In "Bambina," her novel about the intricacies of a happy childhood, Francesca Piredda gives life to an unforgettable family portrait in the Rome of the 1960s.
As Eugenia observes her cosmopolitan parents intently performing the rites of "la dolce vita," she lives her own moments and celebrations in the parallel world of childhood. One by one, the places, the characters and the events of her microcosm are unwrapped for the reader, as Eugenia's ironic and tender voice tells a saga populated with gardeners, maids, cardinals, schoolmates and playboys.A budding philosopher, always hopeful of romance, young Eugenia at times stumbles and sometimes triumphs. As she turns fifteen, she wades into new territory, armed with her ingenuity and her sense of wonder.