Natoli’s novel is a rich tapestry of an especially turbulent period in Sicily’s history. What did you learn about Sicily that you had not known before?

Which character in Sicilian Avengers, Blasco da Castiglione or Coriolano della Floresta, most resembles that of Edmund Dantès in Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo?

How does the romantic notion of the Beati Paoli as avengers and fighters for justice compare with your view of the American Mafia

Stereotypical portraits in the media has had a lasting impact on people’s perception of Italian-Americans, and specifically people of Sicilian descent. Did reading the novel change your views?

According to legend The Beati Paoli were thought of as heroes. Were they truly heroes or just another criminal gang that operated outside the law?

Coriolano della Floresta is the most enigmatic character in the novel. Does he have genuine affection for Blasco, or does he view him as a tool to carry out his aims?

Donna Gabriella and Violante are rivals for the love of the same man. Was the eventual winner in that struggle always evident or did it come as a surprise?

What was Blasco’s deepest desire, to wind up with Donna Gabriella or with Violante? Who did you root for?

Donna Gabriella stages a dramatic mise-en-scène at the end of the novel. What do you think she intended to do?

Natoli’s sequel to his novel, titled Coriolano della Floresta, takes place fifty years hence, in which Blasco and Violante appear. How do you think their characters would develop? Would their marriage be a happy one?

How does Natoli’s depiction of the people of Sicily’s hoped and dreams compare with that in Giuseppe di Tomasi’s The Leopard?

A TV series of Natoli’s novel is apparently in development from the Leone Film Group. If you were the casting director, who would you choose to play the main characters?