I'll Steal You Away

Niccol˜ Ammaniti

Dec 2007 · Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

About this eBook

Italian literary superstar Niccolò Ammaniti’s debut novel, I’m Not Scared, prompted gushing praise, hit international best-seller lists, and was made into a smash indie film. With his highly anticipated follow-up, Ammaniti takes his unparalleled empathy for children, his scythe-sharp observations, and his knack for building tension to a whole new level. In a tiny Italian village, a young boy named Pietro is growing up tormented by bullies and ignored by his parents. When an aging playboy, Graziano Biglia, returns to town, a change is in the air: Pietro decides to take on the bullies, his lonely teacher Flora finds romance with the town’s prodigal son, and the inept janitor at the school proclaims his love for his favorite prostitute. But the village isn’t ready for such change, and when Graziano seduces and forgets Flora, both she and Pietro’s tentative hopes seem crushed forever. With great tenderness, Ammaniti shines light on the heart-wrenching failures and quiet redemptions of ordinary people trying to live extraordinary lives. I’ll Steal You Away is a fresh and classic story of a boy learning to be a man that delivers on the promise of Ammaniti’s acclaimed debut.

Ratings and reviews

This book shows off Ammaniti's attention to detail, containing graphic descriptions. He knows how to help readers get inside the minds of his youthful characters. - Elisabetta

About the author

NICCOLO AMMANITI was born in Rome in 1966. At thirty-four, he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Viareggio-Repaci prize. I’ll Steal You Away is his second novel; Canongate also published the highly acclaimed I’m Not Scared, which was published in twenty languages and made into a hugely successful film.
JONATHAN HUNT was born in Portsmouth, England in 1951. He has taught at the universities of Munich, Cambridge and Turin, and he has worked as a literary translator for several years. He currently holds a research post at Turin University and divides his time between Italy and Britain.