Short stories on the worst Rome has to offer. A little boy gets raped and killed. Two Albanian teenagers sold into Italian Prostitution. In Africa, a nun is raped by Muslim bandits. We get inside an insane asylum, hear about the abuse by a father, and ever so much more. In all the stories we see Police Commissioner Adele Sofia at work, at times helped by Inspector Marra.

The stories are devastating because they ring so true. The author writes straight forward, not losing any time on asides or descriptions. Brute crimes, basic language.

Unfortunately, this book is doing nothing for me. Not only is it very slow and the minute details are so painstakingly expanded on, but I feel so distant from the main character, and find myself not caring about anyone in the story, when I really want to. I'm not really sure where this book is going, and the "mystery" behind the duchess's silence is really down-played. Of course, I'm not done with it yet, but so far, the book hasn't really addressed the mystery or expanded on it to make you want to figure out what happened to her. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to finish this one, and I'm the type of reader who wants to finish every book I start! It's really too bad, because I had such high hopes for this novel!

This was one of the best books I have read. It will stay with me for many years. I read in Sicily and it helped give me a "living color" understanding of history and culture of Sicily. It is fiction based on accurate fact and an entertaining way to learn about Sicily. Initially I thought it was a women's book but my husband who is normally addicted macho mysteries loved the book also.

I had to read this book for a literature class, and I completely adored it. If you know even a little bit about the social situation of women in the 18th century, you'll soon understand what a remarkable character the Duchess Marianna Ucria is. Although I had figured out, really early into the novel what the 'childhood trauma' was, I was pleased to see that it wasn't a book about coming to terms with trauma (yawn, yawn). Instead The Silent Duchess is more a novel about silences, both physical and metaphorical, it gives a voice to women who have been ignored by both society and history.

Dacia Maraini has created a gem of a book, which deal with many women's issues, some of which still exist today, but does so in a way that's not off-putting. Thought provoking, not boring.