{"title":"Stefania Auci","description":"\u003cp\u003eStefania Auci is an acclaimed Italian author renowned for her captivating storytelling and rich historical narratives. Her works beautifully blend fiction with meticulously researched historical details, offering readers a deep dive into fascinating eras and unforgettable characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAuci has captured the attention of readers worldwide with her compelling book series that includes notable titles such as \u003cem\u003eFall of the Florios\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Triumph of the Lions\u003c\/em\u003e. These books fall under the general fiction category and are celebrated for their intricate plots and vivid depictions of historical Sicily, particularly focusing on the illustrious Florio family's rise and fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer writing style is engaging and immersive, perfectly balancing intrigue with emotional depth, making her novels a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction with a personal touch. Explore Stefania Auci’s works to experience the majesty and drama of Sicilian history through her uniquely captivating lens.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-triumph-of-the-lions-by-stefania-auci-9780062931702","title":"The Triumph of the Lions","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe basis for the Disney-produced series on Hulu \u003cem\u003eThe Lions of Sicily\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“A blazing epic of countless twists and turns.”—\u003cem\u003eLe Figaro\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA compelling combination of historical sweep and family drama – \u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of the acclaimed \u003cem\u003eThe Florios of Sicily\u003c\/em\u003e, a magnificent novel that explores the origins of one of Italy’s most powerful and notorious families, men and women whose ruthless ambition and caprice would chart the course of modern Italian history—a tale of grand historical dramas, exotic locales, political intrigue, and heartbreaking romance that rivals the bestselling works of Philippa Gregory, Jennifer Chiaverini, and Adriana Trigiani.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKnown as the Lions of Sicily, the Florios have officially arrived. Once rich only in ambition, the family has amassed a fortune that includes palaces, factories, ships, silks, and jewels. The city of Sicily admires them, honours them and, above all, fears them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIgnazio was destined to rule Casa Florio since birth, a fearless drive that pulses through his veins, pushing him to look beyond Sicily towards Rome, Europe and its courts, the naval domination of the Mediterranean, and eventually the purchase of the entire Archipelago of the Egadi to build his dazzling empire. But his heart is black as ice. To seize Casa Florio, he abandoned the love of his life—an act of treachery which still casts a dark shadow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarely twenty, his son Ignazziddu stands to inherit all that his father has built. Yet he is nothing like Ignazio. A nervous young man, he does not want to be shackled to his infamous name, to sacrifice himself for the family. Despite his fears, he embraces Ignazio’s legacy, and must face a world that changes too quickly, agitated by new, violent, and uncontrollable forces. Ignazziddu eventually realises that it’s not enough to have Florio blood to become the imposing force his grandfather and father were. What is it they had that he lacks?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeside father and son are two extraordinary women: Giovanna, Ignazio’s wife, hard and fragile as crystal, full of passion but hungry for love, and Franca, the wife of Ignazziddu, the most beautiful woman in Europe, whose golden existence is threatened by the blows of a cruel fate. It is these women who unforgettably animate \u003cem\u003eThe Triumph of the Lions\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBringing the Belle Epoque into stunning relief, Auci dives deeper into the exhilarating and terrible, glorious and tragic history of a family that, for decades, sat high above Italian society, and made the heart of an island and city beat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTranslated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor and Howard Curtis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46672422928620,"sku":"9780062931702","price":53.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10521123482210.jpg?v=1752847639"},{"product_id":"fall-of-the-florios-by-stefania-auci-9780063389151","title":"Fall of the Florios","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe epic saga behind the Disney-produced Hulu series \u003cem\u003eThe Lions of Sicily\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe magnificent third installment of the Florio story – a sweeping, decadent, and romantic finale that tells the story of Italy’s most powerful and notorious family as it faces its dramatic end.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAfter triumph and brilliance, the Sicilian Lions enter their fall . . .\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGlory is fleeting, fate sometimes cruel. For more than sixty years, the Florios have reigned supreme, establishing the city of Palermo as a European beacon of commerce, and making Sicily one of Italy’s most powerful regions. But now fate has taken a turn. As social and economic pressures erode the stability of a young Italy, the Florios—despite their wealth and power—must watch as their iron grip over the South begins to weaken.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing in the steps of the father he idolized, Ignazzidu, now Don Ignazio, finds himself commanding the Florio family’s interests and enterprises. Negligent, impetuous, and headstrong, he is everything his industrious father was not. But while he struggles to live up to the family name, his charming and loyal wife Franca rises to the occasion. A gracious and formidable host, Franca’s hospitality becomes unmatched across Europe, informally crowned the “Queen of Palermo” as she holds court with an esteemed coterie of luminaries from the womanising Puccini to the scandalous Boldini.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet as the tides of fortune change – economic hardships, war, and human loss – their relationship will be put to the test and Franca will find that even a love as devoted as hers may falter. But the biggest threat to their survival is the death of an heir. In losing the flesh of his flesh, Ignazio—who succeeded his father without the strength or conviction to do so—will ultimately oversee the collapse of an empire built by his family’s ambition, cunning, and sweat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat kind of future will the Florios have now? Will anything remain of their greatness?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor and Howard Curtis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46711389225196,"sku":"9780063389151","price":52.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15095613482210.jpg?v=1754220014"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/stefania-auci.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}