Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 384 pages
Audiobook Length: 11 hours and 53 minutes
First Published: 2024
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Rachael’s Review
Sara Marsala feels completely lost after the failure of her business and her marriage. When her beloved great-aunt Rosie dies, Sara is left the deed to a potentially valuable plot of land in Sicily. Traveling to Italy, Sara must solve the mystery of her fierce great-grandmother Serafina who served as a healer for her town before being murdered. Alternating between Sara and Serafina, The Sicilian Inheritance is a multigenerational story of the heroism of everyday women.
When I discovered my Spotify account came with free audiobooks, I decided to try this fun historical fiction. Piazza presents a fascinating time in Sicilian history when the men left for better jobs and the women gained power, which they were loathe to give up. Both timelines of The Sicilian Inheritance were interesting though the modern timeline was over-the-top. Four stars might be a bit generous, but after several lame books, it was a relief to read something that captivated my attention. Plus, Piazza gets bonus points for the gorgeous cover and making me want to visit Sicily.
Publisher’s Description
From bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, comes a transporting novel rooted in the author’s own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect . . .
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.
Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina—a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger.
As Sara discovers more about Serafina, she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother. At once an immersive multigenerational mystery and an ode to the undaunted heroism of everyday women, The Sicilian Inheritance is an atmospheric, page-turning delight.
About Jo Piazza
Jo Piazza is a journalist and podcast host. She is also an author whose works include Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win, How to Be Married, The Sicilian Inheritance, We Are Not Like Them (co-written with Christine Pride), and If Nuns Ruled the World. Piazza currently lives in Philadelphia. Visit the author’s website →
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