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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
non sono riuscita a finirlo, sembra uno di quei libri noiosissimi e pesanti che ti obbligano a leggere a scuola mentre vorresti fare tutt'altro
reflective
sad
slow-paced
A book in which someone returns to his native region after 20 years, who explores what has changed, muses about how it used to be, and talks to friends from the past, that would normally be called a nostalgic book. But then you would have to call this book anti-nostalgic in a certain sense. The narrator is a businessman who grew up as an orphan in a poor village in Piedmont, Northern Italy, had a hard childhood there, fled the fascists, and built up a dubious business empire in California, and now, shortly after the Second World War, returns. He weighs up the pros and cons: what has changed? Is it better now than it used to be? Is mankind making progress or not? But he clearly cannot figure it out.
In the meantime, we get striking descriptions of the Piedmontese landscape, of the poverty, the class differences and the superstition that apparently still prevail. And in all of that, the shadow of the past war, where fascists and partisans were after each other's lives. You will certainly not become cheerful reading this book: it is an accumulation of sorrow and gloom, it even seems very naturalistic, partly because of the rural setting. But it is written with so much searching empathy, so many refined struggles, and poetic moments, that it sticks all the harder. Also because of the sober, measured prose, this is for me one of the best Italian novels I have ever read.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
by far the most boring book i’ve ever read
2 stars bc the writing slayed
2 stars bc the writing slayed
2½ insomma... forse le aspettative erano troppo alte
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A boy grows up in a small town in Italy, but leaves for America when he grows up and WW2 breaks out. After making his fortune, he returns to the small town to learn the fate of his childhood friends and the town. While outward appearances are only changed mildly, he quickly learns that the war has had a huge impact on the lives of the people he knew. A beautiful, nostalgic, and poignant short novel.