Customer Reviews

The Book of Saints

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On my recent trip to Italy I decided to bring one reading book...I chose Book of Saints. Relaxing on a hot afternoon in my parents'hometown in southern Italy with Book of Saints in my lap, the story simply came to life; the small town, the people, the traditions, the gossip. It's the story of a woman who's husband left for Canada to seek employment. Left at home with their son and her father, she tries to stay happy. But certain situations put her in a bad light and soon the townspeople begin to avoid her and gossip about her. Subborn and proud, she refuses to make amends with the townspeople, which only serves to isolate her even more. Her choices affect her father and son as they too suffer the wrath of the townspeople. The choices that she will finally make will surprise you. Let's just say that she's a very strong and independent woman. I'm looking forward to the rest of Ricci's trilogy.

The story is poetically written. It is an immigrant literature piece, outlining the realities of moving from your home country to the unknown. It does end abruptly, and is not a "fluffy" story. However, Ricci does reveal the truths of his own life in the novel, serious and sad. Not for the faint of heart, but very well done.

The book reminded me of Angela's Ashes - if you liked one then try the other. The story, set in 1960, centers on a young boy, Vittorio at the age of seven. He lives in a small Italian village with his mother, Cristina, and his grandfather, the mayor of the town. His father, now in America has been gone for 4 years and his mother has been less than chaste while he's been gone. Vittorio learns to feel the disapproval of the town as his mother's situation brings shame to their household.

As with Angela's Ashes, the book is told from the boy's perspective - his understanding only expands from listening to the whispered conversations of the adults and the taunts of the older school boys. Also, like Angela's Ashes the story ends before things are entirely resolved. The book's notes indicate that Lives of the Saints is the first of a trilogy so I certainly look forward to the next installment.l

The story is poetically written. It is an immigrant literature piece, outlining the realities of moving from your home country to the unknown. It does end abruptly, and is not a "fluffy" story. However, Ricci does reveal the truths of his own life in the novel, serious and sad. Not for the faint of heart, but very well done.

I could not put this book down! It was a real page turner! I think it precieved the small-town mentality very well, and did a wonderful job at showing how when there is a problem with one person in the family, it is the entire family that suffers. I would reccomend this book to everyone!

I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in a matter of days. A wonderful look at an Italian village, its people, their superstitions, alliances and lifestyles. It was particularly interesting for the way it was told, through the eyes of a young, naive boy. Looking forward to new titles from this author.

i had to read this book for an english assignement. once i got through the book i couldn't belive how good it was.

I believe that the book was not as good as other critics found it to be. The plot of the book shifted many times and sublots became the main plot, and I found it very difficult to understand. I also saw that the themes in the book were underdeveloped. The themes in the book did not truly intertwined with the main plot of the book. However, I did find that the them of freedom coincides with the characterization of Vittorio's mother, Cristina Innocente. Although I did not thoroughly enjoy this book, I did not find it all as a bore. I do recommend this book to those people who do have nothing else to do with their lives. If you are on a train or plane or anywhere else where you have nothing to do, I suggest to pick up this book and try to explain it to me.