Rossana Balduzzi Gastini

Horror Literature posted December 04, 2013

There are few, at least in Italy, dazzling literary debuts, especially in such beloved genres as horror and thrillers. Among these should certainly be mentioned that of Rossana Balduzzi Gastini author for Betelgeuse Publisher of the novel Life on loan (Nella sua mente).

Roberto Saviano

I generally don't read detective stories. I accidentally entered the pages of Rossana Balduzzi Gastini and found a book where plot and characters ensnare until you get lost. A book constructed by imaginary method similar to the subjects of the best television series.

The Sesia culture section

In Nella sua mente By privileging direct dialogue between the characters and the externalization of their thinking, the author takes the reader through an unceasing movement of discovery where everything flows, where every choice-for better or worse-becomes an opportunity to recognize oneself, to bring to the surface parts buried so deep that we have almost forgotten they exist. Every dialogue, every description is never trivial or gratuitous, but always tense and aimed at creating a subtle feeling of estrangement, of subtle psychological tension, without smearing or artifice.

Danilo Arona - Corriereal - blog, the Superstitious 2019

La ragazza di madreperla is a novel that possesses the rare ability to throw you into the story, right away, with an exciting interlocking plot. La ragazza di madreperla is really a perfect serial, already punctuated temporally by chronologically dependent episodes. It would be a shame not to see it realized. The script is nice and ready and it is perfect.

Reviewed by Pina, Books_intheheart

Do you feel like reading a gripping thriller? A thriller that will keep you on your toes until the last pages? Then In His Mind is the novel for you.
Two strong, tenacious women, Clara and Emma, who will decide they want to expose an economic-criminal organization.
A novel with many twists and turns, a succession of events, a mad rush to discover the truth. Never mess with people of power, everything will become dangerous, and all the characters will live between reality and fantasy.
A novel rich in detailed descriptions, full of suspense, lies and intrigue.
Thanks to the smooth, flowing writing you will empathize with the characters; I appreciated the insight into their psychology. This story enters the reader's mind, you will ask yourself many questions, and perhaps only at the end will you receive all the answers. A seesaw of emotions, an alternation of joy, fear, anxiety and adrenaline. All your certainties will collapse giving way to doubts, insecurities and fragility.
I absolutely recommend reading it.

Mariolina Bertini for The Book Index of the Month

In his mind it is a novel in which suspense is exacerbated instead of dissolved, the reader feels as if he is confronted with an updated and seductive version of Notorious or Rebecca, the First Wife.

Liliana Vona for Literature & Cinema

Life on Loan and Covered(Nella sua mente) are books written with a dry, enveloping language, characterized by a remarkable narrative rhythm that thrills and engages. The plot is never confusing and the protagonists are well described, multifaceted and complex; real with their many flaws.

POSTED BY THREE MANDARINES ON THE DAY IN MY IMPORTANT EVENTS October 2019

The evocative pages of La ragazza di madreperla. are full of twists and turns, placing the focus on typically contemporary personal connotations, slamming emotions in the face...The author's mastery of several scientific subjects broadens the angles from which it is possible to read this novel: thus not only the lens of the sentimental sphere with the power of relationships and the importance of adherence to the earth, but also the sphere of reason, of reasoning, with man's challenge to technology, the dialogue between genetics and ethics, and the warning not to bend scientific discoveries and developments to anything but noble ends.

Beatrice Tibaldini - sololibri.net- 07-02-2024

Rossana Balduzzi's novel L'ottavo mondo is extraordinary, skillfully combining an enveloping atmosphere, well-defined characters and a plot full of mysteries.
The story succeeds in transporting the reader on an exciting journey while maintaining a fast-paced and realistic narrative. The combination of suspense, adventure and well-developed characters makes this book an unforgettable read, recommended for anyone seeking a gripping and engaging literary experience.

Reviewed by Pina, Books_intheheart

L'ottavo mondo is the second novel I have read by writer Rossana Balduzzi, and although the first one impressed me, this one exceeded my expectations.
The protagonist is a Sorbonne University student who will embark on a journey full of secrets and mysteries in order to finish her degree. What I appreciated during the narration is the dosage of suspense, in fact, you will literally stay glued to the pages thanks to the incredible narration that will always remain with that hint of curiosity that will drag you to the last page. Page after page you will realize the enormous research work behind this novel; it is not easy to tell about ancient stories, archaeology and art.
The vocabulary is researched, the writing well-structured. I admit that this novel was a real journey, engaging and with one mystery after another. L'ottavo mondo is a novel of discovery, of secrets, of identities to be discovered. I conclude by recommending it to all who are willing to take a journey through ancient places and many mysteries.

Alfredo Conde
Premio Nacional de Literatura 1986
Grinzane Cavour Super-Prize 1990

Rossana Balduzzi's novel Nella sua mente fascinates with its roiling mechanisms and this sense of mystery that envelops us from the first page.

NanoPress Culture published November 30, 2013

The author's flat, straightforward writing in Life on loan (Nella sua mente) digs lightly; it takes only a few touches to bring a character to life, to create an atmosphere ... the constant twists and turns drive a confident narrative. Essential linear but nonetheless enveloping and well-calibrated, the author's narrative debut captivates the reader by giving him or her a continuous tension, a continuous desire to discover the mystery.

The Newspaper - Paolo Giordano 15/09/2018

Giuseppe Borsalino's is a story that goes beyond fashion and is wonderfully, proudly Italian. A novel that never stumbles into rhetoric but helps to understand once again the great treasures of style that left for the world from our provinces.

Alessandra Micheli - Les fleurs du mal blog - February 13, 2024

L'ottavo mondo started as a breathtaking thriller, permeated with darkness and horrible secrets, Rossana's book becomes, in the flow of reading the best tale of human descent or ascent.
In myth we simply find archetypes that can speak to the essence of our deepest humanity, making the word not only beauty but even a warning.