The Eight Mountains

A fine book, a rich, achingly painful story that is made for all of us who have ever felt a hunger for the mountains. Few books have so accurately described the way stony heights can define one’s sense of joy and rightness. And it is an exquisite unfolding of the deep way humans may love one another. – Annie ProulxCould Cognetti be the new Elena Ferrante? * The Bookseller *A great story about friendship and about what it means to become a man * Vanity Fair Italia *There are no more universal themes than those of the landscape, friendship, and becoming adults, and Cognetti’s writing becomes classical (and elegant) to best tell this story…a true novel by a great writer * Rolling Stone Italia *A beautifully crafted piece of writing… Absorbing… The power of nature to transform the individual, for good and for bad, is seen through each of the characters – Sarah Gilmartin * Irish Times *The Eight Mountains is a novel about love for the mountains, but more than that it is about those male relationships that rely on the slow accumulation of understanding where nothing is directly expressed: men, while feeling a lot, say very little, and, tragically, sometimes this can be fatal. Cognetti’s novel, poetic and properly romantic, achieves a moving grandeur – David Mills * Sunday Times *A profound tale about male friendship, its consolations and shortcomings, set in the Italian Alps * 100 Best Books to Read This Summer, The Times *With gorgeously understated, unhurried prose, Cognetti crafts the story of an unlikely friendship between a city boy named Pietro and a young cow herder, Bruno, who lives in the Alpine mountains where the members of Pietro’s family spend their vacations. You can feel the cycles of nature as the narrative unfolds * New York Times *The Eight Mountains is… Paolo Cognetti’s enchanting story of a boy who comes of age at altitude – Tobias Jones * Guardian *A boy bonds with a local while holidaying in Italy’s mountains in a thoughtful…coming-of-age story… A story of relationships – not just between people, but with the mountains… Cognetti captures the elation and melancholy that comes with reaching a spectacular summit, only to realise the minuscule part we play in the panorama of life – Ben East * Observer *

Paolo Cognetti was born in Milan and continues to divide his time between the city and his cabin in the Italian Alps. He is the author of The Lovers and The Eight Mountains, which was an international sensation - a bestseller in multiple languages and the winner of Italy’s Premio Strega and the French Prix Medicis etranger. The film adaptation of The Eight Mountains won the 2022 Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

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