Daughter of Calabria was previously published as Echoes of War. To celebrate the re-release of Tania Blanchard’s stunning historical, read a sample extract here.

February, 1936

Calabria, Southern Italy

I followed the nun in a haze of exhaustion. I had been trying to memorise the turns along the corridors of the monastery, but when we finally stopped, I realised that I was utterly lost.

‘Here we are,’ said the nun, opening the door to my cell. ‘You’ll find it has everything you need.’ She smiled encouragingly. ‘It will feel like home before you know it.’

‘Grazie, sorella,’ I said in a small voice.

‘One of the sisters will take you to see Mother Superior in the morning. Buona notte,’ she said, before turning back down the long corridor.

I raised my lantern and surveyed the tiny room. A wave of loneliness overcame me and I burst into tears. I’d never been away from home before and I already missed my family. The single bed against the whitewashed wall was covered with a sheepskin spread, with another sheepskin on the stone floor under the narrow window. The plain cell was more than I was used to. I’d never had the luxury of privacy and freedom of my own space before – but it wasn’t home. How would I ever sleep without the comfort of my sister Paola’s warm body next to me and the soft sleepy noises of my oldest sister Teresa in the bed beside us?

Continue reading the extract here…

Buy a copy of Daughter of Calabria here.