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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Great world building and character development. It seemed long and dealt with pretty dark/serious subjects. The characters really came to life on the page for me, but the ending was hard and learning how some of the character’s relationships with each other changed was kind of frustrating.
2.5 Slow. Liked main character and story as the book began, but did not care for the progression.
This made me think, and always give an extra star just for that. While it is too long and is indubitably depressing, it shines with perceived authenticity and illustrates cultural change as well as the immigrant experience.
I have zero known relatives from the countries my ancestors came from, so there is none of that old world influence in my own life that is represented in Stella Fortuna. And yet, you just instinctively know that every one of my ancestors must have experienced discomfort coming to the USA as they encountered different types of people and systems.
Was particularly reminded of an Italian girl from college who cried often from homesickness for her large family. She insisted they had been Americans for a really long time, but it was about 50 years then, a blink. She quit college so she could rejoin that family culture. College didn't feel right. Another Italian family acquaintance is also large and rambunctious and their family businesses employ all the relatives. Holidays are a bit of a madhouse. These glimpses echo snippets in this book, too.
Looking at an ethnicity report, one finds what one might expect in any immigrant family. First generation echoes the values of the home country. Next generation, the children start adopting American culture/language and by the following generation, the old country is only fondly remembered through stories the old people tell. In Stella Fortuna, there is patriarchy and no birth control or other sex education. Women and men had defined roles, something that was quite discomfiting to read about. The author, Stella's granddaughter, has married a German man and has one child. How different from having a husband chosen for her and having the entire family participate in every aspect of your reproductive life.
I think someone picking up this book may have too difficult of a time comprehending how women did not fight these punishing roles and yet the patriarchal system is still evident in the USA as noted when people say "he's the head of the house" or "go ask your father." It has loosened, but is still there. It is still incomprehensible though why sex abuse was not the straw that broke this family's relationships.
Stella's life illustrates why birth control is important, why women's brains must not be restricted to cooking and gardening, and education is key. With our current spread out demographics, it also illustrates a lost way of life where family helps family. Aunts/Uncles and Grandparents were once a major source of support for young families that often now do without, my own family included.
So I liked the content, wish it was a bit more focused, and appreciate the author's intent to honor women's difficult life experiences and their strength.
I have zero known relatives from the countries my ancestors came from, so there is none of that old world influence in my own life that is represented in Stella Fortuna. And yet, you just instinctively know that every one of my ancestors must have experienced discomfort coming to the USA as they encountered different types of people and systems.
Was particularly reminded of an Italian girl from college who cried often from homesickness for her large family. She insisted they had been Americans for a really long time, but it was about 50 years then, a blink. She quit college so she could rejoin that family culture. College didn't feel right. Another Italian family acquaintance is also large and rambunctious and their family businesses employ all the relatives. Holidays are a bit of a madhouse. These glimpses echo snippets in this book, too.
Looking at an ethnicity report, one finds what one might expect in any immigrant family. First generation echoes the values of the home country. Next generation, the children start adopting American culture/language and by the following generation, the old country is only fondly remembered through stories the old people tell. In Stella Fortuna, there is patriarchy and no birth control or other sex education. Women and men had defined roles, something that was quite discomfiting to read about. The author, Stella's granddaughter, has married a German man and has one child. How different from having a husband chosen for her and having the entire family participate in every aspect of your reproductive life.
I think someone picking up this book may have too difficult of a time comprehending how women did not fight these punishing roles and yet the patriarchal system is still evident in the USA as noted when people say "he's the head of the house" or "go ask your father." It has loosened, but is still there. It is still incomprehensible though why sex abuse was not the straw that broke this family's relationships.
Stella's life illustrates why birth control is important, why women's brains must not be restricted to cooking and gardening, and education is key. With our current spread out demographics, it also illustrates a lost way of life where family helps family. Aunts/Uncles and Grandparents were once a major source of support for young families that often now do without, my own family included.
So I liked the content, wish it was a bit more focused, and appreciate the author's intent to honor women's difficult life experiences and their strength.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was really incredible - once I got into it, I fell completely into the life of Stella and her experiences in Italy and being an immigrant to America. The writing was stellar and I love novels that follow a character throughout their life - books driven by characterization rather than a set plot.
However, I felt this novel had issues with pacing and editing. Or that the author took on too much for what is already a really long book (and maybe the first draft was twice as long, wouldn't surprise me). Grames would put the entire history of a character in one paragraph, then move on. Or a character would be a significant source of strife for Stella and have a traumatic effect on her life, but then that same character and their relationship with Stella wouldn't be further explained or explored even though their presence persisted in her life. On the whole, I just wanted more from this book, more on her life, more on her relationships - but that would have made the book way too long! (Maybe it could have been The Six or Seven Deaths of Stella Fortuna, heh heh.)
Also:
However, I felt this novel had issues with pacing and editing. Or that the author took on too much for what is already a really long book (and maybe the first draft was twice as long, wouldn't surprise me). Grames would put the entire history of a character in one paragraph, then move on. Or a character would be a significant source of strife for Stella and have a traumatic effect on her life, but then that same character and their relationship with Stella wouldn't be further explained or explored even though their presence persisted in her life. On the whole, I just wanted more from this book, more on her life, more on her relationships - but that would have made the book way too long! (Maybe it could have been The Six or Seven Deaths of Stella Fortuna, heh heh.)
Also:
Spoiler
I just wanted Stella to be happy. Her life was full of trauma, and her characterization was so strong, I had to believe she wouldn't fall into the same path her mother, sister, and every other woman did at that time. Even though I liked the part about her change/depression after her marriage, I figured she would come out of it. But having 10 children?! Staying married to her husband?! - which, as I mentioned above, was one of the relationships that felt underdeveloped after their initial year of marriage. Like, everyone seemed to like Carmelo and he seemed like a kind fella other than the whole raping his wife thing, so what did the rest of their marriage look like? Their relationship was never talked about after their first year of marriage, which wasn't quite satisfying. It was just so tragic to watch this character, so stubborn and smart and steadfast, completely change for the worse over the course of her life. Realistic, yes, but I wanted even some taste of redemption for Stella, some iota of peace. Even the ending was left open, no resolution - again, realistic, but I wanted a hopeful ending. I don't ask for the book to be wrapped up so neatly and nicely, but just some hope for this woman who has suffered so much. Maybe that was the point - a book thematically focused on the suffering of women with no relief, true to our history and our culture. Not satisfying in reality, and not satisfying in this book. Anyway, I really liked this book, but wanted more than what was given.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Definitely have mixed feelings about this one. A well written saga of an Italian woman (Stella) and her very long life, filled with a lot of misery. I'm sure the author meant to portray a strong and resilient woman who survived a difficult life. But no, to me she told the story of a strong independent woman who was deliberately broken. Deliberately broken in a direct way by her awful filthy father. And indirectly by everyone who was complicit in her destruction. Even though I was drawn into the story, I was appalled and quite saddened. What a depressing life.
Somewhere between a 2 and a 3 for me. The premise of the near-death experiences was interesting at first, but then about 2/3 into the book I felt a disconnect of emotion with the characters. It then became a depressing story of sexual abuse and its repercussions and later of a disfunctional relationship between sisters. In the end, it was just an 'ok' book for me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
