Viola Ardone was born in Naples in 1974. The holder of a degree in literature, she used to work in academic publishing. She is the author of two other novels, Le ricette del cuore in subuglio published in 2013 and Una revoluzzione sentimentale in 2016. Ardone currently lives in Naples and is a high school Latin and Italian teacher.
Amerigo's voice won me over. I devoured the pages of his story, because in his stories as a child there is so much lightheartedness and fear at the same time that one cannot help but love. --Scheggia tra le Pagine The novel is poignant, delicate, [and] profound. --Bruno Elpis The Children's Train is for those who want to jump into a painful but hopeful historical period and for those who love fiction from the point of view of the little ones. --Elena Naldi, Leggere a Colori The innocence of childhood collides with the stark aftermath of war in this wrenching and ultimately redemptive tale of family, seemingly impossible choices, and the winding paths to destiny, which sometimes take us to places far beyond our imaginings. --Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends The Children's Train is a sympathetic, well-crafted novel filled with vacation-worthy sights and authentic experiences from an Italy that balances folk tradition with modernity. --New York Journal of Books Ardone's beautifully crafted story explores the meaning of identity and belonging...recommended to fans of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels. --Library Journal Ardone's novel will appeal to fans of Elena Ferrante, but it stands on its own as a fictionalized account of an exceptional--and exceptionally complicated--social experiment. --BookPage