Customer Reviews

A Bell for Adano

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Back in high school, I made a vow to myself that I would eventually read all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. A Bell for Adano was one of the first that I read. Now, a few years later, I have read around 30 of those novels, and while many have been wonderful, few have matched the experience of reading A Bell for Adano, and I continue to return to it.

The splendid novel is set during World War II, though it isn't really a war novel. The novel is about how very different people can, and should treat one another, especially when in a difficult situation. A Bell for Adano primarily concerns Major Joppolo. He is an American officer placed in charge of the city of Adano after the invasion. Joppolo is a wonderful, though flawed man. He's always practical but remains sentimental. He sets out to make the lives of the people of Adano the best he possibly can. He does so by not treating them as the enemy but as People. The "bell" of Adano refers his attempt to restore an historic bell to the city that it had lost during the war.

I can never do justice to my favorite novels when I review them, and this is one of them. I can't say enough good about it. The characterizations are strong and the interactions between the characters are touching and thought-provoking. Joppolo's relationship to the city's people is truly remarkable. It makes one think about America's relationship with foreign countries. The story is heart-tugging and humorous. There are few novels written this century that can touch a reader as much as this one does, and this one can make you think a little, too. A Bell for Adano certainly deserved its prize, and it definitely deserves to not be forgotten.

John Hersey would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize and become a prominent star in the pantheon of twentieth century writers. This book was written during World War II and was a best-seller when released in 1944. And it still resonates today. In short, it is the story of an American officer given civil responsibility for overseeing the coastal Italian town of Adano following its liberation by American forces.

How Major Victor Joppolo goes about this task is interesting as are the variety of Italians-former fascists and anti-fascists alike--he meets and, eventually, wins over. More gripping, though, is the character of Jappolo himself who, in many ways, Hersey repressents as Everyman--or at least EveryAmercicanman. He is practical, yet sentimental. He wants to do good, but also wants to be loved. He has a strong sense of loyalty, yet hungers after an Italian woman despite loving his wife back home. He admires the Italians, but shapes them in our American mold. He is--in modern psychobabble--conflicted; imperfect, yet very admirable.

The title refers to the city's most prominent--it has dozens of them--bell which for seven hundred years called the people to work, to eat, to love, to church, to life. It was shipped away by the retreating Germans to be made into bullets at some northern foundry. Its lack leaves a gaping wound in the civic fabric. Joppolo, of course, gets the town a replacement bell. How he does it fills you with pride. His first hearing of its strong voice can break your heart. This is a worthwhile book both as a story and as a still provocative look at the American character.

My head read this book and said: "If only Iraq were this easy. The Americans invade Sicily in World War II and Major Joppolo is put in charge of the small town of Adano. Despite the grisly casualties in the taking of the town, the whole place falls instantly in love with the American major. And what about those ethnic stereotypes? The Sicilians all seem like goodhearted but slightly retarded children, an impression reinforced by their comical dialogue, both when they speak English ("Okay, a boss, you're a not a kid Giuseppe") and in literal translation, when they speak their native language (so "Viva il Signor Capitano!" becomes "Live the Mr. Captain!"). Sicilians who were there during the war say it was not this way at all: the Americans installed members of the mafia as mayors to keep the Sicilians under control."

My heart, who also read the book, replied: "You just don't understand. This is a beautiful tale about how a single individual can make a difference. Two vastly different worlds collide, but the result is pure magic because Major Joppolo throws the rule book away and reaches out to the town with his heart, inventing novel solutions to problems, trying to get a replacement for the bell that the Germans stole, and, above all, connecting with the people. The humor is marvelous: The scene in which the priest holds an interminable church service waiting for the major, who promised to attend but who has lost track of the time, will guarantee at least one chuckle. And Hersey choreographed the poignant scene when the Italian prisoners of war come home to their women as pure ballet."

In the end my heart prevailed when my head remembered that Aristotle said that the purpose of drama was not to represent reality, but to effect "a catharsis of pity and fear." This book will do more than that: it will make you smile, and it will make you feel a little better about the human race.

As another reader has said, I also am making my way through Pulitzer winners. I'd intended to save this one until the end, because for some reason I was under the (much mistaken) impression that it was going to be boring. Boy, shows you first impressions aren't always right! This is a heartwarming and yet bittersweet story - you wish there were more people out there like the Major and less people like the General, and the types they represent. I read the novel in about three hours; it's that compelling and ultimately enriching. I'm glad I didn't wait!

A Bell For Adano is heart-warming story set in an otherwise horrific period of history.Illustrating the charm of an American soldier and the filling of the voids in a war-ravaged Italian town, Hersey makes you smile and beg for more. While the tone is ethnocentric in its portrayal of the Italian vision of the Americans, A Bell for Adano is a read that I emphatically recommend.

A great story and great dialogue. This is a well constructed book that has great characters and great imagery but also manages to keep the story moving along. While i am sure my enjoyment was enhanced because i read it while in Italy, I would have enjoyed reading this anywhere. It is a great portrait of small town Italy and of people.
It is also interesting in this story of the US liberation of Italy, that it was written in the mid-1940s and has a thinly-veiled very negative portrayl of General Patton.

I read this back in High School in the sixties. I recently saw the movie and remarked how I did not remember much of anything about it, so I got the book and read it. It is an easy read and quite entertaining. The movie is excellent but the book is outstanding. It is charming, warm and real. It demonstrates that in this world we have bureaucrats and politicians out for themselves (like Gen. Marvin.) We have people who want to do better but cannot because they are jaded(Borth, Purvis). And fortunately we have some Jopollos who are kind and caring. Too bad there are not many of them in leadership. They are lacking even in the church but there are notable exceptions. I recommend this to anyone looking to read soemthing inspirational to life them out of the doldrums. I had read Hiroshima and that seems to get more attention than this work. This is a thoroughly worthwhile read.

I loved this book. I will admit that I'm a fan of the 1940s, both movies and books. However, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel transcends all that -- it's simply a fine story. Even though the theme is World War II, this is not a story of battle. Instead, it's about a compassionate major and his attempts to bring humanity to a war-torn town in Italy. The books is funny, charming and moving. It's a quick read and a worthwhile one. I highly recommend it.

I read this book because I was reading all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. This book certainly deserved the award and is better than most (or possibly all) of the novels that have been given that prestigious award. Anyone would enjoy this book.

I had to read this book for a book report. Little did I know I would not be able to put it down. Set in Adano, Italy during WWII, it gives the reader a sense of another point of view of the war. The townspeople and the situations are hilarious, you'll laugh the whole way through. Keep this in mind, but keep some tissues nearby.