Yvonne Cardogna's Books

The Island of the Elyms

By: Yvonne Cardogna

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The novel The Island of the Elyms is set in a village of Sicily. It touches four generations of a well-to-do family and relates the tragic and humorous occurrences in the life of each member of that family. The story is narrated by a young girl, Marianna, whose romantic ideals and openness are often in conflict with the secretive and reserved nature of her family. Marianna loves the more salubrious and rustic lifestyle of the land-workers as opposed to the refined and sophisticated lifestyle of her aristocratic family. She feels the former to be an honest way of life and the latter a pretentious and artificial one. Marianna, with the exuberance of youth, would like to see a radical change in the way her family deals with certain issues. She herself represents a slowly changing society. However, the people whose beliefs have been forged and impressed into their very soul by generations of tumultuous historical events, are resistant to change. Eventually, Marianna learns to appreciate the island's cultural richness and its paradox. A sense of history and mythology, superstition and religion, in fact, often exist alongside one another and are portrayed in the novel. The novel touches also on both the First and Second World Wars because two members of Marianna's family, her grandfather and father, fought in each war respectively. It depicts every human emotion by means of adopting humor and tragedy throughout. One might say that in the novel The Island of the Elyms there is a book within the book as the lives of Marianna's great grandparents and grandparents emerge. The former being read by Nonna from her mother's memoirs and the latter narrated by Nonna herself. When finally Marianna is comfortable with who she is - different from the rest of her family, she is torn away from her birthplace for the great unknown which happens to be Australia. The story ends with the uprooting of the girl by the family, who, inturn, has to forfeit and abandon every dream, and thus becoming the innocent victim of the tragedy of emigration.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

400

Publisher

Trafford Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1412202043

ISBN 13

9781412202046

The Point of No Return

By: Yvonne Cardogna

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Point of No Return

By: Yvonne Cardogna

The journey was difficult, but gradually love, which conquers all, made life peaceful and joyful. After a struggle for survival, through storms and heat, the little tree’s life was indeed precarious. But one day, when it was least expected, a little green leaf grew and then a little flower, until the whole tree was alive and growing. One day, when spring came, the tree bore fruit. The trip from Sicily to Australia had begun. Marianna didn’t want to leave her birthplace, and she was furious with her parents for putting her in that position. She was leaving everything she behind and was angry and sad for the whole long and tedious boat trip. She wasn’t sure what to expect. As they left Sicily, the sea was calm and tranquil, but the ocean was fearful and enormous. Eventually, the family arrived in their new home, Australia. There Marianna began very different life full of new knowledge and adjustment. She went to school and met her future husband, a loving and wonderful person and started a family. That was the point that brought joy into her life and the feeling that a positive future in Australia was on the horizon.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

229

Publisher

Trafford Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1698716370

ISBN 13

9781698716374

The Island of the Elyms

By: Yvonne Cardogna

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Island of the Elyms

By: Yvonne Cardogna

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

400

Publisher

Trafford Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1466937106

ISBN 13

9781466937109

Book's by Yvonne Cardogna

The Island of the Elyms

The Island of the Elyms

The Point of No Return

The Point of No Return

The Island of the Elyms

The Island of the Elyms

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email