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A review by thebrownbookbabe
All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg
5.0
This novel is set against the backdrop of WW2 in Northern Italy and follows two families that must navigate their circumstances in the face of war and facism. This novel explores many different experiences that can shape and define a person, as well as themes of hopelessness, resilience and resistance in the face of hardship.
These families become intertwined; every character has their own flaws and Ginzburg does an excellent job of ensuring they are realistic. Something I really appreciated throughout the novel is that each character played a significant role in the story.
In part one, the characters are plagued with familial issues and domestic life, with war looming in the background. Ginzburg excellently places war as a secondary matter rather than the primary issue. You are anticipating something you know is coming, but Ginzburg highlights the more ‘mundane’ parts of the characters lives that are given equal importance.
In the second half of the novel, Anna begins to emerge as the main protagonist. I won’t say too much, but in the second half the cha racters circumstances change dramatically. Again, Ginzburg remains grounded in her storytelling. They are not dramatised or overstated, which adds to understanding how people adapted during the war.
Family is still central to the novel in the second half, but they are dispersed through Northern and Southern Italy, dealing with the realities of war in their own lives. Even at this point in the novel, with war on the precipice, the banalities of everyday life are highlighted and given equalfooting. Moments of history are happening to ordinary people, living ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances.
This book, as well as the tenacity of the characters will stay with me for a long time. I’m glad I spent weeks rather than days soaking in this book, as I felt I really understood and appreciated it’s purpose. Ginzburg will forever be an author that I appreciate and admire greatly.
These families become intertwined; every character has their own flaws and Ginzburg does an excellent job of ensuring they are realistic. Something I really appreciated throughout the novel is that each character played a significant role in the story.
In part one, the characters are plagued with familial issues and domestic life, with war looming in the background. Ginzburg excellently places war as a secondary matter rather than the primary issue. You are anticipating something you know is coming, but Ginzburg highlights the more ‘mundane’ parts of the characters lives that are given equal importance.
In the second half of the novel, Anna begins to emerge as the main protagonist. I won’t say too much, but in the second half the cha racters circumstances change dramatically. Again, Ginzburg remains grounded in her storytelling. They are not dramatised or overstated, which adds to understanding how people adapted during the war.
Family is still central to the novel in the second half, but they are dispersed through Northern and Southern Italy, dealing with the realities of war in their own lives. Even at this point in the novel, with war on the precipice, the banalities of everyday life are highlighted and given equalfooting. Moments of history are happening to ordinary people, living ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances.
This book, as well as the tenacity of the characters will stay with me for a long time. I’m glad I spent weeks rather than days soaking in this book, as I felt I really understood and appreciated it’s purpose. Ginzburg will forever be an author that I appreciate and admire greatly.