Pearly Everlasting
Pearly Everlasting tells the story of Salvia Fischetti, a painter tortured by guilt over her daughter’s death.
Book Description:
Pearly Everlasting tells the story of Salvia Fischetti, a painter tortured by guilt over her daughter’s death. Morgan Pochyrus is a biker poet consumed by guilt over secrets in his own past. The unlikely meeting of the pair — and their valiant attempts to save an infant facing a life-threatening illness — lead both characters toward healing in an unexpected way, in this gripping and beautifully written novel.
“Claudia Ricci’s riveting and sometimes explosive novel Pearly Everlasting…is a novel to be read for its compassion, mastery of woven narrative and character, and always relevant themes of commitment, love, and redemption.” ~Eugene K. Garber, Ph.D., author of seven books of award-winning fiction, including Metaphysical Tales, The Historian, and Maison Cristina
“Pearly Everlasting embodies that longing inside all of us, longing to be seen, heard, and understood…A gut-wrenching mix of loss and reclaimed dreams, this story pulls you by the emotions and won’t let you go until the final exquisite paragraph.” ~Kathy Joy, author of the Breath of Joy book series and two children’s books, Will You Hold My Story?
and It Was Enough.
“With tactile and fast-paced prose, Pearly Everlasting, by Claudia Ricci, takes us through the chaos of grief and loss to eventual deliverance and shows us how chance events can turn into second chances.”
~Rebecca Burke, Washington, D.C.
Reviews for the Book
"Awarded a 5-Star Reader's Favorite Editorial Review 2023!" Pearly Everlasting is a work of fiction in the literary style and family drama subgenre. The work is best suited to the mature adult reading audience owing to its potentially distressing subject matter and the inclusion of explicit language and sexual situations. Penned by Claudia Ricci, this harrowing and heartfelt interpersonal drama follows the meeting of protagonists Salvia Fischetti and Morgan Pochyrus. A painter wracked with guilt and a biker poet find more than just their artistic souls connecting as they battle to save an infant from a terrifying illness, and what develops is a series of emotional challenges that will bring them both closer to one another, and closer to the healing they've always desired. Claudia Ricci has a keen sense of character that lends itself to this style of storytelling, so much so that you begin to feel that you know Salvia and Morgan personally within just a few pages of meeting them. I enjoyed the close narration and craftwork in the dialogue, which gives each character their distinct parlance but never loses the artsy stylistic edge that reminds you of the beauty of the author's wordplay. Plot-wise, there's much to enjoy, with a slow-burning start that contextualizes Salvia's great loss and deep pain. There are some heart-breaking parallels drawn and difficult moments later that echo back perfectly to the opening chapters to leave readers feeling satisfied with the journey of growth and healing that's taken place. I would not hesitate to recommend Pearly Everlasting to fans of artistic and literary writing that also digs deep into human emotion and connection. I highly recommend it! ~ Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
About the Author: Claudia Ricci
Claudia Ricci, Ph.D., is an American Author, an influential and seasoned writer of literary fiction, and an accomplished painter.
Claudia is a former writer for The Wall Street Journal and a prize-winning reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She published her first novel, Dreaming Maples, in 2002 after being nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Seeing Red, her second novel, was released in January 2011, and Sister Mysteries came out in 2018. Her new book, which will be released in the Fall of 2022 titled ‘Pearly Everlasting.’ All of her novels are available on Amazon and featured as her subsequent titles on fine literary sites.
Ricci’s short fiction has been published in numerous literary magazines nationwide, including Alaska Quarterly Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Bayou, Yemassee, Barkeater, The Adirondack Review, The MacGuffin, and Another Chicago Magazine. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in The New York Times, Business Week, Parents magazine, the Huffington Post, and The Washington Post.
Claudia earned her Ph.D. in English (Teaching, Writing, and Criticism) from the University at Albany, SUNY, in 1996. She taught English, journalism, and creative writing at the University for 14 years and did a year-long teaching sabbatical at Georgetown University in 2009. Claudia is not writing enjoys reading good books, traveling, canoeing and painting.(Her paintings can be viewed at https://www.claudiariccipaintings.com.) She and her husband reside in North Egremont, Massachusetts.
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