Vincenzo Florio began the Florio family’s rise from poverty in 1799 with his first venture as a spice merchant by opening an aromateria in Palermo. Throughout the 19th century, the family becomes Sicily’s wealthiest and most influential family as Casa Florio expands into exports of not only spices, but silk, bark, sulfur, lace, tuna, and their new Marsala wine. Stefania Auci’s fictionalized saga of the real-life Florio family became an Italian bestseller and is now translated into English. The novel closely adheres to true events and dates with detailed historical background at the end.

The Triumph of the Lions begins in 1868 when Ignazio Florio takes over his great-grandfather’s dynasty at the age of thirty. He has fulfilled the expectation that he marry into the aristocracy, therefore raising their social status. Ignazio walked away from the woman he loves, in the interest of the family and Casa Florio, for an arranged marriage. He mourns this loss for the rest of his life as he works tirelessly to grow their wealth to new heights. Ignazio dies prematurely in 1891. His son, also Ignazio, takes the reins at the age of 23. But his youth and his tendency for pleasure and luxury over hard work brings a change to the family.

Necessary to the Florios’ rise to wealth and power are the political maneuverings to facilitate that growth. These strategic politics and business manipulations are the least interesting parts in the novel. It is the interpersonal narratives and family drama that carry the plot. Because the names of Vincenzo and Ignazio are used repeatedly, across generations, it is a challenge to keep them straight, so the family tree is useful. For the best reading experience, read the first book covering the first three generations, The Florios of Sicily. I look forward to the final book, Fall of the Florios.

Historical Novels Review, May 2024

I loved the first book and I was so excited to get a copy of this! Auci continues her familial saga with the same depth and care given in the first book (I recommend reading it first). I could not put this down and I loved it.


Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The second and final volume (which can be read independently) in the saga of the Florio family -their rise and ultimate decline over a series of generations. An empire initially established by two impoverished brothers who migrate from Calabria to Sicily.
Historical fiction interspersed with real events in Italian history.
For me the most moving portrayals were those of the women, Giovanna and Franca, who suffer exceptional sadness with such quiet wisdom and dignity. A long read but interspersed with the wisdom of italian proverbs (translated into english) which should be heeded. I really enjoyed it.

This book was beautifully written, some parts I felt as though I was reading poetry. The translator did a marvelous job!

I enjoyed the character development and how the reader got to watch the family evolve throughout generations. I love when there is enough character development to really get attached to the characters and it makes the story more personal, like I was friends with them. Makes me need to know what is going to happen next. The author, Stefania Auci, does a wonderful job at shows us everyone’s woes and little wins along the way. I also think there is something to be said that we can work really hard and sometimes no matter how hard you work, something out of our control can happen and cause bigger issues.

This is a beautiful story and I can’t wait to dive into the series!

The Triumph of the Lions intriguingly imagines the saga of the Florios, whose founder initiated the spice company and extended into wine business in Sicily. This second installment follows the son and grandson of the founder.

Sicily, 1868: Vincenzo Florio assumes control of the family business following his father’s demise. With his burgeoning Marsala winery business attracting workers to the outskirts of Palermo, he is advised of the need for something to ensure the family’s peace of mind. Relationships are forged to such an extent that they become untouchable by the law. There is no necessity to involve the police from the north when matters can be resolved internally.

As Ignazio’s tale unfolds, he cherishes the memory of a woman he renounced for love, enabling the Florios to expend their business into realms his father could not – into the salons of aristocracy and the court of Savoys.

Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal fiercely compete for the port of Palermo, causing Vincenzo concerns. Exempt from taxation, they pose a stark contrast to the Italians, who are burdened with taxes. Disenchanted with the politics of Rome, which prioritizes personal gain over the welfare of its people, Vinzenzo looks northward to Rome, contemplating his next strategic move.

With ambitions of naval domination in the Mediterranean, he plans to demonstrate to Rome that alternative routes exist, requiring only Sicilian ingenuity. The Florios’ power and wealth go hand in hand.

This family saga delves into the dynamics across generations and the influence of wealth. The drive of the father mirrors that of the founder. Starting from nothing, they both work tirelessly to achieve financial independence. The founder’s grandson, born into wealth, adapts a contrasting approach to life, prioritizing love over financial pursuits, in stark opposition to his father, who sacrificed love for wealth. This divergence in values creates a rift, potentially threatening familial bonds.

However, the family is unprepared for the financial disaster that strikes. In 1893, Italy is rocked by the greatest financial scandal in its history, dragging the Florio family into chaos.

The narrative captivates with action-packed family dynamics and engaging prose, making for a fascinating read.

While Book 2 can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, I highly recommend beginning with Book 1 - The Florios of Sicily for a fuller understanding and appreciation of the story.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Triumph of the Lionsis a wonderful, epic historical/family fiction story that follows the Florios through the centuries and generations.

This book has an excellent combination of romance, drama, and history imbued within it. I already can’t wait to watch the dramatization of this story and am looking forward to seeing these characters come alive! It did take me a little bit to get into the story but, getting to know the characters is what really brought me into the story. The writing was also excellent and the whole setup of the story felt very unique.

Overall, this was a wonderful reading experience and I’d definitely recommend this book to historical fiction fans!

really fun book by a cool author. i'm super into historical fiction and this one was very very strong! would recommend. thanks for the arc! and cheers

The Triumph of the Lions is the second part of La saga dei Florio.
It starts recapitulating the first book giving a background knowledge of how the Florios, a family of merchants became wealthy through their trades. No matter how rich they were in Sicily, the aristocrats kept looking down on them for not being nobles, but that ended after Ignazio married a Baroness. There are more challenges and ambitions that the following head of the household will face to maintain the family fortune.

This is a historical fiction novel, and the Florios did exist so this family saga is based on them. The book is divided into four parts and each of them starts with a Sicilian proverb. It also includes the Family tree from 1723-1893 and the historical background that covers the second part of the novel from 1868 to 1893.
It is descriptive including minor details, for this reason, the pace can be a bit slow but I guess this was helpful for the TV series adaptation.

It is full of history, romance, drama, and through the Florios we learn how was the political, social, and economic situation in Italy and I was able to learn more about Giuseppe Garibaldi, Francesco Crispi, among other important Italian figures and historical events.

I really enjoyed the first and second parts of this saga which took me to the Mediterranean Sea.

Thank you HarperVia and Netgalley for the digital advanced copy.
Pub date: March 12th, 2024

I could see why this was becoming a series on streaming, it was a really well written book and I enjoyed how well the characters were written. This had a great overall story being told and I enjoyed the family elements. Stefania Auci writes a great story and left me wanting to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperVia for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed The Triumph of the Lions by Stefania Auci, translated from Italian to English by Katherine Gregor and Howard Curtis. I always love historical fiction and this was no exception!

I was immediately engrossed in the story of the Florio family across several decades and generations. This is a book I never wanted to put down. I felt like I was truly brought into the story and I needed to see what would happen next. I would like to read the original book L'inverno dei Leoni in Italian, but this translated story is absolutely great. Obviously I can't make a direct comparison having only read the story in English, but I really think the translators did a marvelous job. This book really touched me, and I already can't wait until I get a chance to reread. So I think that they clearly did their jobs well, assuming we count that as a success.

As I said, I was incredibly emotional at several points, which speaks not only to how well written it was, but also to how connected to the characters I was. Each character who serves as a narrator is clearly a unique person with their own thoughts and concerns so that it's easy to follow along as the book switches perspectives among them. My favorite character was Giovanna, but I was so invested in the whole family. I really love books with strong, developed characters and every single one of them holds their own.

I did notice someone mentioned in a review that they didn't enjoy that the translators left words in Italian instead of translating them all into English. This is not my opinion on this at all! I believe they're mistaken in saying the words are in Italian, and that they're carelessly left untranslated. In actuality, it's Sicilian words that remain, and I believe it to be a correct and deliberate choice to do so by the translators. Most of the words/phrases/sentences in Sicilian have their meaning explained either through context or even literally in the next sentence. So I don't think anyone should really be confused there. But more importantly I found the impact of having the Sicilian still there to be necessary to the story. If all of the Sicilian was translated, you would be completely confused at what Ignazio was talking about when he asks Giovanna not to speak dialect with the children, or at what he meant when he does it to make the servants feel more comfortable. If everything was in English you wouldn't see the difference between when they're speaking Sicilian (dialect) and when they're speaking Italian. I assume this is clear in the original book and I definitely appreciate the translators diligence in preserving this effect. Don't let yourself worry about not understanding if you only speak English, in my opinion there is no concern there.

I found this book to be incredibly beautiful with rich characters, even if there were times it felt like my heart was breaking for them. The Triumph of the Lions is a riveting read that I absolutely recommend!

I enjoyed this Italian family drama covering several generations. The language and cultural references added an interesting dimension to place the story in its time and beautiful location. Travelers and lovers of historical fiction may enjoy this saga.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The book has a slow pace probably because of the simple plot as well as the plethora of Italian words that I was not familiar with. I got tired of looking up words in the dictionary. Since the story has just been translated into English I have to wonder if there is an issue with the translation or with the plot. However, the translator should not have left so many words in Italian. A few of these words were explained in the next sentence but most were not. When the story moved to Ignazio seeing his French lover once again, we had to decipher the French sayings.

We have all heard the admonition to writers to "show not tell." In Lions there is alot of "tell," especially in the first half of the story. The characters were one dimensional until the final third of the story where we see Ignazziddu take over the family business. The reader sees Ignazziddu is not up to the challenge of running the family business from his actions. We see him spending too much money and that he is a womanizer. Having never been interested in the business while his father was alive, Ignazziddu learned nothing over the years that would have prepared him for running the company. In the end, we see the business faltering. The story ends with the birth of his first child. A girl. I am presuming that this means the end of the family. I don't know because the novel ended abruptly with her birth.

I am not sure how to rate the book. I was bored throughout most of it but the ending was good. There were serious problems with either the writing or the translation or both. I will give it a 2 star rating.