"Memorable and entrancing.... These stories... remain powerful in the moment thanks to the imagery's dream-like density." - Publishers Weekly "Captivating storytelling in the tradition of Italian fairytale makers." - Rain Taxi "Paola Corso conjures a world... a humble if pinched society, down on its luck but at least rich in tradition. She honors that fact here, and then some." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Corso knows the secret to surviving in every small fading Western Pennsylvania town: a mix of quiet courage and a wild imagination. Generation to generation, the women of Giovanna's 86 Circles somehow find the power to redeem the everyday." - Stewart O'Nan, author of The Good Wife "A major contribution to female Italian American literature. Corso mixes fable and grit to illustrate the beauty, power, and necessity of storytelling." - Rita Ciresi, author of Remind Me Again Why I Married You "Best Short Stories of 2005" in Montserrat Review"
