Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Contessa's Legacy

By: Nora D'Ecclesis
Narrated by: Patricia J. Rullo
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £6.99

Buy Now for £6.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

"The Contessa's Legacy" is a novella by Nora D'Ecclesis. The book tells the story of a family living in Pompeii, Naples in 79AD. It follows the lives of the family members as the ancestors eventually immigrate to America, including their relationships with each other, and their struggles to survive in a society that was not known for treating its citizens with compassion. The book explores themes of family, love, social justice, generational legacy and the impact of historical events on individuals and communities.

The Contessa's Legacy rejoices in the next generation and the perspective they bring to the world. It celebrates with gratitude and equanimity by looking back at all the generations of the family who were thankful for how far they had come as immigrants and as individuals. The ancient traditions enabled them to avoid the hedonic treadmill and rejoice in knowing that in the end the love they shared with humanity was everything. It is a journey of the joys and sorrows of generational legacy.

©2024 Nora D'Ecclesis/Renaissance Presentations LLC (P)2024 Nora D'Ecclesis/Renaissance Presentations/LLC
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Contessa's Legacy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

A wonderful generational tale

I have read several of D'Ecclesis's works and enjoyed them all. Her books often explore Zen and spirituality so I was intrigued to read how she would handle a novella. I was not disappointed! I found this book to be a wonderful short read that included a bit of everything - class, religiion, culture, food, family struggle, love, marriage, immigration and the human struggle. Making it of interest to almost everyone as she packs in so many themes.

The story describes the lives of different generations of one Italian immigrant family to America. Like all generations they experience, love, joy, disappointment, class prejudice, religious differences and clashes of cultures. As well as a joy of enjoying and continuing some of their Italian culture. The story has beauitiful descriptions of lavish Italian family meals where the description of the feast had my mouth watering and wishing I was at the table with the family.

As someone with an interest in Zen Buddhism I particularly enjoyed chapter 4, which describes beautifully a Zen funeral as well as giving a succinct overview of Buddhist practice.

All in all a really enjoyable story about a very human story and all the ups and downs that come with that.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!