The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia (Lone Star Book Blog Tour)

 


The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia
By Ettore Farrattini Pojani


Italian Literature / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bayou City Press
Pages: 326
Publication Date: October 11, 2024


SYNOPSIS

This is the first (and only) English-language version of an award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia. Nine Lives is a love story about a cat, a family, and an Italian town. 

Mixing fiction with fact, Nine Lives tells the story of the town of Amelia, Italy, throughout the 32 centuries of its history. In fact, Amelia is considered the first organized city of central Italy, being four centuries older than Rome. The author uses the multiple lives of a cat named Tito as the way to span the centuries. 

Author Ettore Farrattini Pojani is the heir of the Farrattini dynasty, a centuries-old family in Umbria whose family palazzo is in Amelia, north of Rome. Tito’s first life occurs in pre-historic Umbria, and his ninth is in the future. Tito’s mission though all nine of his lives is to help the town and the family to succeed. 

A changing cast of characters traces the Farrattini line though the centuries, with Tito joining up with a Farrattini in each generation. Using his feline wiles, Tito bends humans to his will, helping them through many challenges from drought to wars to lovelorn marriages to selfish politicization of joint crises. 

In this highly imaginative novel, the author mixes fictional lives with non-fictional information about historical figures as well as the Farrattini family and the town of Amelia. Readers are left wondering about details, such as what is fiction and what is fact. The last chapter will evoke surprise, though a clue that the surprise is coming is contained in the very first chapter. Originally published in Italy in 2022, this first English-language translation is published by Bayou City Press in Houston, Texas, and includes additional drawings, maps, lists of characters, a listing of foreign words and special terms, and notes on sources.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ettore Farrattini Pojani is the heir of the noble Italian Farrattini dynasty, whose family palazzo is in Amelia, Italy, north of Rome. A music expert and critic, Ettore has published extensively on music topics and currently is a collaborator on the website Broadwayworld.com. 

This, his second book, was published in Italy in 2022 and has won numerous awards. Prior to focusing on writing, Ettore studied art restoration and specialized in furniture restoration. For almost 20 years he had a workshop in Rome in which hundreds of valuable, unique pieces were brought back to their splendor thanks to his dedication and expertise. In 2001 he transformed the family palazzo into a hotel de charme, which he personally ran for 15 years until it was damaged by the 2016 earthquake. 

A dedicated traveler, Ettore is fluent in French and English besides his native Italian.



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REVIEW

The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia is a historical fiction story centered on the town of Amelia, Italy. It is an English translation of an Italian novel, and this is the first time it has been released in English. Published originally in 2022, this book is a history-spanning tale that focuses primarily on the town, but is guided by the lens of a cat. 

I love the multigenerational aspect of this story. The Farrattini family is very interesting and their story is engaging. I also love the magical realism present in this story where Tito, the cat is concerned. He is able to influence the humans around him, but through several generations. I've read quite a few books involving cats, but never one that uses them quite in this way. The nine life concept is usually used for a feline-centered adventure; it's not usually an element that directly influences humans and history. I really love how unique that twist is. 

Despite being centered on the cat in many regards for the temporal framework of the story, it is still very much a human story. There are explorations of romantic relationships, familial dynamics, and adult themes, as well as the way that pets impact lives. I really liked the layering and means of shifting time throughout the story. This is a very touching and fascinating read that I highly recommend. I love the inclusion of Amelia's map, the historic components that bring depth to the story, and the whimsy of using a cat as the central timepiece holding all the strings together. 

I give The Nine Lives of Tito d'Amelia a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯ stars. 

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