WM111 Bilingual Book Group: Il treno dei Bambini (Le Train des enfants/The Children's Train) by Viola Ardone

Il treno dei Bambini (Le Train des enfants/The Children's Train) by Viola Ardone Based on true events, Viola Ardone’s The Children’s Train is set in post-World War II Naples when poor children from the south were sent to live with families in the north to survive deprivation and harsh winters. The novel recounts the world through the eyes of seven-year-old Amerigo Speranza -- a life marked by poverty and a complex relationship with his mother and those around him, filled with harshness but also love and richness.

‘Le train des enfants n’en raconte pas moins un drame déchirant où se confrontent la bienveillance et la cruauté, la reconnaissance et l’ingratitude, la vérité et le mensonge, la trahison et le pardon. ’Ledevoir.com "Ardone’s beautifully crafted story explores the meaning of identity and belonging...recommended to fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels." – The Library Journal

Viola Ardone ‘ha il pregio, davvero consolante, di raccontare la storia di un bambino in affido senza occultarne alcun aspetto. E anzi rispettando la straziante “doppiezza” della vita di Amerigo, la perdita della mamma e la sconfitta della fame, le radici recise e la nuova serenità, l’insicurezza indegna e la protezione “artificiale” imposta dall’altro e al tempo stesso provvidenziale.’ La Repubblica.

Registration opens 9 April 2022

photo credit: Editions Albin Michel