The Lovers

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The new novel from prizewinning author, Paolo Cognetti is a love story set in a tiny village high in the Italian Alps. Its protagonists, Fausto and Silvia, meet in winter, their relationship becoming a refuge in all senses, and the seasons, as well as the mountains, an integral part of their story together. It has a classic, enduring appeal, a cinematic feel, a captivating backdrop, and a romantic sensibility underpinned by a spare, powerful prose style.

Across both fiction and non-fiction, Cognetti's writing seeks to understand human interactions with landscape, interpreting what our obsessions with extremes of beauty, endurance and isolation tell us about ourselves and our relationships with others.

Praise for Eight Mountains:
'Exquisite... A rich, achingly painful story' ANNIE PROULX
'ENCHANTING' Guardian
'BRILLIANT' New York Times
'ABSORBING' Irish Times

© Paolo Cognetti 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • A masterclass in high-altitude atmosphere, a sharp portrait of a community and a touching romance, all condensed into 200 pages… [and] elegantly translated by Stash Luczkiw

    Financial Times
  • A beautiful meditation on nature, love, and renewal.

    Publishers Weekly
  • A novel of pure love – love for nature, love for people, just simply love – that lifts the soul and the heart.

    Les Echos
  • An enchanting ode to nature that explores the fissures and cracks of human relationships and second chances in life with an immense, luminous power.

    La Repubblica
  • A charming love story

    Choice Magazine

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