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egg0ro's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.0
joannaautumn's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a delight to read.
I honestly think that I need the full list of Bukowski’s book recommendations because most of them are a hit for me. I read [b:The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385265834l/37380._SY75_.jpg|860196] and [b:Journey to the End of the Night|12395|Journey to the End of the Night|Louis-Ferdinand Céline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462934409l/12395._SY75_.jpg|1551463] because he said those were great – and they were. He praised Hamsun as one of his favorite writers and now that I read 7 books of Hamsun he is one of my favorite writers as well. Found this book at a 50% discount at one of the near bookstores and bought it.
Fante is underrated because this is one of the better psychological realistic novels I have read. The complex inner life of every character is showcased on 200 pages, some lengthy books can’t do this well, but Fante did it.
The book was published in 1938, the plot of the novel is the struggles of an American-Italian poor Bandini family. Most of the focus is on the father of the family, the bricklayer Svevo and his eldest son Arturo. Svevo struggles with finding work in the winter and hopes that his luck will turn, he escapes from his life by doing some work for the richest widow in town. Arturo is hopelessly in love with a girl in his class, Rosa, His love for her causes him to be emotionally torn between god and his sinful love towards Rosa and women in general. The book ends in Svevo’s return to his wife and kids after abandoning the widow who had insulted his son.
The book has some autobiographical elements, being that Fante was of the same descent as his characters. The depiction of poverty is very well described, along with the feeling of shame and pride -I think it has to do with the time in which Fante wrote the book, the 1930s were tough because of The Great Depression. I will continue reading the Bandini quartet because I am pleasantly surprised by the depth this book managed to convey in such a little amount of pages. 5/5.
I honestly think that I need the full list of Bukowski’s book recommendations because most of them are a hit for me. I read [b:The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter|37380|The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter|Carson McCullers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385265834l/37380._SY75_.jpg|860196] and [b:Journey to the End of the Night|12395|Journey to the End of the Night|Louis-Ferdinand Céline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462934409l/12395._SY75_.jpg|1551463] because he said those were great – and they were. He praised Hamsun as one of his favorite writers and now that I read 7 books of Hamsun he is one of my favorite writers as well. Found this book at a 50% discount at one of the near bookstores and bought it.
Fante is underrated because this is one of the better psychological realistic novels I have read. The complex inner life of every character is showcased on 200 pages, some lengthy books can’t do this well, but Fante did it.
The book was published in 1938, the plot of the novel is the struggles of an American-Italian poor Bandini family. Most of the focus is on the father of the family, the bricklayer Svevo and his eldest son Arturo. Svevo struggles with finding work in the winter and hopes that his luck will turn, he escapes from his life by doing some work for the richest widow in town. Arturo is hopelessly in love with a girl in his class, Rosa,
Spoiler
who later on dies.The book has some autobiographical elements, being that Fante was of the same descent as his characters. The depiction of poverty is very well described, along with the feeling of shame and pride -I think it has to do with the time in which Fante wrote the book, the 1930s were tough because of The Great Depression. I will continue reading the Bandini quartet because I am pleasantly surprised by the depth this book managed to convey in such a little amount of pages. 5/5.
jamesdanielhorn's review against another edition
4.0
A bittersweet novel full of style, John Fante’s debut, Wait Until Spring Bandini is a graceful portrait of an immigrant family’s struggle with poverty. It flitters between humor and melancholy without ever being trite. I enjoyed this book, but it is not plot heavy and may not appeal to everyone. There’s certainly some awful misogyny going on, and everyone is kind of rotten, but sometimes that just how life really is. It may not be Fante’s best work but is certainly fine entry point to this much under appreciated writer’s work and I would recommend it on its style alone.
baasic's review against another edition
3.0
Sjetila sam se da sam ovo citala prije par godina a sjecam se skoro svih detalja
lauren708's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t sure about this one at first, but maybe a quarter to a third of the way in I really latched on to the story. The writing is very visual and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
nunuseli's review against another edition
3.0
No tan buena y fascinante como 'Pregúntale al polvo' pero también recomendable. Arturo Bandini (el protagonista de estas y otras novelas de Fante) es para mí uno de los grandes personajes de la literatura. Aquí está a punto de terminar la escuela primaria, pero está de lo más mosqueado porque en la escuela cuando los ordenan por estatura él siempre tiene que ir delante de cagones más pequeños que él pero más altos, como el estúpido de su hermano pequeño. Arturo Bandini es hijo de italianos, pero él no quiere ser italiano, porque todos los italianos son unos sucios fracasados; él es americano. Arturo Bandini está convencido de que un día será una gran estrella del béisbol, pero ahora es invierno en un pueblo de mala muerte de Colorado, y está todo nevado, y no se puede jugar al béisbol; así que no le queda más remedio que esperar a la primavera. Arturo Bandini está enamorado de Rosa, que es la chica más guapa y más buena y más estudiosa de su curso, y aunque ella ahora no le hace maldito caso, un día sí que llegará a quererlo como él la quiere, porque ¿quién puede no querer a una gran estrella del béisbol? Arturo Bandini teme a Dios y no quiere ir al infierno, pero sabe que no irá porque él es rápido y siempre llegará a tiempo a confesarse antes de morirse.
Lo malo es que en 'Espera a la primavera, Bandini', Arturo Bandini no es el único protagonista. La novela tiene dos tramas: la de Arturo Bandini y la de sus padres. Y esta última acaba cayendo en los tópicos y se vuelve tediosa. Es que una madre sumisa y beata y un padre bruto que se da a la bebida ya no presagian nada bueno. En cambio, la parte de Arturo Bandini me encanta. Me encanta lo orgulloso que es, lo listo que se cree cuando en realidad es un pringado, las fantasías que tiene, lo mentiroso y egoísta que resulta ser. Me encanta que nada esté idealizado y que Arturo Bandini sea un niño bastante despreciable, pero tan real. El ambiente de la escuela católica también me parece magnífico, como Arturo Bandini, a pesar suyo, teme a Dios y está totalmente influenciado por la moral católica, pero esto no impide que se la salte, aunque luego sea para arrepentirse. Oh, ese fragmento en que hace examen de conciencia y repasa todos los pecados que ha cometido y se pregunta si serán veniales o mortales y se empieza a acojonar porque realmente son muchos pero que muchos pecados los que ha cometido. Y, aunque el estilo no sea tan hipnótico en sus repeticiones y paralelismos como el de 'Pregúntale al polvo', ya apunta maneras, y es todo tan fresco, tan vivo, tan real. ¡Y qué grande que es Arturo Bandini!
Lo malo es que en 'Espera a la primavera, Bandini', Arturo Bandini no es el único protagonista. La novela tiene dos tramas: la de Arturo Bandini y la de sus padres. Y esta última acaba cayendo en los tópicos y se vuelve tediosa. Es que una madre sumisa y beata y un padre bruto que se da a la bebida ya no presagian nada bueno. En cambio, la parte de Arturo Bandini me encanta. Me encanta lo orgulloso que es, lo listo que se cree cuando en realidad es un pringado, las fantasías que tiene, lo mentiroso y egoísta que resulta ser. Me encanta que nada esté idealizado y que Arturo Bandini sea un niño bastante despreciable, pero tan real. El ambiente de la escuela católica también me parece magnífico, como Arturo Bandini, a pesar suyo, teme a Dios y está totalmente influenciado por la moral católica, pero esto no impide que se la salte, aunque luego sea para arrepentirse. Oh, ese fragmento en que hace examen de conciencia y repasa todos los pecados que ha cometido y se pregunta si serán veniales o mortales y se empieza a acojonar porque realmente son muchos pero que muchos pecados los que ha cometido. Y, aunque el estilo no sea tan hipnótico en sus repeticiones y paralelismos como el de 'Pregúntale al polvo', ya apunta maneras, y es todo tan fresco, tan vivo, tan real. ¡Y qué grande que es Arturo Bandini!
girlnouns's review against another edition
5.0
I'm surprised how much I ended up enjoying this book. Fante's depiction of poverty is harrowing and I really was. engrossed in each character by the end
dawndeydusk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
Deceptively simple in its prose and repetition, this book captures the plight of a family in poverty, balancing clouds of confession above children’s heads and motherly abandonment and perseverance.
inesantunes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5