Used Book – The Last Love of Valeria, Marc Fitten

Valeria is bored stiff in her small Hungarian village. A sharp-tongued yet sensible spinster, she may relentlessly criticize her good-for-nothing neighbors and terrify market vendors, but she feels that something is missing from her life. The day she meets a handsome, middle-aged man with appealing moustaches, she decides to let herself be swept away by passion—triggering a series of events that will turn the village upside down. Populated by sly peasants, gossips, and good-natured drunkards, this lively philosophical tale teaches us that love knows no age and that happiness lies in simple things. With Valeria, everyone gets their just deserts: communists, capitalists, lazy villagers, and corrupt politicians. Her ferocity, but above all her discovery of romantic and carnal passion, makes this Hungarian peasant an unforgettable character. Full of humor and wit, Marc Fitten's first novel takes us on a frantic sarabande of delightful arguments and misunderstandings, staged in the zany, offbeat style of an Emir Kusturica.