1933 Was a Bad Year. [Hardcover]

John. Fante (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: BLACK SPARROW. SANTA BARBARA 1985; First Edition edition (1985)
• ASIN: B000KVD73G
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

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.