From Cesare Pavese's novel "La Bella Estate" published in 1949 by Einaudi. It’s 1938 and we’re in Turin. Ginia is sixteen years old, and the future seems to offer endless possibilities. But her present, like that of others, is overshadowed by the Second World War. Like everyone, Ginia wa
From Cesare Pavese's novel "La Bella Estate" published in 1949 by Einaudi.
It’s 1938 and we’re in Turin. Ginia is sixteen years old, and the future seems to offer endless possibilities. But her present, like that of others, is overshadowed by the Second World War. Like everyone, Ginia wants to fall in love, and she finds her man in a young painter. She discovers the artistic circles of bohemian Turin thanks to her guide Amelia, a sensual and provocative young woman who’s barely older than Ginia but is so very different from anyone else she’s ever met and is ready to shake up Ginia’s many convictions. Torn between a sense of duty and the discovery of a desire which confuses her, Ginia is overwhelmed by emotions which she doesn’t dare give a name to. During her “beautiful summer”, she finally succumbs to her feelings, celebrating her courage to be herself.
