Book, forbidden notebook[LS]

Language: Brazilian Portuguese. A rediscovered modern classic of Italian literature, by the author who is one of Elena Ferrante's influences. Valeria Cossati just wanted to get cigarettes for her husband at the tobacconist, but ends up illegally purchasing a black notebook — an item that could not be sold on Sundays — and makes it her diary. We are in Rome in the 1950s, and Valeria leads the boring life of a middle-class woman, dividing herself between the roles of mother, wife and office worker. She hasn't heard her own name for years — her husband only calls her “mommy” — and her relationship with her children is marked by generational conflicts. However, as she feeds those forbidden pages, Valeria begins to notice a profound transformation in herself — the consequences of which she still cannot predict. Alba de Céspedes was one of the great Italian-language authors of the 20th century, with a work that stands out for the depth of its female characters. In Prohibited Notebook, the author demonstrates all her talent in portraying the intimacy of an ordinary woman and the changes in post-war Italian society.