Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore welcome local author, Georgia Hunter, who will talk about her new book, One Good Thing, the long-awaited follow-up to her 2017 bestselling debut, We Were the Lucky Ones.
— an announcement from Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore
A stirring and heartfelt tale of friendship, motherhood, and survival, the story takes place during the 1940s, in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region. Lili and Esti have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara; when Esti’s son Theo is born, they become as close as sisters.
There is a war being fought across borders, and in Italy, Mussolini’s Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an ‘inferior’ Jewish race, but life somehow goes on — until Germany invades northern Italy, and the friends find themselves in occupied territory.
Georgia Hunter will talk about her new book, “One Good Thing,” at Darien Library on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Esti, older and fiercely self-assured, convinces Lili to flee first to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphans, then to a convent in Florence, where they pose as nuns and forge false identification papers for the Underground.
When disaster strikes at the convent, a critically wounded Esti asks Lili to take a much bigger step: To go on the run with Theo. Protect him while Esti can’t. Terrified to travel on her own, Lili sets out on an epic journey south toward Allied territory, through Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out cities, doing everything she can to keep Theo safe.
One Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another person, even amidst darkness and uncertainty, can be reason to keep going.
If You’re Going …
The event runs from 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Community Room at Darien Library.
You can register online here.
Parking is available in Darien Library’s parking lot. If the lot is full, there may be parking available behind Nielsen’s on Thorndal Circle (view parking map).
About the Author:
When Georgia Hunter was fifteen years old, she discovered that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. Years later, she embarked on a journey of intensive research, determined to unearth and record her family’s remarkable story.
The result is the New York Times bestseller, We Were the Lucky Ones, which has been published in over 20 languages, sold over one million copies worldwide. The book also has been adapted for television by Hulu as a highly acclaimed limited series. One Good Thing is her second book. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two sons.