A winter's night - Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Set during the hardscrabble 1920s, this expansive novel follows the trials and tribulations of the Brunis, a family of hard-working farmers from the Italian Padan Plain. Witnessing the suffering around them, the Brunis open their great barn as refuge for the homeless multitudes. The barn becomes the inspiration for a series of vivid stories involving sundry strangers, the Bruni parents themselves and their nine children, who will grow up during the war and its aftermath. A magical collection that celebrates human solidarity during times of uncertainty.