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Marianne Sciucco
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Ino's Love: A Short Story Kindle Edition

by Marianne Sciucco (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
See all formats and editions
Sometimes, the people who love us best are not family.

Ino is 80 and lives alone in a third floor walk-up in New York's Little Italy. She's sometimes forgetful, diabetic, and suffers from chronic heart failure. On Christmas Eve eve, her successful CEO son calls to tell her he's in the city and plans to stop by later on. She's overjoyed (she hasn't seen him in months) and prepares a feast of all his favorite foods. Exhausted, she patiently awaits his arrival with her reliable home health aide Ruby by her side. When things don't go to plan, Ino and Ruby discover the true meaning of Christmas.

Note: this is a short story.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    21 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 10, 2013
  5. File size
    2192 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I don't remember what inspired me to create the characters of Ino and Ruby, but it must have been work-related because I was working as a hospital case manager at the time. My days were filled helping patients and their families find ways to remain comfortable and cared for at home when faced with long-term illness or disability. I have a soft spot for patients like Ino, and respect those who care for them with integrity. I strove to help them maintain their dignity. I wanted to share their stories, the story millions of our elderly citizens and their home health aides live each day.

When I started writing, I temporarily named Ino "June," after a lovely patient of mine, but I didn't feel it was right for this character, an elderly woman living alone in New York City's Little Italy. As I wrote, I pondered many old school Italian names. Nothing seemed right, until I stumbled upon the name "Innocenzia."

I saw it on the business card of a physician I worked with and asked her about it. "Everyone calls me Ino," she said, and I knew at once that was the name of my heroine. The title naturally followed, as this was the story of Ino's great love not only for her son but for Ruby, the home health aide who brings pleasure and comfort to her small, lonely life.

The dinner was also a pleasure to imagine and write. My own family's Christmas celebrations always include Italian specialties like manicotti, homemade tomato sauce, garlic bread, Chianti, and cannolis. I am very familiar with preparing these meals and delighted in showing Ino hard at work in her tiny kitchen, attempting to pull off this meal on her own, exhausting herself in the process. But it was for Ray, her beloved son, coming to visit on Christmas Eve eve, and nothing would deter her: Not diabetes, nor heart failure, nor Ruby.

Ino's Love is a story of love and forgiveness, of kindness and generosity, of doing and caring for others. The perfect Christmas message.

About the Author

Marianne Sciucco is not a nurse who writes but a writer who happens to be a nurse, using her skills and experience to create stories that bear witness to the humanity in all of us. She writes contemporary, women's and young adult fiction.

A lover of words and books, she studied the craft of writing as an English major at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and worked for a time as a newspaper reporter in New England. She eventually became a registered nurse to avoid poverty.

With more than 20-years' experience as a staff nurse and case manager, she's worked with countless families dealing with issues related to aging, elder care, Alzheimer's, and nursing home placement. In 2002, she put the two together and began writing about the intricate lives of people struggling with health and family issues. She published her debut novel, Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story, in 2013 to glowing reviews.

This book led her to become a co-founder and director of AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia from personal experience to light the way for others. Visit AlzAuthors.com.

Marianne has written an award-winning prequel to Blue Hydrangeas called Christmas at Blue Hydrangeas and is currently working on A Wedding at Blue Hydrangeas. She is the author of Swim Season, a young adult novel based on her 11-years' experience as a Swim Mom in club, high school, and collegiate swimming.

She has also written several short stories, including Ino's Love, Collection, and Birthday Party.

All of her work is available in Kindle, audiobook, and paperback.

When not writing she works as a campus nurse at a community college in New York's Hudson Valley.

Follow Marianne on her blog MarianneSciucco.com, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H8CMBIC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bunky Press (December 10, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 10, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2192 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 21 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Marianne Sciucco

Marianne Sciucco

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

I'm a writer of Young Adult, Women's, and Contemporary fiction, an eclectic reader, and a book promoter. I love to share good books and book deals with others who love to read.

When I'm not living my writer life I'm a nurse at an upstate New York community college. In the evenings you'll find me reading a good book on my Kindle or searching for something compelling to watch on Amazon Firestick.

I'm also a founder and manager for AlzAuthors, the global community of authors writing about Alzheimer's and dementia.

Happy reading!

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
54 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

dailey
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart touching
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Would you consider the audio edition of Ino's Love to be better than the print version?
It is a book that can easily be listened to in the car on your way to work. So that makes the audio nice.

What did you like best about this story?
Ino what a sweet caring lady. I would love to find out that this story was based on a real lady the author had known. She unconditionally loved her son. Even though he had let his life become more important than spending time with his mother.

Which character – as performed by Terry Murphy – was your favorite?
Terry did a nice job with the short story. She helped make it a sweet story to listen to.

Who was the most memorable character of Ino's Love and why?
The care giver. It was nice to see that someone had cared so much and Ino.

Any additional comments?
I was provided this audio book at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com
One person found this helpful
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S.A. Molteni
5.0 out of 5 stars A Story to Warm your Spirit
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
Ino's Love by Marianne Sciucco is a Christmas story that will pull at your heart strings and warm your spirit.

Ino is an elderly woman, Ruby is her care-giver. The two woman have a special bond, as do many care-givers and their clients in the real world. When Ino's successful son again cancels a visit to Ino on Christmas, Ruby goes above and beyond the call of care-giver duty to make certain Ino is not alone on Christmas.

As a daughter with an elderly mother, I see just how important visits to her are. I also am very thankful that one of my sisters lives in with her and is always there for her. Care-givers are an underappreciated breed and we should all be thankful for their time and service. I certainly am.
2 people found this helpful
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Olivia C
4.0 out of 5 stars So much feels. Of the mommy kind. And the Christmas kind.
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
Lovely story, perfect for Christmas. I particularly liked how the author described the food and how Ino looked especially when she dressed up for her son. I felt as if I were right there with Ruby, holding Ino's hand.

The story is one of hope and family - though the kind of family that isn't created through blood - and it lifts the spirits. However, maybe I'm too optimistic or maybe because it's Christmas, I wanted the fairytale Christmas ending. I won't explain because I don't want to give away any spoilers but I'd like to ask you - get this short story, read it and let me know what kind of ending you'd prefer. Or maybe it's because I'm a mother and can see myself in Ino's shoes one day.

As you can see, this story totally captured my heart and got me so involved and invested in the characters. I have so much to say about it! That's how wonderfully written it is. I love Ino so much. And in just a few pages. I want to hug her so badly.
One person found this helpful
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Full of Hope
5.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet and Christmassy
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017
Verified Purchase
This short Christmas story is perfect for when you have a little time--and a little Kleenex, just in case. I saw much of what was coming in the story, but watching it unfold still tugged at my heartstrings anyway.

While some little bits seem to unnecessarily state (or repeat?) the obvious, the tale doesn't shy away from taking an honest look at human nature. In a situation that's pretty wrong, Ino is pretty right (that's what tears me up!), and she finds a way to still make Christmas, Christmas.

A quick and bittersweet read that ultimately made me smile, even if I might've been teary.
One person found this helpful
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Paz
3.0 out of 5 stars Sad
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2016
Verified Purchase
Sad, very very sad
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Penelope McFann
5.0 out of 5 stars True life well written.
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2015
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I am a woman who receives home health care. I also have a grown son, who I love. It is so sad that the story is an too true. I feel that my son is busy with his life, climbing his latter. Like Ino I am thrilled with his success, and want him to do well. I am also sad that he will regret one day when I am gone. We live in small town Ohio, and the choices for him to get anywhere are limited. I am proud that he is making things work and may be able to fly over this place. But Ino's Love was spot on!
3 people found this helpful
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Jew4Jesus
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful short read that will make you cry
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016
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Ino's love is a short story about a mother who loves her son but he seems to have no time for his mother. Ino's caretaker comes and she hears Ino talking about her sons promised visit for Christmas. The caretaker feels Ino is being blind to her sons selfishness about spending time with his mom and yet she is about to learn something about Christmas, a Mother's Love and how a mother knows more than she seems to know.
This is a wonderful short story and gives a big surprise at the end about how a mother can share her Christmas.
One person found this helpful
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Barbara Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Short But Sweet
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2014
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This is a very short story that encompasses a great deal of reality. Any mother can relate to the unconditional love of a child turned adult who ignores what their mother has done for them. Will bring a tear to your eye.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ms. C.
4.0 out of 5 stars A heartwarming but sad short story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
This was a lovely short story but sad at the same time. It shows the huge differences in behaviour of people.

Poor Ino.
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