In this richly colorful collection of stories, a masterwork of Naturalistic writing, Giovanni Verga attempts to capture the very essence of Sicilian life. A licentious woman coerces her son-in-law into agreeing to an illicit affair; a young boy, forced to work down in a mine to make a living, is robbed of his childhood and ultimately his life; a returning soldier toys with the affections of local girls and unleashes a sea of passion and vengeance from the village folk—read together, these stories form a remarkable chronicle of Sicilian country life in all its harsh reality. Giovanni Verga is Italy’s foremost Naturalist writer; he is best remembered for The House by the Medlar Tree, his saga of a family of Sicilian fishermen.