top of page
What do we inherit, and what can we finally lay down?
The Penny –
A Novel by
DONNA NUCCI
A single copper penny. A century of secrets.
The Penny is a sweeping, lyrical novel that follows five generations of Italian-American women—from Lena, who leaves Italy pregnant at 17, to Lisa, a post-9/11 tech visionary who preserves memory through sound.
For readers of The Red Tent, The Paper Palace, and The Island of Missing Trees.
.png)
“Your love cannot grow here. But your spirit will bloom elsewhere.”—
Luigia DeRossi
“I became a mother on a boat. A woman in the birth room. And then, Lena Simeone.”— Maddalena / Lena
“Some things you don’t explain. Some things you carry.”—
Franny
“Sing louder than your shame.”— Rosalina
bottom of page