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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was basically one phone call. And the reader gets to be a fly on the wall of the phone call. Then, it’s over. This phone call was funny, sad, depressing, awkward, and a tad scandalous. Love these new Neapolitan releases and their translations.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to and it was a wonderful discovery. We meet Nives, a Tuscan woman who has just been widowed, but feels an absence of emotion. After the funeral, after her daughter and grandchildren have left, though, she realizes that she is lonely.
During her soliloquies, we learn that Nives has a tough exterior, a woman strong in both spirit and limb, one who has helped run a farm, raise a daughter, and run a household.
In her loneliness, she becomes attached to one of her hens, the one she has named Giacomina. This hen has a complacent manner, despite struggling with a bad foot, and Nives finds her endearing. Her sudden loneliness has caused Nives to examine her life, and this new habit of spending time in a company of a hen has Nives worried about herself, wondering why this hen is enough company to replace her husband.
One evening, when Nives is watching TV with her avian pet beside her, she notices that Giacomina has been put in a trance. Or something like that. She cannot wake this bird up. Panicked, she feels that she has no choice but to make a late night call to the town's vet.
At first, their conversation is comic. Loriano Bottai, the vet, has the attitude that perhaps Nives has lost her mind a little, calling him at night over a possibly hypnotized hen, and he tries to end the call, but never finds a graceful way of doing so. Meanwhile, the conversation has moved away from Giacomina, to things that happened long ago in their town, and then to them.
I got the feeling that their Tuscany was a small village where everyone knew everyone, and fascinated that in the beginning of this conversation, I would never have guessed how well Nives and the vet had known each other. In fact, they share a secret. During this phone call that spans almost all of this novel, Nives dives into the past, sharing all her pain, her unrequited love and her anger. This a riveting conversation with several twists, as Nives shares some startling facts.
On the death of her husband, Nives is looking back on her life with him, pondering the meaning of that life, what it's all been about. In the end, this venting has been so cathartic that Nives feels suddenly blessed and happy for the first time in her life.
And sometime during all this chatter, Giacomina has woken up, gotten off the couch, and gone searching for food. (I loved that metaphor).
This was an profound story, beautifully narrated by Lesa Lockford. Many thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this rich experience.
During her soliloquies, we learn that Nives has a tough exterior, a woman strong in both spirit and limb, one who has helped run a farm, raise a daughter, and run a household.
In her loneliness, she becomes attached to one of her hens, the one she has named Giacomina. This hen has a complacent manner, despite struggling with a bad foot, and Nives finds her endearing. Her sudden loneliness has caused Nives to examine her life, and this new habit of spending time in a company of a hen has Nives worried about herself, wondering why this hen is enough company to replace her husband.
One evening, when Nives is watching TV with her avian pet beside her, she notices that Giacomina has been put in a trance. Or something like that. She cannot wake this bird up. Panicked, she feels that she has no choice but to make a late night call to the town's vet.
At first, their conversation is comic. Loriano Bottai, the vet, has the attitude that perhaps Nives has lost her mind a little, calling him at night over a possibly hypnotized hen, and he tries to end the call, but never finds a graceful way of doing so. Meanwhile, the conversation has moved away from Giacomina, to things that happened long ago in their town, and then to them.
I got the feeling that their Tuscany was a small village where everyone knew everyone, and fascinated that in the beginning of this conversation, I would never have guessed how well Nives and the vet had known each other. In fact, they share a secret. During this phone call that spans almost all of this novel, Nives dives into the past, sharing all her pain, her unrequited love and her anger. This a riveting conversation with several twists, as Nives shares some startling facts.
On the death of her husband, Nives is looking back on her life with him, pondering the meaning of that life, what it's all been about. In the end, this venting has been so cathartic that Nives feels suddenly blessed and happy for the first time in her life.
And sometime during all this chatter, Giacomina has woken up, gotten off the couch, and gone searching for food. (I loved that metaphor).
This was an profound story, beautifully narrated by Lesa Lockford. Many thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this rich experience.
Nives by Sacha Naspini was first published in 2020, and is now being issued by Europa Editions in a translation from the Italian by Clarissa Botsford with the title Tell Me About It. It is a wicked little novella which can be read in one sitting, but which packs a punch and leaves a bittersweet aftertaste, not unlike a shot of grappa.
The book starts off quite wackily. On the very first page, Nives’s husband Anteo Raulli dies in a rather macabre accident on their farm in rural Tuscany. Once the funeral is over, and her daughter Laura goes back to Languedoc where she lives with her French husband and children, Nives tries to ward off loneliness by bringing her favourite hen Giacomina to live with her inside. Nives is surprised to notice that the hen’s company makes up more than adequately for Anteo. One night, however, Giacomina seems to fall into a trance. Panicked, Nives phones Loriano Bottai, the local vet who has cured the Raulli’s farm animals for decades. As the phone call proceeds, we realise that that Nives and Loriano share a colourful history beyond a pure professional relationship. It will be a night of shocking revelations, nostalgic reveries, painful discoveries and brief moments of unexpected tenderness.
To be honest, none of the characters come across as particularly endearing – certainly not, to my mind, the acidic Nives or the spineless Loriano. But I’m not one who believes that a story needs “lovable” leads to be engrossing. Indeed, the dark humour of the barb-filled dialogue between Nives and Loriano is what gives this novella its particular flavour.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2022/04/Tell-Me-About-It-Nives-Sacha-Naspini.html
The book starts off quite wackily. On the very first page, Nives’s husband Anteo Raulli dies in a rather macabre accident on their farm in rural Tuscany. Once the funeral is over, and her daughter Laura goes back to Languedoc where she lives with her French husband and children, Nives tries to ward off loneliness by bringing her favourite hen Giacomina to live with her inside. Nives is surprised to notice that the hen’s company makes up more than adequately for Anteo. One night, however, Giacomina seems to fall into a trance. Panicked, Nives phones Loriano Bottai, the local vet who has cured the Raulli’s farm animals for decades. As the phone call proceeds, we realise that that Nives and Loriano share a colourful history beyond a pure professional relationship. It will be a night of shocking revelations, nostalgic reveries, painful discoveries and brief moments of unexpected tenderness.
To be honest, none of the characters come across as particularly endearing – certainly not, to my mind, the acidic Nives or the spineless Loriano. But I’m not one who believes that a story needs “lovable” leads to be engrossing. Indeed, the dark humour of the barb-filled dialogue between Nives and Loriano is what gives this novella its particular flavour.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2022/04/Tell-Me-About-It-Nives-Sacha-Naspini.html
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-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
funny
fast-paced
funny
reflective
Nives is a widower from Tuscany. She just lost her husband after 50 years of marriage. Now that she is alone, she lets one hen, called Giacomina, into the house. This way, Nives can sleep again. One evening, after Giacomina stays paralyzed after watching a TV commercial, she calls the local veterinary to help her hen. But soon, this telephone call turns in a different direction, and Nives talks about their youth years and all their friends. This phone call, in the end, turns into a pretty gossipy conversation. Nives reveals some juicy details from the lives of people they both know. This simple conversation lasts for several hours, and suddenly, it is in the middle of the night.
Tell Me About It is a short and easy read that was quirky and interesting enough to keep me reading. A novella was a pleasant surprise from Italian writer Sacha Naspini.
Thanks to Europa Editions UK for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.
Tell Me About It is a short and easy read that was quirky and interesting enough to keep me reading. A novella was a pleasant surprise from Italian writer Sacha Naspini.
Thanks to Europa Editions UK for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.