of Sant'Agata, who was martyred by having her breasts cut off; Sperlinga, where generations have lived in apartments cut in caves that Maggio compares to hobbit-holes. Maggio writes pristine prose unsullied by prettiness or sentimentality. She finds a number of women unencumbered by marriage--like the twin pharmacists, Antonietta and Rosaria--who accompany her, stay with her, or simply allow her to view their lives. She writes of the clothed, dessicated corpses in a crypt in Palermo; of watching Etna's lava flow engulf a flowering pear tree in Zafferana Etnea; and of Santa Margherita, her grandparents' town, destroyed in an earthquake in 1968. She adores Sicily, taking as her metaphor the living stone from which the island takes its building material, the taste of its water, the color of its contours. With Mary Taylor Simeti's On Persephone's Island (1994), this memoir offers an austerely voluptuous pleasure for anyone seeking the heart of Sicily. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A compelling meditation on Sicilian culture." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Curious, lighthearted, and enthusiastic..." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Maggio's tales of Sicily's hidden villages reveal her own deep love and gentle understanding of her ancestors' homeland." -- Boston Globe, 6/16/02

[The Stone Boudoir] is an engaging overview of Sicilian culture...The prose is delightful." -- Washington Times, 7/1/02

Maggio has a wealth of knowledge to share, which she does in a lively, eminently readable style." -- Santa Fe Reporter, 6/12/02

"A luminous portrait of a time and a place, interspersed with a wonderful cast of characters." -- Chicago Tribune

"Maggio is a compelling writer who can render even the simplest moments into sheer poetry...The Stone Boudoir is delightful." -- Los Angeles Times, 4/18/02

"Maggio's writing is clear and straight-forward...the telling is rooted in poetry and human emotion." -- Bloomsbury Review, September/October 2002

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0061S3UAW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Counterpoint; export ed edition (April 1, 2003)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2003
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1138 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0738208000

Best Sellers Rank: #942,802 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #43 in Sicily Travel
- #326 in History of Italy
- #1,390 in Travel Writing

Customer Reviews:
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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

137 global ratings

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marina richards

I loved this book

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2015

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I am a sucker for arm chair travel books living vicariously through the journeys of others. I loved this book, it was well written and explored a lesser known part of sicily, one distinct from the usual tourist towns which is what made it such a delight. A good travel book makes one yearn to follow in the footsteps of the author who has brought each tiny village and each character within the village to such vivid life.
I agree with one of the other reviewers that it would have been helpful to have a map in the book to guide one as I kept resorting to Google maps to determine where in sicily we were just to get a sense of place.
Other than that we'll worth a read.

4 people found this helpful

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Cynthia Sally Haggard

A perfect title for a book on Sicily

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2011

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THE STONE BOUDOIR is a wonderful title for a book about Sicily, because Sicily is mountainous, and stony. And the people not only live in stone buildings redolent of history, or even caves, they have a quality of stony silence about matters which it is best to be silent.

In this book, Theresa Maggio, who is of Sicilian descent, takes us to her favorite hill towns. They have names such as Polizzi Generosa, Borgo Catena, Geraci Siculo. The highlight of the book was her description of the Feast of Sant'Agata in Catania. Every year on February 4 and 5, in honor of her martyrdom, the men of Catania pull her relics through the streets, which includes a jewel-encrusted crown given to her by Richard the Lionheart, an enormous effigy, and several 15-foot towers to light the way.

I read this book because I wanted to try and understand Sicily. And I was not disappointed. Maggio has a sharp eye for the telling detail, and a lyric prose style that immerses you in the fabric of life there. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I objected to some personal complaints that found their way into this book. Which was a pity.

One person found this helpful

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KasiaCL

Captivating

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019

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I was spellbound by this book. While I consider myself a weathered traveller in Sicily, it made me realise how much I don’t know. The book is almost poetic and yet Maggio manages to give an honest portrayal, writing also about the sad or even frightening elements of Sicily’s reality. I will definitely follow up with Mattanza.

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jo cicale

This book more than prepared me for a visit to Sicily

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014

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I absolutely loved this book. I am of Sicilian ancestry and I found Maggio capturing the mountain villages and the people so poignant. There was a lot familiar to me in the superstitions, the culture and traditions and even the expressions. I just visited Sicily but another region from which Maggio writes. None-the-less, the Stone Boudoir had helped to make this trip extra special. I highly recommend this book for all readers, not just Sicilians or potential tourists. It's a beautifully written cultural and historical golden egg. Enjoy!

2 people found this helpful

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V. van Laar

What a great read!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2019

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What an interesting book and so well written.
The author weaves a wonderful story of Sicily and my grandparents also came from Sicily, so her story interested me so much. If you have any interest in Italy, history or meeting interesting people, this is the book for you. Enjoy her powerful story.

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Tina Thomas

A Sicily I Never Knew

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2019

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I enjoyed learning about the customs and the food. Sometimes I got confused with the timeline and who was who but the stories were interesting.

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2015

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I like everything about this book except the title. It's heartwarming without being sappy, and true…. so true.
I am of Sicilian descent and have just returned from a 2 week trip to Italy, 2/3 of which was in Sicily.
There are people in the USA who still live and think in ways that the author so beautifully describes.
We were all over Palermo, Mondello and the south of Agrigento. All true, so true.
If you have no interest in Sicily, this is not for you. But, if you do, this book will make your experience even better.

5 people found this helpful

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Donna Caterina

BEST LOOK INTO SICILIAN CULTURE

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2012

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This is the fifth copy I've purchased of this book. I've read many travel memoirs about Italy but none compares to this one. Theresa Maggio was not a casual tourist. She actually immersed herself into the culture, learned the language, and lived within the stone walls she describes so vividly. Theresa embraces the lives of the people she introduces the reader to and takes you inside of their homes and gives you a peek of their daily rhythm of life. My grandparents were also born in the mountains of Sicily. In 2004 I moved back to their homeland and had similar experiences. My memoir of these experiences will be published in the Spring of 2013 on Amazon - My Roots Are Showing.

2 people found this helpful

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Emilia W.

The charm of Sicily

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2013

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I enjoyed this book very much.
Theresa Maggio has a beautiful writing style and a great sense of humour.
I started reading the book and I just couldn't put it down.
Her experiences in Sicily and the anecdotes she presents remind me so much of Italy in general, not only of Sicily.
I recommend this book to all those who love Italy.

ERIN

HIDDEN SICILY

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2016

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This is an interesting book and essential reading for anyone who is considering travelling around Sicily. Good descriptions and interesting historical references.

Byronic

Medieval-like life in Sicilly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2017

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A fabulous book which tells of a land and heritage fast disappearing. Read this and you will be booking your flight to Sicilly.

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