LINDA CARDILLO

Stories of the search for connection and belonging

Welcome! I invite you to explore my award-winning historical fiction and historical romance.

 

I write about the old country and the new, the tangle and embrace of family, and finding courage in the midst of loss.

 

 

What critics and readers say...

"Stirring and emotionally resonant..."

Kirkus Reviews on Love That Moves the Sun

"Beautifully written, passionate, page-turning adventure..."

Chanticleer Reviews on Boat House Café

"A measured, riveting tale, written in a confident, impassioned voice..."

—Kirkus Reviews on The Uneven Road

"Immersed in historical detail that's woven organically into a seamless narrative."

—Kirkus Reviews on Love That Moves the Sun

"Rich and nuanced..."

—5 star reader review on The Uneven Road

"Lyrical and moving..."

—author Judith Arnold on The Uneven Road

Explore my books...

Martha's Vineyard Family Saga

THE BOAT HOUSE CAFE

Everyone has secrets, some more than most.

Will Mae Keaney cling to the false safety of her reclusive life or reach out to forge new bonds of family and community when faced with not only a devastating illness but also the threat of losing her child?

A story of courage in the face of loss and the sacrifices one makes for love.

THE UNEVEN ROAD

When Josiah Monroe’s parents make the painful decision to sell the land where he grew up—the only place where he felt he truly belonged—the loss catapults the entire family into a spiral of disconnection.

A coming-of-age novel immersed in the turbulent 1960s and a family’s struggle with illness, war, and isolation.

ISLAND LEGACY

“Innisfree binds us.”

A grieving young widow returns with her son to her family’s summer cottage and attempts to understand the fraught history of the place for the two families who have roots there.

A new generation attempts to define where home is.

A PLACE OF REFUGE

She only remembers dying.

When a near-fatal automobile accident leaves Izzy Monroe with no short-term memory, she struggles to redefine her life. Taking refuge on a farm in Italy, she remains isolated in her impairment until she meets a young Jesuit priest confronting his own demons.

A story of longing, forgiveness, and the healing power of love.

CATRÍONA’S VOW

A brilliant musician, Catríona Scannell attempts to reconcile her promise to her mother to enter the convent with her escalating role in the struggle for Ireland’s self-determination and her deepening relationship with a young activist.

The striving for freedom—for a country and for a woman who wants to define her own life.

Italian Stories

DANCING ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS

Young Italian immigrant Giulia Fiorillo arrives in New York in 1906 and faces not only an inhospitable culture but also violence in the family and in the streets, shattering loss, and a love that shapes her whole life.

ACROSS THE TABLE

Following the return of her severely injured husband from the South Pacific in World War II, street-smart Italian-American Rose Dante finds a small restaurant for sale in their Boston neighborhood.

Believing in the evocative power of food lovingly prepared and her own passion and resilience, she attempts to overcome the challenges confronting her family as they live through the upheaval of the last half of the twentieth century.

An unforgettable story of family and forgiveness, loyalty and love.

ITALIAN TALES: Stories of the Mezzogiorno

Family honor, jealousy, curses and retribution

A collection of short stories about women who find their own power set in Southern Italy.

LOVE THAT MOVES THE SUN

He was the genius of his age; revered sculptor, painter, architect and poet; devoted friend; beleaguered artist to the popes; and a pilgrim in search of an elusive redemption.

She was a celebrated poet; dutiful daughter; adoring yet betrayed wife; powerful political voice; spiritual seeker; suspected heretic; and the only woman Michelangelo ever loved.

Twentieth Century Fiction

TRUE HARVEST

A reluctant daughter takes over a centuries-old winery in Cold War Germany

A Polish physician crosses into the West during the harvest

A love story that defies time, distance and political upheaval

TWO MOTHERS

Mel Ames is one of the few women covering the Vietnam War. In in the mounting panic and confusion of impending loss as Saigon is about to fall, she knows it is time to go.

But she also knows that she has one more story to write—a story that will change not only the lives of the thousands of children in Vietnamese orphanages who need to be rescued, but her own life as well.

Contact me if you'd like me to come talk to your book group!

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