The Almond Picker: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Alastair McEwen (Translator) "Dr. Mendico suddenly felt exhausted, his legs stiff and his arms tingling..." (more)
Key Phrases: almond pickers, honoured society, mafia boss, Father Arena, Pietro Fatta, Massimo Leone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It is 1963, and in the Sicilian town of Roccacolomba, the servant of a prominent family has just died. She is nicknamed Mennulara—Italian for "almond picker"—and her elusive past fuels this debut novel, a bestseller in Italy. Mennulara served in the Alfallipe household and took over the handling of the family's estates, restoring their dwindling fortunes. What should by rights have earned her the family's respect instead made her feared and despised. The novel's plot is both convoluted and curiously flat. After Mennulara dies, the three grown Alfallipe children—all wealthy and selfish, of course—balk at executing her eccentric will precisely, their bad behavior relayed via gossip and flashbacks by a hodgepodge of stock characters (the empathetic spinster; the self-serving Communist; the magnanimous doctor). Events involving the town's Mafia boss pressure the Alfallipes to do as Mennulara requested, and eventually her mysterious legacy is revealed. This is, at bottom, a novel about inheritance law, and for all the quaintness of its particulars—the Italian hillside, siesta culture, tyrannical husbands—it is dull, its dialogues doubling as plot summary, its prose resembling the mundane detail of a legal deposition. The book's combination of family wrangling and hot climate melodrama places it in the tradition of Isabel Allende's sagas and Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, but it lacks their sensuality and narrative power.
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From Booklist

A family saga, Sicilian style. The tale opens with the death of the woman Mennulara, whose name in Sicilian dialect means the almond picker. And so she was in her youth, trying to support an impoverished and sickly family. Before her death, Mennu, who had been in service to the matriarch of the Alfallipe family since she was 13, leaves cryptic instructions for the squabbling and disagreeable family. Hornby tells her story by spiraling back through Mennu's hard life. In the process, she emerges as a kind of secular saint, not only caring for her own family and the Alfallipes but also learning to read, overseeing the household accounts, managing investments, studying local archaeology and music, and even having secret ties to the Mafia and to the family. This is at heart a potboiler, but McEwan's rich translation preserves its dark and bitter Italian flavor. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (March 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374182345
• ISBN-13: 978-0374182342
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #724,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ALMOND PICKER - GOSSIP, INTRIGUE AND CORRUPTION. SIMPLY WONDERFUL., July 11, 2005

By	Andrea Bowhill (England) - See all my reviews

Maria Rosalia Inzerillo, also known a La Mennulara (the woman who gathers almonds) lived in a small Sicilian town called Roccacolomba; her death came very suddenly although many knew she had been ill for some time.

Rumours and gossip begin to spread like wild fly through the streets of Roccacolomba and everybody it seemed had there own story to tell. Who really was this woman? Her humble beginning of nothing more than a peasant farmer's daughter and as a young girl forced to become a maid for the wealthy Alfallipe family, only to end up manager of the Alfallipe estate. How is this possible? How did this happen? How rich was Mennulara and where has all the money disappeared too? Could it simply be Mennulara squander the Alfallipes fortune? Everybody knew she was hard working and everyone had a reason to hate her.

These Unanswered questions send the remaining Alfallipe family scurrying after the rumours; quite whispers in corners become uncontrollable. Who were Mennulara enemies? Who would pay their respects at her funeral and what was the local mafia chief doing there? Only time will tell.

This is a beautiful woven tale full of gossip, intrigue and corruption. Each chapter gives you the hint that not all is what it seems only wanting you to read on. Rumours unfold and you begin to get the feeling that even in death Mennulara had a plan. This book holds you in it's grip and slowly it begins to answer all your questions. I thought this was wonderfully put together, you really get the feel of a small Sicilian town where you can imagine how talk and gossip flows through it.

The Author Simonetta Agnello Hornby Pondered on an idea of writing this novel while delayed on a British Airways flight from Palermo-London. Inspiration brought on in the strangest of places. I can only hope Simonetta is currently writing her second novel without the delay. Congratulations on such an intriguing first novel.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem, August 8, 2005

By	MER (Pittsburgh PA) - See all my reviews

I loved this book - the characters were well-drawn and multi-dimensional, and I got a real feeling for the setting: a small town in Sicily. The author tells the tale beautifully, in an unfamilar style: sure, I had to pay attention, but as I did, I was rewarded as the story was revealed. The ending wrapped up in a totally satisfactory way, and I finished the book feeling that I had read something truly marvelous and well-crafted.

Don't miss this one! It's a true, hidden gem, and I would definately look for more work from this author.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, thoughtful and a little mystery too!, August 2, 2006

By	Margaret Arvidson "pegkd" (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Almond Picker: A Novel (Paperback)

Would I have picked out this book on my own? Despite its pretty cover I probably wouldn't have. But it was the current selection for the book club I'm joining so I dove in.

To me, the first few chapters were a bit dry -- somehow reminding me of Jane Austen -- lots of characters and background stuff. But somewhere around the the third chapter or so, I was involved. I was living in this little Sicilian town and observing the nuances and mannerisms and relationships involved.

The story was delightful -- at times a "morality" piece and other times just plain good mystery. All in all, it's the first book I read straight through in a few sittings since high school -- when I used to read simply for pleasure. It took precedence over work, TV and even, on one occasion, a dinner out.

If you want to escape to a different time and place and find intriguing people -- pick up this book and dive in. You won't regret it!

Peggie Arvidson-Dailey