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Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Epigraph
  4. Prologue
  5. Part One
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Part Two
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Part Three
  33. Twenty-Six
  34. Twenty-Seven
  35. Twenty-Eight
  36. Twenty-Nine
  37. Thirty
  38. Thirty-One
  39. Thirty-Two
  40. Thirty-Three
  41. Thirty-Four
  42. Thirty-Five
  43. Thirty-Six
  44. Thirty-Seven
  45. Thirty-Eight
  46. Thirty-Nine
  47. Forty
  48. Forty-One
  49. Forty-Two
  50. Part Four
  51. Forty-Three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Forty-Nine
  58. Fifty
  59. Fifty-One
  60. Fifty-Two
  61. Fifty-Three
  62. Epilogue
  63. Author’s Note
  64. Acknowledgments
  65. Discover More
  66. Reading Group Guide
  67. Discussion Questions
  68. ESSAY FROMDIANA GIOVINAZZO
  69. Antoinette’s Sister
  70. Chapter One
  71. Chapter Two
  72. About the Author
  73. Praise forThe Woman in Red

In the story I have José and Anita making only one trip to Italy together, when in reality, José made multiple trips between Uruguay and Italy as he closed out business and got his soldiers settled. Likewise, in Anita’s final years she traveled back and forth from José’s side to her children in Nizza before the fateful retreat from Rome.

Garibaldi was a staunch abolitionist and insistent on freedom for all, a sentiment shared by Anita as well. It was important to me that the struggles of the freed slaves and the bravery of the black lancers be brought up even though I was unable to explore their stories more thoroughly.

I would also like to note that though there may not be anything left of the earth goddess Atiola, she was a deity whom Anita brought up more than once to Feliciana, even acknowledging that this goddess was on the verge of being forgotten. In all of my research I couldn’t find anything beyond Anita’s references to her. It would seem that her story is lost to time.

One thing I did not need to exaggerate was José’s love for Anita. His pet name for her, tesoro mio, came from his writings where he often referred to his wife as his treasure. He also wrote the following in his autobiography: “Fate reserved for me that other Brazilian flower which I still weep for, and for which I shall weep while I live.”

In crafting this story, the one thing that I didn’t expect was to find a feminist icon whom I could look up to, whose strength inspired and encouraged me in ways I never would have imagined. I am proud to be a steward of Anita’s tale.

Acknowledgments

Writing can be a very solitary activity. However, to get a story from a rough sketch in a notebook to an actual book takes a community. If it weren’t for these people, The Woman in Red wouldn’t be published.

First and foremost, a huge thank you to my agent, Johanna Castillo. Thank you for seeing the diamond in the rough, for giving me opportunities, and for always being there for my questions and anxieties.

Karen Kosztolnyik, thank you for being such a great editor and for loving my book as much as I do. It has been a true pleasure working with you. You made a lifelong dream come true, and I am eternally grateful. Likewise, thank you Grand Central for all your hard work in making this book happen. The Woman in Red found the perfect home with you.

Ryan Tierney, my husband, the peanut butter to my jelly, thank you for not only seeing my vision but for also putting up with the overflowing laundry and dirty dishes just so I could write one more chapter. You were always my first sounding board and listened patiently when I needed to vent.