The consequences - for Bonaria, for Maria and for the whole village, are devastating - and cause a rift between the two women that can only be bridge by another death. Midwife to the dying, easing their suffering and sometimes ending it, she is revered and feared in equal measure as the village's Accabadora.īonaria tries to shield the girl from the truth about her role as an angel of mercy, until, moved by the pleas of a young man crippled in an accident, she breaks her golden rule of familial consent. But her new 'soul mother' is keeping something hidden from her, a secret life that is intimately bound-up with Sardinia's ancient traditions and customs. by Michela Murgia First published May 25th 2009.

When Maria, the fourth child of a widow, is adopted by the old and childless Bonaria Urrai, her life is instantly transformed - she finally has the love and affection she craves. Editions for Accabadora: 8806197800 (Hardcover published in 2009), 8806221892 (Paperback published in.

Click here to purchase from Rakuten Kobo One of Elena Ferrante's best 40 books by female writers Adrift in the big city, Maria strives as ever to find love and acceptance, but her efforts are overshadowed by the creeping knowledge of a debt unpaid, of a duty and destiny that must one day be hers.Īccabadora has been awarded seven major literary prizes, including Italy’s prestigious Premio Campiello.Also available on eBook for £4.99. Moved by the pleas of a young man crippled in an accident, she breaks her golden rule of familial consent, and in the recriminations that follow, Maria rejects her and flees Sardinia for Turin. When Bonaria adopts Maria, the unloved fourth child of a widow, she tries to shield the girl from the truth about her role as an angel of mercy.

Midwife to the dying, easing their suffering and sometimes ending it, she is revered and feared in equal measure as the village’s Accabadora. A must read for those who love a touch of the unusual.įormerly beautiful and at one time betrothed to a fallen soldier, Bonaria Urrai has a long held covenant with the dead. When Maria, the fourth child of a widow, is adopted by the old and. A time where family ties and obligations still decide much of life’s ebb and flow. The award winning Accabadora is an exceptional English–language debut, written with intriguing subtlety reflecting a sensual picture of local Italian life and death in villages during the 1950’s.

Accabadora by Michela Murgia