Murder In Matera: A True Story of Passion, Family, and Forgiveness in Southern Italy
3.5/5
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About this ebook
“A murder mystery, a model of investigative reporting, a celebration of the fierce bonds that hold families together through tragedies…Murder in Matera is a gem.” — San Francisco Chronicle
"Tantalizing" — NPR
“A thrilling detective story… Stapinski pursues the study of her family’s criminal genealogy with unexpected emotional results.” — Library Journal
A writer goes deep into the heart of Italy to unravel a century-old family mystery in this spellbinding memoir that blends the suspenseful twists of Making a Murderer and the emotional insight of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels.
Since childhood, Helene Stapinski heard lurid tales about her great-great-grandmother, Vita. In Southern Italy, she was a loose woman who had murdered someone. Immigrating to America with three children, she lost one along the way. Helene’s youthful obsession with Vita deepened as she grew up, eventually propelling the journalist to Italy, where, with her own children in tow, she pursued the story, determined to set the record straight.
Finding answers would take Helene ten years and numerous trips to Basilicata, the rural "instep" of Italy’s boot—a mountainous land rife with criminals, superstitions, old-world customs, and desperate poverty. Though false leads sent her down blind alleys, Helene’s dogged search, aided by a few lucky—even miraculous—breaks and a group of colorful local characters, led her to the truth.
Yes, the family tales she’d heard were true: There had been a murder in Helene’s family, a killing that roiled 1870s Italy. But the identities of the killer and victim weren’t who she thought they were. In revisiting events that happened more than a century before, Helene came to another stunning realization—she wasn’t who she thought she was, either.
Weaving Helene’s own story of discovery with the tragic tale of Vita’s life, Murder in Matera is a literary whodunit and a moving tale of self-discovery that brings into focus a long ago tragedy in a little-known region remarkable for its stunning sunny beauty and dark buried secrets.
Helene Stapinski
Helene Stapinski is the nationally bestselling author of three memoirs: Five-Finger Discount, Murder in Matera, and Baby Plays Around. She writes regularly for The New York Times; her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, New York magazine, Travel & Leisure, and dozens of other publications. She teaches at New York University and lives in Brooklyn.
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Reviews for Murder In Matera
19 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thank you so much for choosing me as a winner in the giveaway !
I absolutely loved this book, and loved it even more because it was not written by a historian. We could not manage without historians but sometimes their books are as dry as toast. Reading this book was like sitting on a sofa with your bestie listening to exciting and fascinating stories and mysteries.
I am afraid I had to knock off a star because I hate it when authors make true stories sound like novels. If you don't know something for a fact or have a photo, letter or diary, I don't like when they add all their own dialogue or make references to 'her thin hands', ' thin knotty hair ', etc. I like history that is light and easy to read as this one was, but could do without all the assumption and writing paragraphs based on how you think the person thought, spoke, wrote or acted without any proof.
That is my own pet peeve - others may or may not agree with me.
Other than that this book was a gem and I highly recommend it especially for those with an interest in the horrors experienced by many immigrants.