Is it too late to take stock of your life when you’re pushing fifty? Is it too late to want a child?

In this new novel by Federica Bosco, an author who has sold over 1 million copies of her books, Giulia, the protagonist, must learn to take risks in order to finally live fully and reach out for what fate has in store for her. It might even be happiness…

Giulia is about to blow out forty-nine candles on her cake when she suddenly feels dissatisfied, as though she hasn’t done anything of consequence in her life. And then there’s that never previously experienced desire that’s calling to her louder and louder: she wants a child – she who has never thought of motherhood. Even though her female friends cannot understand her and her partner doesn’t know how to tell her it’s insane. “It’s too late” are the words Giulia hears echoing in their conversations and now she is no longer able to decide between yielding to the majority view and trying anyway. But what Giulia doesn’t know is that destiny is never written in stone. That she holds many different cards in her hand. They could be those we’ve chosen from her deck, the ones we want with all our hearts. Or they could be others, that are very different from what we’ve always imagined, and that surprise us. Because there isn’t just one road to happiness and the only way to find the right one is taking a risk. Because, maybe, the best day of our lives is yet to come.

From their homes, twenty-six of the most prominent writers in the Italian landscape have given a meaning to these days by choosing to tackle this emergency also with the weapons of literature.

R. Armeni, S. Auci, A. Basso, B. Bellomo, G. Biondillo, C. Bonvicini, F. Bosco, M. Buticchi, C. Caboni, D. Carrisi, A. Dalton, G. Festa, A. Frontani, E. Galiano, A. Gazzola, E. Gnone, M. Gramellini, J. Lahiri, F. Noiville, C. Sánchez, G. Sundas, S. Truzzi, I. Tuti, H. Tuzzi, M. Vichi, A. Vitali.

Nowadays, fear has a new name: Covid-19. The only way to defeat it is to stay at home.  Within the four walls that have always shielded us but which have now become impassable boundaries.

They have become almost an enemy.

And yet, day after day, those who always work with words have discovered that rooms, windows, and even the remotest corners of their homes are wings to carry them out into the world. Every one of them has therefore chosen a way to give life to this magic.

From their homes, twenty-six of the most prominent writers in the Italian landscape have given a meaning to these days by choosing to tackle this emergency also with the weapons of literature.

So as to take their daily lives to the readers who love them.

And they decided to do this together with the publishing house Garzanti by donating all the proceeds to the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo.

Some decided to write about their days, their established routines, about novelties that make you smile. About the tears they cannot stop but also about the force of nature that dissolves the lump in your throat. About forced cohabitation, as well the distancing from people who are dear to you, that feels unbearable. Others write about neighbours who were once strangers but are no longer so, and work that has changed its tools but not its substance. Some admit their error in thinking that it could not all be true or else lend a voice to animals who, on the contrary, are glad this is all true. Others entrust their thoughts about these strange days to beloved characters they have created. Everyone is certain that we will emerge from this more aware of what is truly important, and we will meet, hug, and soon take walks all together. They are certain that solidarity will be the currency we will carry with us and no longer be able to do without.

They are all convinced that words, books and stories bring us together. They create invisible links that break all barriers. When we read we are never alone. And we are strong. And everything appears as it will be. Because all shall be well.

A bittersweet, nostalgic novel that visits all the generations in order to meditate on the meaning of friendship at any age and the importance of taking risks – always.

An intense, poignant story about the best years of our lives.

Bestseller list

Benedetta is spending yet another New Year’s Eve with her old friends, the same ones who, back in the Eighties, would spend their afternoons sitting on their mopeds, smoking and gossiping and who are now forty-somethings tackling divorce, unpalatable kids, botox and the Peter Pan syndrome. What they all have in common after thirty years is waiting for an opportunity, a new possibility, a meeting or something around the corner. In Benedetta’s case, this is a delayed text message, which could mean picking up the strands of a love that time has not severed, which might have been true love and is now quickening the beat of her heart again. Until the unexpected happens and life comes up with a surprise – although not always the way one expects. So it is now a matter of finding the courage to abandon the lifeboat and starting to swim in the sea of maturity. True maturity.

Do you feel too sensitive, fragile, different? You are not alone.
In this book, part memoir, part thoughtful and practical advice, Federica Bosco shares her experiences while teaching us the skills to enjoy the bright side of being a highly sensitive person.

Hypersensitivity — also known as being a “highly sensitive person” (HSP) — is not a disorder. It is a condition that affects 20% of the world population. Together with the feeling of inadequacy — which is very natural, you don’t need to be a HSP to have experienced it at least once in your life! — hypersensitivity has benefits, such as being able to “read” the mood of a room and taking into account subtle cues when making a decision.
In this inspiring and relatable memoir, Federica Bosco opens up about her fears and about how she learned to turn her weakness into a strength. She believes knowing that you have hypersensitivity is the first step to changing your life. It wasn’t until she was finally able to give herself permission to embrace her imperfect self that she was able to recognize the strength of her sensitivity and to find solace and, yes, happiness.

How to Turn Your Sensitivity into a Strength
For all the people who have constantly been told they are “too sensitive” and need to “toughen up,” here comes a warm and uplifting book written by a woman who spent years feeling as though there was something wrong with her, until she discovered that she was not alone.

A must read for anyone who has ever felt inadequate.

Key points
– Hypersensitivity is a trending topic.
– 20 percent of the world population falls into the category of Highly Sensitive People.
– You do not need to be Highly Sensitive to relate to this subject. Feelings of inadequacy are very natural. Most people feel inadequate at some point in their life.
– Though being Highly Sensitive is a natural and healthy condition and it has a number of unique
gifts, if left undiagnosed it can damage lives and relationships.

There is no right or wrong time for loving, forgiving, changing, living. There is the time chosen by each of us.

English sample available – Bestseller List

Alessandra has the perfect life: a teaching job, a supportive family and a man at her side with whom she can plan the future. At least until the day when an unexpected gust of wind swells a curtain on a window and shifts all the objects in a room. A gust that sweeps away her love and a large proportion of her certainties. However, it is precisely in this new life where nothing adds up that a new opportunity presents itself. Before embarking on a long trip, Alessandra’s sister entrusts her with her children. Consequently, her everyday life comes alive with requests for love, shared dinners and improbable conversations, as well as swimming lessons watched proudly from the terraces. And it’s on these terraces that she meets Lorenzo, a kind, optimistic man, only recently divorced and with a tantrum-throwing teenage daughter. They have much to bring them together and much to keep them apart: they can only devote a little time to love. The timing seems wrong and the meeting a gamble. As we know, it takes courage to see the beauty in what looks imperfect but is often just different and unfamiliar. That’s what makes it particularly special.

When love becomes obsession, annihilation and self-destruction.

Federica Bosco revisits her painful experience of toxic love in order to help readers transform difficulties into an extra asset.

A book about blossoming again.

This time you’re sure. You’ve met the man of your dreams. You’re the light in his eyes, he showers you with love, promises and plans. Everything seems to fall into place until, one detail at a time, the light becomes shadow. Declarations of love suddenly turn into cruel silences, seduction into manipulation and attention into psychological torture.

Federica Bosco found the courage not to give in and, with tenacity and patience, put the pieces of her life and soul back together in a new order, so was born again better, stronger, sturdier and truer. Above all, she decided to put her experience and her pen at the service of anyone who may need it, to make sure that fewer and fewer people fall into the narcissists’ traps.