On Persephone’s Island. A Sicilian Journal

A year in the life of an American woman living and raising a family in Sicily. First published in 1986, this book has never gone out of print and has appeared in seven different editions as well as an ebook.

In a beautifully written journal covering one year, [Simeti] records with an artist’s eye the rhythm of the seasons, the extremes of climate and contrast…she also provides lively insight into the character of its people, their social and burial customs and festivals…That her sensitivity to the charms of her adopted land does not blind her to its shortcomings makes her a most reliable guide.

- Publishers Weekly

…the book is much more than a daily record of happenings, and Mary Taylor Simeti is much, much more than an eager American junketing around with pen and wonder at the ready…she has constructed an intricate mosaic of Sicily, past and present, historical and personal.

- New York Times Book Review

…exquisitely observed and elegantly phrased prose…Like so many travel books of the very first rank, “On Persephone’s Island” presupposes a knowledge and an affection for its subject.

- San Francisco Examiner