The Lady of the Wheel
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2012) |
| The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia) |
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 First edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Angelo F. Coniglio |
| Original title | The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia) |
| Country | Sicily |
| Language | English and Sicilian |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Legas |
| Publication date | 2012 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 1881901-86-6 |
The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia) is a 2012 historical fiction novel by American author Angelo F. Coniglio. The book follows the life of a girl who was abandoned as an infant, with the major themes of the book including poverty, exploitation and family values.[1]
Contents |
Plot summary [edit]
A mother abandons an infant girl, and the woman's husband gives up a young son as a carusu, a virtual slave in a sulfur mine; both actions intended to help the remaining family to survive in poverty-stricken Racalmuto, in late-1800s Sicily. The plot follows the girl's life as a foundling, and her brother's labors in the mine, and their interactions with family and co-workers. In developing the story, the author includes examples of Napoleon-inspired recording of civil documents, and the Sicilian conventions for selecting a family's given names.
Characters [edit]
- Rosa Esposto - the protagonist, an abandoned child
- Maria Rizzo - Rosa's mother
- Antonino 'Nino' Alessi- Rosa's father, a pick-man in a sulfur mine
- Anna di Marco - 'la Ruotaia', the receiver of abandoned infants left in the town's 'foundling wheel'
- Salvatore 'Totò' Alessi - Rosa's eldest brother, a "carusu" or mine-boy in a sulfur mine
- Gaetano 'Tanuzzu' Alessi - another brother of Rosa's
- Pietro 'Petruzzu' Castiglione - the son of the mayor of Racalmuto
References [edit]
- ^ "Sicilian life, history informs ‘Lady of the Wheel’". The Daily News. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
External links [edit]
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