Italian Love Cake

In a rural New Jersey town, on the eve of WWII, young Marie Genovese looks out from her apartment window above the Five & Ten and wonders how she'll save the failing store she's inherited from her mother. Forced to bake for extra money, Marie dabbles in herbs, and hopes to change her fate. But when a herb-laced cake causes a wealthy local banker and Marie to fall in love, her troubles only compound-a family friend plots to take the store, her brother is involved in a fascist hate crime, and Marie becomes pregnant by her married lover. Enter the mysterious Aunt Ada from Italy, who brings a skill with herbs and knowledge of the family's Italian past. Soon Marie will face a choice: accept the protection of her wealthy lover, or defiantly break cultural norms by remaining independent. In a time similar to today, full of fear, economic uncertainty, and the controlling behavior of men, a powerful line of women, living and dead, helps Marie decide. ITALIAN LOVE CAKE is a story of a rare feminist awakening in 1939.