Just finished reading La maitresse de l'ecole by Clarice Tartufari , a modern French translation of the 1887 Italian novella, La Maestra. It's a charming story of a young woman, burdened with the expectations of her humble parents, embarking in a teaching career. Written when the author was just 19, it is unsophisticated and simple, yet you feel compelled to read on. It won't take you long to get to the end, which is pragmatic and not as dire as the editors would have you believe (they liken Ginevra, the heroine, to Emma Bovary - not a very good comparison, i.m.o.). If you have seen Amelie & can imagine the voice of the narrator, you'll get the idea.
![Artist Trading Cards](http://a href="http://www.atcards.com/"img src="http://www.atcards.com/images/banners/atcards_88x31_2.gif" border="0" alt="Artist Trading Card Forums" //a){kind=link}