1933 Was a Bad Year [Paperback]

John Fante (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Black Sparrow Press (1995)
• ASIN: B000KTAFUQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Style Is Everything, March 18, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: 1933 Was A Bad Year (Paperback)

If I tell you that this story has been told before, don't let that put you off. This is a book that breaks your heart and it can do that because of Fante's talent as a writer. This was my first exposure to Fante and I haven't looked back. Every word has energy amd every line is thoughtful. It doesn't matter that you've heard the story before -- you've never heard it told like this

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novel of the Italian-American experience, April 14, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1933 Was A Bad Year (Paperback)

"1933 Was a Bad Year" is a posthumously published novel by John Fante, who died in 1983. "1933" tells the story of Dominic Molise, a 17-year old Italian-American living in Colorado. While his father, an out-of-work bricklayer, seeks to alleviate the family's poverty by earning money at the pool tables, Dominic dreams of becoming a successful baseball player.

"1933" is a superb slice of American life; both funny and sad, the book is full of vivid characters and memorable scenes. Probably may favorite character is Dominic's wrathful, acid-tongued grandmother, an Italian immigrant with a dislike for the United States.

"1933" offers a pungent taste of the Italian-American experience, and explores such issues as the gulf between immigrant parents and their American-born children. Baseball is a potent motif in the book, and I liked the way the left arm of pitcher Dominic is treated as a "character" with its own motivation. This is one of those novels that I wished would go on when I finished the last sentence; I will definitely be reading more of Fante's work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal, full of life, dreams and reality, June 22, 1998

By 

Jared Young ([e-mail]) (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1933 Was A Bad Year (Paperback)

This is one of the most alive books, both from an imagery standpoint and a spiritual one (and I don't mean spiritual in a religious way but it can be) that I have read. For a young writer who is trying to write from the heart, this novel is essential. A wonderful story of childhood and its dissipation into adulthood.