Description
It is 1946 and Milan is in ruins. Camilla opens her illegally occupied attic to her extended family as they rebuild their lives among the rubble. The absence of men – lost to war, death, or abandonment – leaves the burden of survival to the women, who use the attic to begin to imagine fragile futures: Camilla works to carry the family toward dignity and normalcy; Lalla dreams of becoming a novelist to escape their grim reality; Regina, widowed by the war, pins her hopes on her infant daughter; Alba chases independence and love. Varying political ideologies, loyalties, and wartime secrets filter through the house, creating a thick net of tension.
Fausta Cialente’s exquisite prose captures the frailty of the human heart in its desperate search for connection. As the narrative roams from the thoughts of character to character, the residents of the attic consider their own complicity and moral compromises. Tender, thought-provoking, and devastatingly beautiful, A Very Cold Winter is about the impossibility of forgetting the past and the difficulty of living with it.
‘Cause for celebration’ Jhumpa Lahiri
‘A Very Cold Winter is Fausta Cialente’s interpretation of war, family, and of womanhood… What does it take to be timeless but never outdated? This is the mystery and balance which Fausta Cialente’s novel treads. The Italian women writers that mean so much to us today – Ginzburg, de Céspedes, Lalla Romano, Fabrizia Ramondino – are not modern because we wish them to be. The reason why their work, so easily dismissed and neglected at that time, is startlingly current is because they were not afraid to imagine womanhood fully on the page, with all its consequences’ Claudia Durastanti
'A Very Cold Winter contends with what it means to move on in the aftermath of war' The New Yorker
‘An exquisite chronicle of frozen hearts and their gradual thaw’ Publishers Weekly
Product Details
Writer: Cialente, Fausta
Release Date: 2027-02-02
FOC Date: 2026-12-29
Page Count: 240
All comics ship bagged and boarded.
SKU: 9781398564039
Barcode: 9781398564039
NZ Best Price.
We price match + give Pop Perks.
1400+ 5 Star Reviews
Our reviews are independently verified by Judge.me
90-Day Returns (*1)
Return your items hassle free for a full refund. Items must be unopened/unread.
Similar To A Very Cold Winter: The rediscovered Italian classic from a forgotten feminist author:
Recently viewed
Shipping
No, we ship all over the great country of New Zealand. Shipping starts from $4.50 for most of Christchurch, $8.50 for NZ and $13 for Rural delivery and will be shown at checkout.
It depends on where you are. From the moment your order has been packed and processed by Pop Weasel it will take 3-4 business days to arrive.
Rural
Rural deliveries will add an extra 2-3 days.
Availability & Delivery
Please refer to the product page for specific delivery timeframes and estimates, such as Available From Supplier or a listed Release Date. These details come directly from our suppliers and can change frequently.
Once the item arrives at Pop Weasel, we’ll carefully pick, pack, and ship your order via your chosen delivery method.
All timeframes are estimates only and may vary.
Delivery details will be provided in a tracking information email.
We use NZ Post. Christchurch Deliveries maybe hand delivered.
Pop Weasel Guarantees
We always aim for make sure our customers love their orders, but if you do need to return an order, we’re happy to help. Just email us directly and we’ll take you through the process. Pop Weasel has a 90 day return guarantee for unused items. If your item has been opened get in contact and we will work with you to resolve any issues. Our terms exclude special order items which we deal with on a case by case basis.
Our Price Guarantee
* If you find a lower price on an in stock identical product, we will beat it by 5% and give you our famous Pop Perks.
Excludes special order, quotes, on account (credit and cash) purchases, stock liquidations and commercial quantities.
The same product must be available to you for delivery or collection and must be in-stock within New Zealand at the competitor. Includes GST and delivery charges. Price matches are limited to one per person per product.
About Pop Weasel
Pop Weasel has a team of 4 who all enjoy Pop Culture. We are based in Christchurch and enjoy spending time playing board games, reading and just hanging out.
We love reading and the story telling that goes into comics, graphic novels and manga inspired us to open a comic book store to help share that passion with others.
We sell online only allowing us to offer some of the best deals around. Pop Weasel is a comic bookshop based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Any other questions?
If we still haven't answered your question, you can contact us below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.