BREWSTER, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Follow the fascinating evolution of an Italian-American family in New York - from its immigrant roots, through World War II, the 1960s and '70s. This is the backdrop for the touching story of a mother-daughter relationship, shaped by the mother's lifelong affair with a married political figure. Read on and witness the intriguing saga of the Ghirardi family unfold in The Vineyard on Mulberry Street, a novel by Barbara Marolla Roberts.

The patriarch of the Ghirardi family, Francesco, leaves his roots in Armento, Italy, in 1890 as a child, and emigrates to Mulberry Street in New York's Lower East Side. When he's a young man, he marries Angela, and they have four children; the eldest, Catherine, develops into the beauty of the family, an Italian-American Scarlett O'Hara. At nineteen, Catherine becomes involved with a powerful, married public figure while living in the traditional Catholic household. Despite getting married and giving birth to a daughter, she continues the forbidden love affair, living a double life. The secret life of Catherine and her lover unfolds amidst the family's Sunday feasts where we hear the laughter, smell the food, taste the wine and feel the emotions.

The Vineyard on Mulberry Street is a novel that is as much about changing times -- for women and for the country -- as it is a poignant portrait of secrecy, loyalty and the many kinds of love that bind. It is a story full of riches that rewards us with truths about other lives, as well as our own. To order a copy of this compelling book, just log on to Xlibris.com or visit a local book retailer near you.

About the Author

Barbara Marolla Roberts was born in New York City and is a graduate of Skidmore College where she majored in art. She taught elementary school and was an executive recruiter before working for Pace University in Westchester, New York, first as the Assistant Director of Graduate Admission and currently as the Graduate Program Coordinator of the Masters in Counseling Program. She resides in Putnam County, New York, with her husband.

      The Vineyard on Mulberry Street * by Barbara Marolla Roberts
                  Publication Date: October 6, 2006
       Trade Paperback; $18.99; 705 pages; 978-1-4257-0927-3
        Cloth Hardback; $26.99; 705 pages; 978-1-4257-0928-0

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