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Paola Calvetti
I Speak of Love to Myself: Life and Music within the Walls of Casa Verdi
Author: Paola CalvettiThe House of Verdi, a retirement home for elderly musicians, is preparing for a wedding within its austere walls. In this novel, Paola Calvetti presents a sophisticated and heartwarming tale of love and music, evocative of Dustin Hoffman’s film Quartet. As Giacomo and Clara prepare their wedding concert in which all of the house members will participate, Ada, the eccentric maid, moves like a butterfly. She flits among the retired guests, listening to their lonely tales of passion, music, and art: Bartholomew, the 90-year-old tenor; Piera, whose wrinkled hands still move with grace across the piano; Kimiko, the Japanese soprano; Luisa, the famous Annina who sang with Maria Callas in La Traviata; and Ferro, the gentleman violinist who has broken hundreds of hearts. As they prepare, they share snippets of their incredible lives, memories, and regrets with Ada, confident that she will never betray them, for she has her own secret dream. The House of Verdi (Casa Verdi) is a retirement home for musicians and artists that Verdi himself gave to the city of Milan in 1902.
Publisher: Mondadori
Publish Date: 2013
Page Count: 128, paperback

France
(Albin Michel)

Germany
(Goldmann)

Spain
(Martinez Roca)