Customer Reviews

California Time (Western Literature Series)

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

 

 

This is a narrative of the California's Great Central Valley, told by multiple characters; not always as protaganist. It covers a fairly loose spectrum of time but is primarily anchored in the Depression Era & ends with WW II European campaign coverage. The ending is all at once shocking, sad, hopeful & poignant.

As a longtime resident of the San Joaquin Valley and acquaintance of one family portrayed I was impressed by Finney's capture of the time. He brought the everyday occurrences vividly to life. The Italian food, the process of chrysanthemum culture,and the experiences of the Italian and the Japanese young men in World War II were a rewarding reading experience.

Also worthwhile reading by this author: Words of My Roaring, civilians in wartime San Bruno.

If you've never read a novel or story by Ernest Finney, do yourself a favor. Tune in: You won't go wrong by starting with California time (or The Lady With the Alligator Purse). This book is a moving and totally compelling read. I've been a big fan of Ernest Finney since the first book of his I picked up (Winterchill). I've read them all and this is his best yet. He is a superb storyteller and his characters stay with you for a long time. I like his sense of humor and his clean, effortless style of prose.

I grew up and still live in the Big Valley where this story takes place and Finney cleverly captures the spirit of the valley's unique mix of cultures. He does this by lovingly weaving his characters through each other's lives and times. We see several different immigrant families struggle through school and adolescence, grow up, fall in love, have their lives turned upside down by World War II, and . . . I can't wait for the follow up novel. I want to know what else happens to Julian (you'll love this guy even if you're not Italian) and Hortense and Reiko and the rest. I hated for this book to end.

Author Finney shows no real insights into the cultures he seeks to depict in CALIFORNIA TIME. His descriptions are that of an outsider looking in; the result is that his ethnic characters don't really seem to represent their cultures. For example, Hortense is not a typical Portuguese girl growing up in the Valley in the 1930's. In the '30's (and up into the 50's even) Portuguese girls were always chaperoned on their dates; they weren't prone to using the profanity Hortense uses and they were unlikely to go into town with an unsupervised group of friends. The characterization of the Italian and Japanese families rings equally false.