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The Seamstress of Sardinia

By: Bianca Pitzorno
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
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Publisher's summary

A bestselling Italian writer makes her American debut with this delightful dramedy of manners, family, romance, and fashion that is set on the island of Sardinia at the end of the nineteenth century—a dazzling and original literary blend of Jane Austen and Adriana Trigiani.

In 1900 Sardinia, a young woman’s remarkable talent with a needle earns her a position as a seamstress with a wealthy family. Inside this privileged world far different from her own humble beginnings, the skilled sewer quietly takes measurements, sketches designs, mends hems—and in the silence, hears whispered secrets and stories of all those around her.

Through the watchful young seamstress’s eyes, this small Italian city and its residents emerge in all their vitality, vanity, and fragility—flawed yet congenial people who are not quite what they pretend to be. There is the Marchesa Esther, who rides horses and studies mechanics and ancient Greek; Miss Lily Rose, a spirited American journalist who commissions a special corset—with pockets to hide more than just her flaws; the Provera sisters with their expensive Parisian fashions that belie their financial hardships; and Assuntina, the wild child. There are men, young, old, and in between; love affairs and broken hearts; and even a murder (or was it suicide?). And at the center, watching and waiting is the seamstress herself, an intelligent, ambitious girl with a tender heart and her own impossible dream.

An irresistible literary confection rich in atmosphere and period detail and packed with compelling characters. The Seamstress of Sardinia transports us to a long-ago world not so removed from our own—to a society rigidly divided by wealth and shaped by passion, hope, ambition, and love—the elemental forces that drive human lives.

©2022 Bianca Pitzorno (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about The Seamstress of Sardinia

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  • Overall
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I very, very good audiobook!

A very compelling story of the story of a young girl growing into womanhood in the poor parts of Italy. The story captured not only my heart, but also my mind.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay

Okay read. Not riveting. Read because of book club. I don’t really recommend it. Meh imo.

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18 people found this helpful

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Very Good Story

I really enjoyed this story very much. I haven’t read many novels written originally in another language and translated into English. I was a little worried when I purchased it, but it was beautifully written, translated and performed. My two grandmothers were wonderful seamstresses even cutting out their patterns from newspapers. I really appreciated the sewing descriptions. I have visited Italy, but not Sardinia. The gap between the social classes at the time period of the story was very interesting and I learned a lot. I’m encouraged to read other stories by international authors.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I just finished listening to this story and it was so lovely! I got a taste of what is was like to be a poor woman on her own in late 19th Century Italy. The writing was so vivid and real and the reader was excellent!! I'm an avid sci-fi reader but I need a palette cleanser from time to time. Something grounded in reality: a good drama. This was it! A humble woman's life and world view was vividly imagined in this book!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Unusual and surprising.

The surprising story of a gentle girl in Sardinia grips the reader in its simplicity. The characters come to life and one finds oneself rooting for each one’s happiness.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great listen!

This was a great book to listen to. I randomly chose it and was very pleased.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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A Carefully Stitched Story

So many life lessons imparted by this engrossing book. Beautifully read. Interesting characters whose actions and beliefs reflect the era and setting. Self respect, taking responsibility for one’s actions, combating prejudice and class differences,all are recurring themes. Sensitively translated from the Italian.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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an easy listen, perfect for a sewist

This was an enjoyable listen for me while working on a sewing project. The narrator had a beautiful Italian accent that was a pleasure to listen to and I wished she had used it more in the dialogue. The characters were moderately interesting but I would've liked more local description other than the politics of the time. Even so, as a quilter it was fun to listen to the sewing details in the story while I worked. I recommended it to my elderly mother who doesn't care for adult content in her audiobooks.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Thank goodness for the Epilogue!

This was a tough book for me to enjoy, as I found the protagonist to be an irritatingly clueless character who could barely get out of her own way. While her depicted reactions to the grinding ugliness, hatred, abuse and hopelessness of the caste/class systems of her place & times might have been understandable, being privy to the constant second guessing and self-effacing mind games she played with herself was just tiresome.

I found the many chapters of The Seamstress of Sardinia only somewhat redeemed by the epilogue.

I can’t imagine ever caring to reread or to recommend this book.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad, not worth the credit though

Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. It was simply alright, but it’s not good enough to recommend.

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