Set during the first half of the twentieth century, this is the story of the Brunis, a family of farmers from the Italian Padan Plain who have worked the land since time immemorial. And it is a story about the homeless multitudes, travelers, and tinkers, roaming Europe during the hardscrabble nineteen-twenties and thirties. In this expansive novel, these two worlds meet when the Brunis open their great barn and offer it as a refuge for those in need of a warm, dry, and safe place to sleep and eat. The barn becomes font and inspiration for a series of vivid stories involving sundry strangers, the Bruni parents themselves, and their nine children—seven boys and two girls—who will grow into young men and women during World War I and its aftermath. Told in the tradition of country folktales and framed by the devastating years of strife—two world wars and the years of fascism—these stories will delight readers from the first page to the last. Manfredi’s A Winter’s Night provides a timely reminder that simple values and a sense of solidarity with our fellow human beings remain of vital importance, above all in a world undergoing momentous and rapid change.

Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an archeologist and scholar of the ancient Greek and Roman world. He has taught at a number of prestigious universities in Italy and abroad and has published numerous articles and essays in academic journals and other publications. He also writes fiction: he has published sixteen novels which have won important literary awards and have sold a total of twelve million copies throughout the world. His Alexander trilogy has been translated into 38 languages and published in 62 countries and the film rights have been acquired by Universal Pictures. He has also written screenplays for film and television, has contributed journalistic articles to many magazines in Italy and abroad and has written and conducted cultural programs and television documentaries for important international producers. was made into a film starring Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley and directed by Doug Lefler.

• Mar 5 2013
  Glorified Love Letters: "[Manfredi's] ability to set the scene...is outstanding and immersing."
  
• Feb 1 2013
  Historical Novels Review: "A WINTER'S NIGHT manages to entertain and enlighten."
  
• Nov 19 2012
  The New Yorker: "His simple descriptions of rural life capture a lost way of life."
  
• Sep 13 2012
  We Love This Book: "Page-turning, enjoyable...[A Winter's Night] charms the reader with its many timeless folktales and eclectic cast of characters."
  
• Aug 1 2012
  Kirkus Reviews: "A solid, credible, satisfying examination of the destruction of a way of life."