Heaven and Earth

A Novel

By: Paolo Giordano, Anne Milano Appel - translator

Narrated by: Jane McDowell

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful, epic novel of four friends as they grapple with desire, youth, death, and faith in a sweeping story by the international best-selling author of The Solitude of Prime Numbers.

“Perfect, moving, honest, brilliant, with characters who feel like old friends.” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less)

"Heaven and Earth is a stunning achievement and confirms him as an electrifying presence in contemporary fiction.” (André Aciman, author of Call Me by Your Name and Find Me)

Every summer Teresa follows her father to his childhood home in Puglia, down in the heel of Italy, a land of relentless, shimmering heat, centuries-old olive groves, and families who have lived there for generations. There Teresa spends long afternoons enveloped in a sun-struck stupor, reading her grandmother's paperbacks.

Everything changes the summer she meets the three boys who live on the farm next door: Nicola, Tommaso, and Bern - the man Teresa will love for the rest of her life. Raised like brothers on a farm that feels to Teresa almost suspended in time, the three boys share a complex, intimate, and seemingly unassailable bond.

But no bond is unbreakable and no summer truly endless, as Teresa soon discovers.

Because there is resentment underneath the surface of that strange brotherhood, a twisted kind of love that protects a dark secret. And when Bern - the enigmatic, restless gravitational center of the group - commits a brutal act of revenge, not even a final pilgrimage to the edge of the world will be enough to bring back those perfect, golden hours in the shadow of the olive trees.

An unforgettable story of enduring love, the bonds between men, and the all-too-human search for meaning, Heaven and Earth is Paolo Giordano at his best: an author capable of unveiling the depths of the human soul and who has now given us the old-fashioned pleasure of a big, sprawling novel in which to lose ourselves.

©2020 Paolo Giordano; Anne Milano Appel (translation) (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[An] extraordinary novel... Lush regional details, indelible characters, and a riveting story line make this an overwhelmingly emotional read. Giordano’s captivating tale is a magnificent testament to the lingering impact of a charged romance.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"With rich descriptions and engrossing, memorable writing, Italian novelist Giordano explores love, faith, and lifelong bonds." (Booklist)

"As he did in his Premio Strega-winning debut, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, Giordano deftly mines the vast, mysterious territory of childhood, illuminating how our first relationships and loves inform the adults we become. A big, delicious mash-up of a novel blending the vividly drawn friendships of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan stories with the urgency of Richard Powers's acts of ecoterrorism in The Overstory." (Library Journal)

Definitely not a mystery

Not sure why this was under mystery when I pre-ordered it. It's a well written story then does envelope you completely.

The only negative is the narrator. I normally like her work but not with this. There are far too many characters and she doesn't give them different voices. It makes it really hard to follow when story changes from the woman to the man.

Engaging and Colorful

I appreciate all things Italian, so I thought I’d try this book knowing nothing about it. The story was compelling, but sometimes it was hard to discern who was talking since the narrator did not change her voice or usually identify the person, but I did enjoy this very much.

Pretty Good Story

Because it’s bed. Translated I’m giving it a fair review. The story overall was good but drawn out at times.

Not for me

I don’t know what this is supposed to be. I really struggled, but I just can’t get any further along than beginning of part two.