Theres No Turning Back, Alba De Cespedes
Theres No Turning Back, Alba De Cespedes
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There's No Turning Back

Author: Alba De Céspedes

Narrator: Aida Reluzco

Unabridged: 11 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/11/2025


Synopsis

Discover the “boundary-breaking” (LitHub) debut novel by the beloved feminist author of the “brilliant” (The Wall Street Journal) Forbidden Notebook and the “courageous” (The Washington Post) Her Side of the Story that was so subversive, it was banned by the Italian Fascist regime when it was first published in 1938.

A coming-of-age novel that is as relevant today as it was nearly ninety years ago, There’s No Turning Back centers on eight women with radically different backgrounds who attend the same college in Rome. Some are there to study, others to escape a scandal, or keep a secret, and during their time there, they experience the challenges of love, work, and emancipation.

Considered experimental and revolutionary at the time, this novel established Alba de Céspedes as “one of Italy’s most cosmopolitan, incendiary, insightful, and overlooked writers” (Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize winner). Translated by Ann Goldstein, There’s No Turning Back demonstrates why de Céspedes deserves “an important place in the canon of women’s literature” (Chicago Review of Books).

About Alba De Céspedes

Alba de Céspedes (1911–1997) was a bestselling Italian Cuban feminist writer greatly influenced by the cultural developments that lead to and resulted from World War II. Along with being imprisoned for her anti-fascist work, several of her novels were banned in Italy. After the war, she moved to Paris, where she lived until her death in 1997. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on April 18, 2025

sometimes i'm so convinced i'm going to love an author i forget i haven't read anything by them yet. and immediately, writing like this proved me right: "Here we're still looking: looking for our true way of being." "You think we'll stop looking for it, once we're outside?" "No, but here we have the ill......more

Goodreads review by Dagio_maya on June 25, 2021

Pubblicato nel 1938, Nessuno torna indietro subì in vario modo il tentativo di essere censurato ma non poté nulla contro un dirompente successo di pubblico. Era l’anno delle vergognose leggi sulla razza e credevo che il romanzo fosse stato accusato di contenere messaggi contro il regime, in realtà l’......more

Goodreads review by Come on May 30, 2022

Questo è il secondo libro di Alba de Céspedes che leggo, ripubblicato da Mondadori in tutti i formati, audiolibri compresi. Otto ragazze, di varia estrazione sociale, che affermano la loro indipendenza nell'Italia dell'epoca fascista, prima della Seconda Guerra Mondiale: il romanzo fu pubblicato per......more

Goodreads review by Daniele on September 18, 2023

Che scoperta Alba de Céspedes! E che romanzo Nessuno torna indietro, sono rimasto rapito dalla storia di ognuna di queste ragazze così diverse tra loro. Bello lo stile, bello il tatto con cui l'autrice scava nell'animo di ognuna delle protagoniste. 5 stelle di pancia, non è perfetto ma mi è piaciuto......more

Goodreads review by piperitapitta on January 24, 2018

Ricordo ancora il grande senso di malinconia e di tristezza che ho provato nel finire questo libro. Nessuno torna indietro nella vita, abbiamo solo una possibilità. (Forse letto dopo lo sceneggiato Rai - con Federica Moro! - al quale va il merito di avermi regalato una delle più belle letture di quel......more


Quotes

"Aida Reluzco’s narration brings depth to each character in this coming-of-age novel, which follows eight Italian women from vastly different backgrounds as they navigate the complexities of education, independence, and societal expectations. Banned in 1938 by the Fascist government, this story paints a wide picture of Italian womanhood. Some arrive at college eager to learn, while others seek refuge from scandal or the weight of their own secrets. Throughout their time together, they confront love, ambition, and the limits placed upon them. As Reluzco highlights their distinct voices and emotional journeys, her performance captures the tension between tradition and modernity, making the struggles of these women immediate and relevant. She magnifies the themes of resilience and self-discovery presented in these intertwined stories."