Publishers Weekly
01/22/2024
Rubis debuts with an uninspired biographical novel about crusading journalist Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006). The narrative begins with Fallaci’s experiences as a girl growing up in Italy during WWII with a father who is a member of the anti-fascist resistance, though the real action kicks off in 1973, when Fallaci interviews charismatic Greek rebel and poet Alexander Panagoulis. The story of their tempestuous love affair is juxtaposed with the arc of Fallaci’s career as she drops out of medical school to support her family, gets a job as a newspaper reporter, and quickly makes a name for herself in a male-dominated industry. After pioneering the q&a format, she graduates from interviewing Hollywood stars to writers like Norman Mailer, politicians like Bobby Kennedy, and international movers-and-shakers like Henry Kissinger. She earns her name as a war reporter with multiple trips to Vietnam, where she crosses into the North to interview the general behind the Tet Offensive. Framed predictably as an elderly Fallaci’s reminiscences after a visiting Hollywood producer asks to buy the rights to her story, the story is more highlight reel than deep dive into what drove her to become such a formidable journalist. It fails to do justice to Fallaci’s larger-than-life personality. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"Oriana is an exuberant novel about an exuberant woman, the famous Italian interviewer of the Seventies, Oriana Fallaci.”—Historical Novels Review, May 2024
"Perhaps it's because I got to work with some of the greatest foreign correspondents of all time, when overseeing CNN and 60 Minutes... Or maybe it's because Oriana is a phenomenal tale from start to finish, one that manages to simultaneously limn the legend of Oriana and render her as exquisitely human. For whatever reason, I couldn't/didn't want to put it down. Oriana will open your eyes to a woman you should have known better and will be glad you finally got to know, will get you raving to your friends, and inspire you about the possibilities open to any woman ready and willing to grab the world by the balls.”— Jonathan Klein, former president of CNN/US, media entrepreneur
"I remember Oriana Fallaci vividly and was thrilled to read this novel about her work and her life, particularly her great romance in the early 70s with a man who was not afraid of her ability and ambition. Anastasia Rubis writes with a passion for her subject that matches Oriana's own craving for a big full life and in turn does her and the era a great justice. In scene after breathtaking scene, we relive a time of great hope when getting at the truth was possible. A truly inspiring debut.” — Alice Elliott Dark, author of In the Gloaming and Fellowship Point
“Inhaled this riveting page-turner on the fascinating trailblazing journalist Oriana Fallaci. Just one question: how did I not know about this incredible woman?” — Julia Martin, New Jersey Monthly
“A love story as bold, sophisticated, and beautiful as the remarkable woman herself.” — Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Hester
