These early short stories brim with the beauty of the Italian countryside and seaside, telling tales both sumptuous and unnerving.Calvino's war-torn Italy is vivid, intense, almost hyper-real. A trio of greedy burglars rob a pastry shop, a boy offers a girl presents of toads and insects from the garden, a wealthy family invites a rustic goatherd to lunch, only to mock him. In every story he reveals the hidden meaning beneath the surface of everyday life, and the lu...

Diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder in her twenties, author Peggy Wright made a deep dive into exploring the impact of childhood sexual abuse. She embarked on a path to heal and become who she was designed to be.In Opening to Grace, she shares her story, the story of a sensitive introvert discovering faith, identity, and healing from the stress load of trauma. She traces the redemptive movements of truth and grace to recover a life of beauty and passion. Deeply personal, it explo...

An acclaimed collection of enchanting, comic and clever tales from the Italian masterThis collection of playful, deadly febles is populated with waifs and strays, a gluttonous thief and a mischievous gardener. The grimly comic story The Argentine Ant moved Gore Vidal to declare 'if this is not a masterpiece of twentieth-century prose writing, I cannot think of anything better'.