The Train to Orvieto [Paperback]

TheTrain to Orvieto, set in Orvieto, Florence, and Milan, Italy, and in the heartland of America, is an intimate story of love, loss, betrayal, and reconciliation that unfolds against an historical background of war and dramatic social change. It is a story enacted by fascinating three-dimensional characters and told by one of them, Fina, a history teacher who warns the reader, The truth never mattered. It is a story depicting the clash of oppositesthe desire for union with another and the need for solitude; loyalty and betrayal; change and tradition; the fatalism of rural Italy and the sense of familial and social duty, as against one's obligations to oneselfand it explores the classic theme of how the consequences of decisions made in youth carry through the remainder of one's life.The Train to Orvietoinvites us to consider how much we re able to understand the truths of our own lives and what it costs to accept them.

The novel consists of the three parts. The first part concerns Willa, her adventurous mother; the second Losine, Willas elegant lover; and the third, Fina herself. Together, they compose a cross-cultural family saga of the marriage of Willa, a passionate artist from Ohio, and Gabriel, her possessive husband; and of Fina, a daughter who stands at the center of questions about who we are, what we can know of one another, and whether we can forgive.

Part I begins in 1935. Finas mother, Willa Carver, is determined to leave stifling Erhart, Ohio to become an artist in Italy. Her parents are opposed until her impecunious drawing teacher asks for Willas hand. Willa is quickly sent to Italy chaperoned by the well-connected Sra. Farnese. The two women meet Gabriele Marcheschi, a soldier from Orvieto, on the train. He eagerly courts Willa and sets their marriage date without asking her. After their wedding, Orvietos provincial culture presents daunting obstacles to Willa and her artistic ambitions.

Part II begins in 1l£Ý