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yikesbmg's review against another edition
3.0
Long read, interesting mostly because of the historical backdrop. All the women, with the exception of the hotel owner who is cast in a negative light, are only relevant due to their relationships with men, status as mothers, or beauty. Not was I was expecting for a book whose publisher advertises as a good fit for fans of Elena Ferrante.
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
4.0
"And now I'm hugging my mom because nothing and nobody can make up for what we have lost, neither those guilty of these losses, nor those who, directly or indirectly, were their origin or cause. In the end, when all the calculations have been done and it's clear who has taken what way from whom and why, and credits and debits and the whole double entry of faults and resentments is in order and precise, the only thing that counts is this: that we can still hug each other without wasting a single instant of the extraordinary luck of still being alive."
pg 365
"There is the time that flows around us, towards us and through us, time that conditions us and shapes us, the memory we cultivate or shake off- our History. Then, there is a sequence of places in which we live, between which we travel, where we are physically, places made of roads and buildings but also trees, horizons, temperatures, levels of atmospheric pressure, the major or minor speed with which the water of a river flows, altitude- our Geography.
These two trajectories, linked partly by fate and partly by free will, meet every instant and in every place at a spot, like in a Cartesian graphic cosmos, and the sequence of these spots form a line, a curve and sometimes, if we're lucky, even a pattern which, if it's not harmonious, then at least it's one you can make out.
This is the shape of our lives."
pg 367
A novel set against the historical backdrop of Italy after WWII till the early 1980s, giving us insight to the little known political strife in South Tyrol, effortlessly weaving the epic big story of a country, with the smaller relationship stories of a family.
pg 365
"There is the time that flows around us, towards us and through us, time that conditions us and shapes us, the memory we cultivate or shake off- our History. Then, there is a sequence of places in which we live, between which we travel, where we are physically, places made of roads and buildings but also trees, horizons, temperatures, levels of atmospheric pressure, the major or minor speed with which the water of a river flows, altitude- our Geography.
These two trajectories, linked partly by fate and partly by free will, meet every instant and in every place at a spot, like in a Cartesian graphic cosmos, and the sequence of these spots form a line, a curve and sometimes, if we're lucky, even a pattern which, if it's not harmonious, then at least it's one you can make out.
This is the shape of our lives."
pg 367
A novel set against the historical backdrop of Italy after WWII till the early 1980s, giving us insight to the little known political strife in South Tyrol, effortlessly weaving the epic big story of a country, with the smaller relationship stories of a family.
nikitael's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
michelareads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the story of Eva, her mother Gerda, her relatives, her region, her culture.
When Eva receives an unexpected message from Vito, a man she briefly knew as a child as her mother's partner and that she hasn't seen in decades, she knows that meeting him would help her understand her childhood and especially her mother's life choices. Eva immediately hops on a train and, while she travels through Italy, she recalls her past and the history of her region.
Eva Sleeps is a fantastic historical novel that takes us to a little region in the north of Italy, Trentino Alto Adige, and especially into its soul, which is a meeting of different cultures and languages, pushed together by history and conflicts during the 20th century. The novel is structured in chapters alternating two storylines: Eva's travel in her present (in the 90's) and the pretty accurate history of Alto Adige / Süd Tyrol told by a narrating voice starting from the years after WW1.
It's exactly the kind of book that I didn't expect to love that much, but that now I know will stay with me for a very long time. Characters like Gerda and Eva, the tragedies and losses they had to overcome, the strength they needed to find to survive, and for nobody but themselves... well, they broke my heart. I know their story is fictional, but it's so well written it really seems real. But it's also the sad and bitter story of Gerda's dad, who was only a poor child when his Austrian town was assigned to Italy, and it's also the story of Ulli, who loved his family so much that he couldn't bear being away from it and not being accepted by it. And it's the story of Vito, who found true love on the opposite side of the country and bravely tried to change Italy with his big heart.
It's a book that deserves to be read, savored, loved. It's beautiful, painful, generous of emotions and full of thought-provoking chapters. Truly a fantastic novel, a new favorite!
Can't wait to discuss about Eva Sleeps with my book club!
#michelasbookclub
When Eva receives an unexpected message from Vito, a man she briefly knew as a child as her mother's partner and that she hasn't seen in decades, she knows that meeting him would help her understand her childhood and especially her mother's life choices. Eva immediately hops on a train and, while she travels through Italy, she recalls her past and the history of her region.
Eva Sleeps is a fantastic historical novel that takes us to a little region in the north of Italy, Trentino Alto Adige, and especially into its soul, which is a meeting of different cultures and languages, pushed together by history and conflicts during the 20th century. The novel is structured in chapters alternating two storylines: Eva's travel in her present (in the 90's) and the pretty accurate history of Alto Adige / Süd Tyrol told by a narrating voice starting from the years after WW1.
It's exactly the kind of book that I didn't expect to love that much, but that now I know will stay with me for a very long time. Characters like Gerda and Eva, the tragedies and losses they had to overcome, the strength they needed to find to survive, and for nobody but themselves... well, they broke my heart. I know their story is fictional, but it's so well written it really seems real. But it's also the sad and bitter story of Gerda's dad, who was only a poor child when his Austrian town was assigned to Italy, and it's also the story of Ulli, who loved his family so much that he couldn't bear being away from it and not being accepted by it. And it's the story of Vito, who found true love on the opposite side of the country and bravely tried to change Italy with his big heart.
It's a book that deserves to be read, savored, loved. It's beautiful, painful, generous of emotions and full of thought-provoking chapters. Truly a fantastic novel, a new favorite!
Can't wait to discuss about Eva Sleeps with my book club!
#michelasbookclub
mariannaguerini's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
jillianreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
celinemoos's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rhodaj's review against another edition
3.0
This was my read the world selection for Italy.
Gerda and her daughter Eva live in the northernmost part of Italy on the Austrian border in a town called Alto Adige - which formerly belonged to Austria, but eventually became part of Italy. When Eva hears from Vito, the man who she considered the closest thing she had to a father and whom she hasn’t heard from in thirty years, she gets on a train and travels 1397km to Calabria in the south, to visit him.
The book follows Gerda from 1925 to around 1992 and her life up to and including meeting Vito as a single parent. In contrast, the book follows Eva in the current day and is measured in the kilometers she travels from the north to the south of Italy, where the two storylines meet.
This is a book that in theory I should have loved - one of my favourite genres to read (historical fiction) and a lengthy train journey through a gorgeous country and while there were definitely parts of this book that I did love, there were also many tedious parts.
This book is decidedly an observation on belonging and in this case the setting is perfect as it navigates the history of the northernmost region of Italy and the people’s struggle for identity after suddenly becoming part of Italy - a country that speaks a different language, eats different food etc. This part was fascinating, however it was interspersed with political information which can only be described as very dry.
Although the book is titled Eva Sleeps, it focuses more on Eva’s mother Gerda, who I found to be the flattest character in the book. Apart from being very beautiful (which the reader is told ad nauseam) Gerda is bland and boring and I actually found many of the descriptions of her quite tasteless. Eva is almost as equally bland, with the most interesting character being Vito, who does not appear very often.
I found the end quite beautiful and moving and it made me feel like there was some payoff after persevering through some of the tedious parts. I had a true love/hate relationship with this book - some parts were just so very good and in other parts the writing style was just not at all engaging. Make of that what you will….I felt extremely conflicted about this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Gerda and her daughter Eva live in the northernmost part of Italy on the Austrian border in a town called Alto Adige - which formerly belonged to Austria, but eventually became part of Italy. When Eva hears from Vito, the man who she considered the closest thing she had to a father and whom she hasn’t heard from in thirty years, she gets on a train and travels 1397km to Calabria in the south, to visit him.
The book follows Gerda from 1925 to around 1992 and her life up to and including meeting Vito as a single parent. In contrast, the book follows Eva in the current day and is measured in the kilometers she travels from the north to the south of Italy, where the two storylines meet.
This is a book that in theory I should have loved - one of my favourite genres to read (historical fiction) and a lengthy train journey through a gorgeous country and while there were definitely parts of this book that I did love, there were also many tedious parts.
This book is decidedly an observation on belonging and in this case the setting is perfect as it navigates the history of the northernmost region of Italy and the people’s struggle for identity after suddenly becoming part of Italy - a country that speaks a different language, eats different food etc. This part was fascinating, however it was interspersed with political information which can only be described as very dry.
Although the book is titled Eva Sleeps, it focuses more on Eva’s mother Gerda, who I found to be the flattest character in the book. Apart from being very beautiful (which the reader is told ad nauseam) Gerda is bland and boring and I actually found many of the descriptions of her quite tasteless. Eva is almost as equally bland, with the most interesting character being Vito, who does not appear very often.
I found the end quite beautiful and moving and it made me feel like there was some payoff after persevering through some of the tedious parts. I had a true love/hate relationship with this book - some parts were just so very good and in other parts the writing style was just not at all engaging. Make of that what you will….I felt extremely conflicted about this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
jherstein's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0