Just One More Chapter : Guestpost with Marianne Perry author of The Inheritance

Food Is More Than Something You Eat

What does Clafoutis (a rich cherry dessert) make you think of?

a). France

b). Italy

c). a dessert for peasants

d). a dessert for the upper class

Historical fiction writers use many tools to authenticate time and place and ensure descriptions of everyday life are accurate. The Inheritance is set from 1897 to 1913 in Calabria, a region in southern Italy. It tells the story of Caterina, an atypical peasant woman who challenges social norms and the tragic chain of events her determination to live a life of her choosing ignites. Showing Caterina enjoying Clafoutis for daily dessert, therefore, would be incongruous with where she lived, her social standing and the era during which the book occurs.

Why is melanzana al funghetto, an eggplant, mushroom and tomato dish, a good choice?

Santo Marino owns the Villa San Michelle Estate and Caterina’s father works for him. Bruno is Santo’s cook and he prepares him this for lunch. Eggplants, mushrooms and tomatoes are staples of the Mediterranean diet and the meal is popular throughout southern Italy.

Are chocolate-covered figs okay for Bruno?

Figs are plentiful in Calabria and families throughout the region cultivate them. They thrive in the hot dry sunny climate and Bruno’s penchant for the chocolate-covered variety is appropriate.

Every detail in a historical fiction contributes to the creation of a believable world that enhances the reader’s experience and in The Inheritance, food is more than something you eat.

What are your favourite recipes?

Marianne Perry welcomes your comments and may be contacted at her website where she blogs about writing, travel, family dynamics and genealogy. http://www.marianneperry.ca

I took this photograph at the Mercato di Capo in Palermo, Sicily. The purple eggplants reminded me of the lunch Bruno cooked for Santo Marino

The Inheritance tells the story of a family disintegrating from conflicting loyalties in Calabria, southern Italy. Set during the period 1897 to 1913, the region was subject to earthquakes and tsunamis; the land was harsh and poverty the norm. Superstition clashed with religion and a class system ruled the people. Calabria is the perfect backdrop for the tragedy that unfolds in The Inheritance.

Caterina is an atypical woman, and The Inheritance chronicles her life from birth to young womanhood. Born with an inheritance of loss into a society that has predetermined what she can and cannot do, she vows to live a life of her choosing. Caterina refuses to allow the limits of her gender, the constraints of her class and the demands imposed by those in power to stand in her way. Caterina remains steadfast in her commitment to become the woman she imagines. Her decisions ignite conflicts and fuel a chain of events that result in dire consequences for all whose path she crosses.

Publication Date: November 28, 2012
iUniverse
Formats: eBook, Paperback, Hard Cover
Pages: 280

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Buy the Book

Canada

Indigo.ca (Kobo Edition (eBook), Hardcover, and Paperback)
Amazon.ca (Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback)

US

Amazon (Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback)
Barnes & Noble (Nook, Hardcover, Paperback)

Family dynamics, genealogical research to solve ancestral mysteries and international travel are Marianne Perry’s priorities. A second-generation Canadian-Italian, she is the author of The Inheritance, a historical fiction/romance set in Calabria, southern Italy from 1897 to 1913 that was inspired by her grandmother’s early life. With a thirty-year career in education and communications, Marianne holds a Master of Education Degree from The University of Western Ontario (Canada). A past member of the Board of Trustees, the Canadian National Arts Centre Corporation, she has also published non-fiction genealogical articles throughout North America. As a girl, Marianne fell in love with The National Geographic Magazine and dreamt of exploring the world. With her January 2014 visit to Antarctica, she achieved her goal of stepping foot on every continent. The mother of two grown children, Marianne and her husband live on the shores of the St. Mary’s River, which drains Lake Superior on the outskirts of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. She continues to research her family’s history and write non-fiction genealogical articles. In addition, she is working on her second novel and planning further adventures.

Marianne blogs about genealogy, travel, family and writing on her website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Goodreads.