Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

Author Annie Proulx is quoted as saying <i>"Story comes from place”. </i>    In  "The House At The Edge Of Night" Catherine Banner mastered this element superbly and the story she delivered was wonderful as a result.   Both the tiny but beautiful island of Castellamare near Sicily,  and the ‘Casa al Bordo della Notte’, (translated as the House at the Edge of Night) feel as familiar to me as home.   All my senses were engaged by her writing and I can still visualise the landscape, the 5 mile coastline, the caves by the sea,  the magnificent sunsets, the goat tracks, and palm trees.     I can almost smell the bougainvillea,  oleander and trumpet vine flowers, feel the tranquility,  hear the  sounds of the sea and taste the limoncello liquor.    I enjoyed the islands journey toward modernisation with all the associated 'firsts'.  First car on the island, first radio,  first televion, first fridge & AC, first ferry transportation making fashions, books, education and tourists from others shores a possibility.   The first bank, colour television,  computer and internet.
 
Though exceptionally well done there  was so much more to this story than setting alone.   Spanning almost a century from 1914 to 2009 readers closely followed four generations of the Esposito family and their island neighbours, their loves and their lives, through two world wars and we felt the ripple effect of global events such as the GFC.    All four generations lived their lives in The House at the Edge of Night.    Through them we came to understand both the joys and the difficulties of life on a small island.    The gossip and stories that remained current for decades, the reputations that once tarnished were almost impossible to restore, the feuds between individuals or families that were carried on from one generation to the next.   On the upside residents became close knit,  they supported each other and became like family,  sharing stories of ancestors, recognising familial character traits and generally celebrating the joys of good times together.      Whilst some never left the island others couldn't wait to escape.     Unfortunately  those who chose to remain endured the sadness, the grief and sense of loss as loved ones chased greener pastures.     Amadeo, the patriarch and one of the protagonists of this generational saga said it best with his comment " They seemed to belong more to the world beyond the House at the Edge of Night than they did to him and Pina. He had not known bringing up children would be like this, a slow process of losing."
 
The House at the Edge of Night was a beautiful, gentle, and slow paced character driven story yet at the same time it reminded me of the  fleeting nature of life.   Congratulations to the author, and my belated thanks to Hutchinson London publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital copy.

This is a beautiful, spell-binding book that has a gentle rhythm all of its own. It follows the fortunes of the Esposito family on a tiny Italian Island through generations as they love, quarrel, thrive, survive and sometimes leave. The bar in the House at the Edge of the Night is the main focus of the story where locals gather, tourists visit and the family work and live. I did find it a little bit long in parts but maybe that was me. Otherwise it held me captivated and I loved where real events impinged on the isolated island life. Made me want to go there, or any Mediterranean island, immediately.