BURNING DOWN (1)

What if you had one last chance to make amends? Award-winning novelist Venero Armanno returns with a gripping novel about the high price of success. Charlie Smoke is living out his early retirement from the boxing ring as a bricklayer. It is the mid-1970s and he believes his best days are behind him. He’s lost his wife and daughter to his questionable past, but when he meets Holly Banks and her teenage son, Ricky, he has a chance to do things differently. As an unlikely friendship develops with Ricky, Charlie is unwittingly pulled back into the gambling underworld he thought he’d left behind. In order to make a new future, first he must help settle some old scores. Burning Down is a searing new novel from acclaimed storyteller Venero Armanno about family, regret, love and the promise of salvation. ' Black Mountain is an eerie and compelling read ... Like the best of fiction, it remains with you long after you have finished. Christos Tsiolkas Beginning in the sulphur mines of Sicily over a century ago, Black Mountain takes you on a journey through time and back again. When a boy sold into slavery finds the courage to escape his brutal life, he is saved by a mysterious stranger, who raises the boy as his own. Renamed Cesare Montenero after Sicilys own black mountain, Mount Etna, the boy grows up to discover that his rescue was no accident, that his physical strength is unnatural, and that he has more in common with his saviour than he could have imagined. And when he meets the enigmatic Celeste, he suspects for the first time that he many not be alone. Based on factual events and ranging through Italy, Paris and the rural fringes of coastal Australia, Black Mountain is a haunting exploration of what it means to be human. Black Mountain is lush, ambitious storytelling that gives historical fiction a dark and unexpected inflection, as well as grappling with those eternal questions of fate and identity. Readings Monthly Charlie Smoke Is Living Out His Early Retirement From The Boxing Ring As A Bricklayer. It Is The Mid-1970s And He Believes His Best Days Are Behind Him. He Has Lost His Wife And His Daughter Sissy To His Questionable Past. When He Meets Naomi Banks And Her Teenage Son Ricky, He Has The Chance To Do Things Differently This Time Around. As An Unlikely Friendship Develops With Ricky, Charlie Is Unwittingly Pulled Back Into The Gambling Underworld He Thought He Had Left Behind. In Order To Make A New Future, First He Must Settle Some Old Scores. Burning Down Is A Searing New Novel From Acclaimed Storyteller Venero Armanno About Family, Regret, Love And The Promise Of Salvation. Venero Armanno. "Now, in his coffin as his friends prepare to bury him, Max is surrounded by the ghosts of his life and the dreams that never faded. All the old music is back too - from raw seventies rock-and-roll to the type of cool jazz that made legends of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. In this sea of memory, Max recalls the tragedies, people and relationships that defined his life. From his first love Maree Kilmister he learned about sex; from his great love Debbie Canova he learned about loss; and from the enigmatic Laetecia Sparks, he learned about hope."--Provided by publisher