Takový hodný kluk – Agnello Hornby Simonetta (2025)

The story of two friends, two mothers, two wives. The novel "Such a Nice Boy" about the Sicilian mafia, which does not shoot but controls the island's economy, is primarily a tale of the ruthless power of family. Giovanni must satisfy the social ambitions of his mother Cettina, while Santino wants to save his mother Assunta from the fate she has accepted to support the family. Santino becomes the "king of construction," while Giovanni, a lawyer supported by powerful people, lends his skills to the dangerous world of the corrupt construction industry. Both enter into good marriages and triumph during the dark 1980s, a time of merciless mafia wars and a tough fight against the mafia. Will the committed lawyer Anna save Giovanni, who married the wealthy Veronika? Can devoted wife Margherita ensure safety for Santino at the family hearth and keep him away from blood and violence?

Simonetta Agnello Hornby's novel fresco is not primarily a novel about the mafia. In a fictional family history set against the real backdrop of the 1970s and 1980s, the Sicilian-born author writes mainly about happiness, justice, family ties, love, and the will to live. Thanks to the author's intimate knowledge...