The Train to Orvieto

The Train to Orvieto, set in Orvieto, Florence, and Milan, Italy, and in the heartland of America, is an intimate story of love, loss, betrayal, and reconciliation that unfolds against an historical background of war and dramatic social change. It is a story enacted by fascinating three-dimensional characters and told by one of them, Fina, a history teacher who warns the reader, "The truth never mattered." It is a story depicting the clash of opposites—the desire for union with another and the need for solitude; loyalty and betrayal; change and tradition; the fatalism of rural Italy and the sense of familial and social duty, as against one's obligations to oneself—and it explores the classic theme of how the consequences of decisions made in youth carry through the remainder of one's life. The Train to Orvieto invites us to consider how much we are able to understand the truths of our own lives and what it costs to accept them.

Rebecca J. Novelli of Seattle, WA

Rebecca J. Novelli's varied career has included freelance writing and posts as communications director, events manager, publicist, publications manager, textbook writer, magazine editor, advance person, high school English teacher, and language teacher for recent refugees. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys painting and is currently at work on a series of paintings about women, among other subjects. She holds a BA in English from Pomona College, MA in Education from Claremont Graduate University, and an MFA in Fiction from Antioch University Los Angeles. She was also a member of Jim Krusoe’s Advanced Fiction Workshop in Santa Monica, CA. A native Californian, she and her family currently live in Seattle.