Amy's Story

"Simply spellbinding . . . a story at once about identity, love and social upheaval; a woman's journey from old world to new; from Italy to America." —Joe McGinniss Jr., author of Carousel Court

After Elena Ferrante, another powerful Italian voice emerges to tell us a tale of immigration with two strong women characters at its center, set against the background of American history, from the late '60s to 2011.

Amy's Story begins with Amy, full name America, moving from Italy to New York City to live near her American father. Her journey from immigrant to successful publisher is intertwined with Stella, her childhood friend, whose unfinished memoir she intends to publish.


They both experience love, friendship, obstacles, success, and more, as their journey runs parallel to the Vietnam War, student protests and the Kent State shooting, the birth of radicalism and feminism, presidential elections and assassinations, the Watergate scandal, up to the 9/11 attack and beyond.


In the end, Stella's memoir does not get published, because Amy transforms it into a very successful novel. This twist will have readers re-imagine the entire story and see it from a surprising new perspective.

"A mesmerizing narrative that unspools like a good film. Anna Lawton is not only a scholar of the first rank, but a deft and artful novelist with a flair for the unexpected in her work." —Louis Menashe, author of Moscow Believes in Tears
"Anna Lawton's ear for dialogue is spot on, and she introduces friends, colleagues, events, and geographic changes with assurance. The book is a wonderful summation of North America's trials and tribulations over the past four decades." —San Francisco Book Review