Rosalia's Bittersweet Pastry Shop Kindle Edition

Rosalia's life story as its shared with an American journalist, Claudia, whose original intent was to write a book about Sicilian pastries made by a nun, Sister Agata. Claudia heard there were secret ingredients, as certain pastries surpassed the usual pastries made by other bakers. Sister Agata and Claudia developed a friendship during an invited to stay at the convent, and Claudia immediately realized her book was going to be more about ingredients in a recipe. This was the story of a nun's life, which begins in a small village in Sicily, 1955. Rosalia, the daughter of a successful tailor, is kidnapped, raped and beaten by a young man whose advances she rejected. He had her hidden in a cave, where she is found by a group of nuns and nursed back to health. The rest of the novel goes into Rosalia's life, concentrating on what happens when cruel gossip and tradition causes shame on her family. Rosalia is unable to locate her family, and is alienated from them for many years.A lot of old tradition was brought into the book, as well as friendship, romance, lost loves, plus stories of saints and of course recipes. The time line ended in 2004, with the journalist getting more information than the recipes she expected. Loved the novel, and the writing style of the author. I'm looking forward to her next novel. Complimenti Rosanna!

This story has so many layers .... at the top - what makes the pastries from the convent so special... but the true story lies in the deep relationships between families and the woman in the convent ... It was painful to hear about how awful victims of sexual abuse were treated years ago and the stigma that survives today... the pull of families even decades after separation ... and the truth that families come in all forms not limited to birth.. and the recipes are ones I remember from childhood...so glad that many can be found at the end of the book!

An interesting account of Sicilian mores and customs is the background to this fascinating story. The American journalist/writer who went to Sicily to discover the secrets of a Sicilian nun with a reputation for making very special pastries and sweets, she stumbled on the intriguing and in some respects tragic life story of the nun. Tempting Sicilian pastries, sweets and cakes are described and complete recipes are included in the book.

Trite and repetitive. A very boring book. I do not need to know about pastries ad nasseum. The story line was so predictable. I won’t be reading anything else by this author.

This book really got to me and I had tears in my eyes many times. What a poignant story from start to finish. I loved it and finished it within 2 days. The character development to me was outstanding. It kept my interest and just made me feel good. Do read!

This is a book I had a hard time putting down! The characters read like real people. The story lines had enough background information to make them come alive without becoming tedious. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This book is so delightful to read. The characters are believable and the love ,faith , and determination that they possess carries them through life's journey. Loved the references to Italian pastries throughout and the stories behind them. Easy to read and hard to put down!

My love for Italian pastries drew me to this book. It is a compelling story of love and friendships along with the hardships of 1950's Italy. I couldn't put it down....A perk are the pastry recipes in the back of the book. My Italian neighbor passed w/o sharing her cookie recipes...I am always searching for them!

loved the setting and the concept but boy did it ever drag on. i felt so much could have been edited..

Ein bezauberndes Buch mit viel Tiefgang und zugleich eine Einfuehrung in die sizilianische Backkunst! Was will man mehr! Sehr empfehlenswert!

Another wonderful book by Rosanna Chiofalo. It is an enjoyable read.

I am still reading it. Can't put it down.