{"product_id":"forbidden-notebook-a-novel","title":"Forbidden Notebook: A Novel","description":"A New York Times Notable Book of the Year\n\n“Powerful.” —The New Yorker\n“Brilliant.” —The Wall Street Journal\n\"Astounding.\" —NPR\n“Forceful, clear and morally engaged.” —The Washington Post\n“Subversive.” —The New York Times Book Review\n\"An exquisite, tormented howl.\" —The Financial Times\n\"Quick, propulsive, and addictive.\" —Los Angeles Review of Books\n“Gripping.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune\n“A remarkable story.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)\n“Wrenching, sardonic.” —Kirkus (starred review)\n“As relevant today as it was in postwar Italy.\" —Shelf Awareness (starred review)\n\nWith a foreword by Jhumpa Lahiri, Forbidden Notebook is a classic domestic novel by the Italian-Cuban feminist writer Alba de Céspedes, whose work inspired contemporary writers like Elena Ferrante.\n\nIn this modern translation by acclaimed Elena Ferrante translator Ann Goldstein, Forbidden Notebook centers the inner life of a dissatisfied housewife living in postwar Rome.\n\nValeria Cossati never suspected how unhappy she had become with the shabby gentility of her bourgeois life—until she begins to jot down her thoughts and feelings in a little black book she keeps hidden in a closet. This new secret activity leads her to scrutinize herself and her life more closely, and she soon realizes that her individuality is being stifled by her devotion and sense of duty toward her husband, daughter, and son. As the conflicts between parents and children, husband and wife, and friends and lovers intensify, what goes on behind the Cossatis’ facade of middle-class respectability gradually comes to light, tearing the family’s fragile fabric apart.\n\nAn exquisitely crafted portrayal of domestic life, Forbidden Notebook recognizes the universality of human aspirations.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 1662601395\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.1662601395.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:de Céspedes, Alba|Goldstein, Ann|Lahiri, Jhumpa\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43713752432701,"sku":"BVV.1662601395.G","price":10.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/1662601395-0.jpg?v=1790284967","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/forbidden-notebook-a-novel","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}