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A review by theglamourgranola
The Children's Train by Viola Ardone
5.0
Post-war Italy was dire. Not only did it serve as one of the battlefields of WWI, but also was embroiled in a civil war. After armistice, as part of their national rebuilding program, children in the South were invited to spend their winter in the North to ensure their survival. The Children's Train follows the experience of seven year old Amerigo.
The dark tone reflects the grim, often hopeless reality of Italy in the mid 1940s. Amerigo's home life is a struggle. There's no food, his mother often withholds affection, he is witness to the brutality of the neighbourhood. Despite this, he is bereft to learn that he has been selected to be part of a government program where is forced North and into the homes of strangers.
Upon arrival in Modena, where he is warmly welcomed into an extended family. Immediately Amerigo grapples with loyalty to his hometown and mother and a growing fondness to the kindness of his new family. While he quickly adapts to his new life, he always feels divided.
When Amerigo returns, he is profoundly changed. As he reverts back to his old way of life he struggles with the dynamic of the household, his mother's resentment of his time and his host family in the North. It eventually comes to a boiling point that leads Amerigo to forge a new path.
I really enjoyed this book, I thought the translation was good, it felt authentic. It's very atmospheric and captures a less documented period in Italian history.
The dark tone reflects the grim, often hopeless reality of Italy in the mid 1940s. Amerigo's home life is a struggle. There's no food, his mother often withholds affection, he is witness to the brutality of the neighbourhood. Despite this, he is bereft to learn that he has been selected to be part of a government program where is forced North and into the homes of strangers.
Upon arrival in Modena, where he is warmly welcomed into an extended family. Immediately Amerigo grapples with loyalty to his hometown and mother and a growing fondness to the kindness of his new family. While he quickly adapts to his new life, he always feels divided.
When Amerigo returns, he is profoundly changed. As he reverts back to his old way of life he struggles with the dynamic of the household, his mother's resentment of his time and his host family in the North. It eventually comes to a boiling point that leads Amerigo to forge a new path.
I really enjoyed this book, I thought the translation was good, it felt authentic. It's very atmospheric and captures a less documented period in Italian history.