Four Hundred and Forty Steps to the Sea

Sara Alexander

• Publisher: Kensington Books
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781496715487
• eBook ISBN:
  9781496715494
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Historical Fiction
• Index: Literature

“Family secrets and a transportive Italian setting keep the reader thoroughly immersed, making for a satisfying story of one woman’s coming-of-age.” —Publishers Weekly
 
Nestled into the cliffs in southern Italy’s Amalfi coast, Positano is an artist’s vision, with rows of brightly hued houses perched above the sea and picturesque staircases meandering up and down the hillside. Santina, still a striking woman despite old age and the illness that saps her last strength, is spending her final days at her home, Villa San Vito. The magnificent eighteenth-century palazzo is very different from the tiny house in which she grew up. And as she decides its fate, she must confront the choices that led her here so long ago . . .
 
In 1949, Positano is as yet undiscovered by tourists, a beautiful, secluded village shaking off the dust of war. Hoping to escape poverty, young Santina takes domestic work in London, ultimately becoming a housekeeper to a distinguished British major and his creative, impulsive wife, Adeline. When they move to Positano, Santina returns with them, raising their daughter as Adeline’s mental health declines. With each passing year, Santina becomes more deeply enmeshed within the family, trying to navigate her complicated feelings for a man who is much more than an employer—while hiding secrets that could shatter the only home she knows . . .

“Pick up this book to be swept away like a frothy Mediterranean wave, with its melodic writing style that’s richly filled with beautiful imagery in a setting so sunny and beautiful you will be transported!” —Beachcombing Magazine

Table of contents

• Also by
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Positano Amalfi Coast Italy 2005
• 1949
• 1976
• Positano 2005
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• Discussion Questions