Sample

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Cursed Friend  By  cover art

The Cursed Friend

By: Beatrice Salvioni, Elena Pala - translator
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.77

Buy for $21.77

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Publisher's summary

An unbreakable, life-changing friendship will lead two young girls from different worlds to rebel against the sexism, prejudice and injustice they face living in 1930s Italy in this moving novel that echoes the spirit Elena Ferrante's beloved works.

'Richly imagined' OBSERVER

'A widescreen, sensory, visual story' THE TIMES

It is 1936 in the small Italian city of Monza. On the pebbled bank of the Lambro, two frantic girls scramble to hide a body.

A year earlier, Maddalena attracts stares everywhere she goes. ‘The Cursed One’, they whisper, as tales of the harm she’s inflicted upon those that have crossed her ignite fear and scorn amongst the townspeople.

Francesca is not scared like the others. Respectable, well-behaved and yearning for a life beyond provincial conformity, she is drawn to Maddalena’s rebellious spirit. When, one day, she finds herself telling a lie to save her, this split-second decision irrevocably binds the girls together.

From this moment on they will go to any length to protect one another, even if that leads to a terrible violence…

Translated from the Italian by Elena Pala

©2024 Beatrice Salvioni (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'This debut grips your soul and never lets go’ Le Point

‘A little gem that proves that Italian women's literature is undergoing a revolution’ Vogue Spain

‘Reading The Cursed Friend, one immediately understands the reasons for the rapturous reception. The intensity of the writing, the tight, believable dialogue … the visceral and powerful friendship between two different but connected young girls. Brings to mind Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant FriendLa Repubblica

‘Bloody, unapologetic, and wild I loved it!’ Naomi Krupitsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Family

‘From its opening pages, The Cursed Friend grabs the reader’s attention and doesn’t let go. Beatrice Salvioni has written a magnetic coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1930’s Italy and the threat of fascism. The center of the novel lies in the complicated and yet essential friendship between two girls, Maddalena and Francesca, and their journey toward understanding the boundaries of right and wrong’ Laura Spence-Ash, bestselling author of Beyond That, the Sea

‘In her gripping novel set in fascist Italy, and in the tradition of Elsa Morante and Natalia Ginzburg, Beatrice Salvioni gives powerful voice to the female experience in Italy’ Jenny McPhee, author of The Center of Things

What listeners say about The Cursed Friend

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.