Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves – The Annwyn’s Secret by Claudine Giovannoni

Swiss author Claudine Giovannoni has several books published in Italian and has received some excellent critical reviews for them. Unfortunately, none as yet have been translated into English and Google translate, whilst great at giving your basics is not the best tool to use for capturing the more literary specific words and nuances.  However, Claudine has translated one of her books into English and it was published in 2016 and we welcome her to the shelves of the bookstore.

The Annwyn’s Secret blends together Celtic myth and New Age Mysticism in a unique, dystopian vision of the future

About the book.

Chrysalis is an Annwyn, a being of great potential and power whose purpose is the betterment of humankind. In a world ruled by the totalitarian hegemony known as the Unified Power, this task is not easy and everything is not as it seems.

Together with her brother Joshua and their mysterious Irish friend Marius, Chrysalis must unravel the mystery of an ancient relic, which could be the key to her purpose in this existence. Her undertaking will be difficult when it is hard to distinguish friend from foe.

Reviews for the English edition.

An extract from a comprehensive review of the book by Marian Translature: https://translature.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/the-annwyns-secret-by-claudine-giovannoni/

I found Claudine’s writing style sophisticated, but at the same time neat and simple. The reviewing and researching behind her writing is evident, both in regards to the content (references to mythology, to the quantum theory and philosophy) and to the refined lexical selection. Nevertheless, she maintains an informal tone throughout the book, making it easy to read and accessible, in spite of its plenty encrypted messages. This is why I would feel recommend The Annwyn’s Secret to young readers, but I think it may suit the taste of a wide range of people of all ages. I am sure that different target readers will be able to access different level of interpretations and reflections. From my perspective, there may not necessarily be specific readings for certain ages.

Claudine’s writing is imbued with feminine sensibility and acute wittiness; it reflects her hunger for knowledge, her attitude to analyse and explore reality with her critical sense of observation and self-awareness. Readers may be disappointed at the end if they expect to find all answers revealed, as clear as a cloudless sky. The epilogue is quite inconclusive and it remains pretty much wrapped up in a cloud of mystery. Nevertheless, I think that the responses to the enigmas are to be found elsewhere and not in the conclusion of this book. It encourages researching through the act of living and dreaming, and maybe the knot will be untied at some point. The book itself is a tool and should be used as such, together with other resources. I fancy finding an analogy between the power of the Annwyns and the power of literature, I feel they share the same mission on the planet (betterment), they both aim to change the direction of the energy and try to put an end to the endless struggle between Good and Evil.

If you like deep philosophy with a mix of Celtic mythology saturated … By Kevin Cooper on January 13, 2017

If you like deep philosophy with a mix of Celtic mythology saturated by fantasy in a totalitarian ruled world The Annwyns Secret may be your cup of tea.Chrysalis and her brother journey together in search of the secret to an ancient relic in their possession, but who can they trust with The Unified Power also wanting to know because it could change the balance of power in the world.

I thought this was a children’s fantasy for some reason, but it isn’t. The reading level is far too advanced, and I felt the characters could use more development, hence the four stars rating.

Buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Annwyns-Secret-Claudine-Giovannoni-ebook/dp/B01KNFCVS0

Also by Claudine Giovannoni in Italian.

About Claudine

Claudine Giovannoni was born shortly before Christmas, in 1959 in Locarno – Switzerland. Since youth, she was enthralled by learning foreign languages and cultures. She lived and studied in the USA and in the Dominican Republic, she fluently speaks 7 languages and her commitment is to help children and animals in need. She is, as well, deeply interested in philosophy and theology.

All these topics mixed together brought her to travel around the world. She takes inspiration from real life experiences and subconscious ones, transcribing her happenings into novels or poems. “Annwyn’s Secret” (Il segreto degli Annwyn) is her fourth novel, now translated into English, and soon into Portuguese. There were agreements with the Torino Film Lab for transposition of the novel into a movie.

Connect to Claudine.

Blog: https://annwynsecret.wordpress.com
Website: https://claudinegiovannoni.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claudine.giovannoni

If you would like to be in my Cafe and Bookstore.. here are the details.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/smorgasbord-short-story-tales-from-the-irish-garden-after-the-festival-illustrated-by-donata-zawadzka/

Thanks for dropping in today and as always your feedback is appreciated.. Sally