Skip to content
Description
By: Alba De Cespedes
“Powerful.” —The New Yorker
“Brilliant.” —The Wall Street Journal
"Astounding." —NPR
Now in paperback, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, New Statesmen Best Book of the Year, and Mother Jones favorite book of the year, Forbidden Notebook is a classic domestic novel by the Italian-Cuban feminist writer Alba de Céspedes, whose work inspired contemporary writers like Elena Ferrante and Annie Ernaux.
In this modern translation by acclaimed Elena Ferrante translator Ann Goldstein, Forbidden Notebook centers the inner life of a dissatisfied housewife living in postwar Rome.
Valeria Cossati never suspected how unhappy she had become with the shabby gentility of her bourgeois life—until she begins to jot down her thoughts and feelings in a little black book she keeps hidden in a closet. This new secret activity leads her to scrutinize herself and her life more closely, and she soon realizes that her individuality is being stifled by her devotion and sense of duty toward her husband, daughter, and son. As the conflicts between parents and children, husband and wife, and friends and lovers intensify, what goes on behind the Cossatis’ facade of middle-class respectability gradually comes to light, tearing the family’s fragile fabric apart.
An exquisitely crafted portrayal of domestic life, Forbidden Notebook recognizes the universality of human aspirations.
“Powerful.” —The New Yorker
“Brilliant.” —The Wall Street Journal
"Astounding." —NPR
Now in paperback, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, New Statesmen Best Book of the Year, and Mother Jones favorite book of the year, Forbidden Notebook is a classic domestic novel by the Italian-Cuban feminist writer Alba de Céspedes, whose work inspired contemporary writers like Elena Ferrante and Annie Ernaux.
In this modern translation by acclaimed Elena Ferrante translator Ann Goldstein, Forbidden Notebook centers the inner life of a dissatisfied housewife living in postwar Rome.
Valeria Cossati never suspected how unhappy she had become with the shabby gentility of her bourgeois life—until she begins to jot down her thoughts and feelings in a little black book she keeps hidden in a closet. This new secret activity leads her to scrutinize herself and her life more closely, and she soon realizes that her individuality is being stifled by her devotion and sense of duty toward her husband, daughter, and son. As the conflicts between parents and children, husband and wife, and friends and lovers intensify, what goes on behind the Cossatis’ facade of middle-class respectability gradually comes to light, tearing the family’s fragile fabric apart.
An exquisitely crafted portrayal of domestic life, Forbidden Notebook recognizes the universality of human aspirations.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Sale priceFrom HK$49.00
Regular priceHK$100.00
In stock
Press Start! #16 Super Rabbit Boy vs. the Gigabot!(Branches)
Sale priceHK$48.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026 (International Edition)
Sale priceHK$105.00
Regular priceHK$160.00
In stock
Press Start! #15 Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep! (Branches)
Sale priceHK$48.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
The Princess in Black #11 and the Kitty Catastrophe
Sale priceFrom HK$49.00
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock
InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T. #03: Wild Ghost Chase
Sale priceHK$69.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock
Baby-sitters Club, The #11 Graphic Novel: Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye (Ann M. Martin)
Sale priceHK$79.00
Regular priceHK$117.00
In stock
Baby-sitters Club, The #12 Graphic Novel: Jessi's Secret Language (Ann M. Martin)
Sale priceHK$85.00
Regular priceHK$117.00
In stock
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Book 2)
Sale priceFrom HK$55.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock
