Italian literary superstar Niccolò Ammaniti’s debut novel, I’m Not Scared, prompted gushing praise, hit international best-seller lists, and was made into a smash indie film. With his highly anticipated follow-up, Ammaniti takes his unparalleled empathy for children, his scythe-sharp observations, and his knack for building tension to a whole new level. In a tiny Italian village, a young boy named Pietro is growing up tormented by bullies and ignored by his parents. When an aging playboy, Graziano Biglia, returns to town, a change is in the air: Pietro decides to take on the bullies, his lonely teacher Flora finds romance with the town’s prodigal son, and the inept janitor at the school proclaims his love for his favorite prostitute. But the village isn’t ready for such change, and when Graziano seduces and forgets Flora, both she and Pietro’s tentative hopes seem crushed forever. With great tenderness, Ammaniti shines light on the heart-wrenching failures and quiet redemptions of ordinary people trying to live extraordinary lives. I’ll Steal You Away is a fresh and classic story of a boy learning to be a man that delivers on the promise of Ammaniti’s acclaimed debut.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Ammaniti, author of novel-turned-film I'm Not Scared (2003), offers another tale of smalltown southern Italy, this time juxtaposing the growing pains of 12-year-old Pietro Moroni, a "small for his age" kid frequently targeted by bullies, with the romantic prowling of Graziano Biglia, a washed-up flamenco guitarist who returns to his hometown after having his heart broken by a stripper. The novel, narrated in a quasi call-and-response ("His life is sex, drugs and... flamenco. But what's wrong with that? Sure, many people would hate a life like mine. Drifting. Rootless. But I like it") feels awkward at first, but once the reader settles in, Hunt's translation adds welcome depth to seemingly simple folk: Pietro, hungry for social acceptance, gets tricked into vandalizing his school and must suffer the consequences; Graziano, forever scheming an entrée to the big time, loves and leaves skittish schoolteacher Flora Palmieri. Flora, burdened with caring for her sick mother and ill-equipped to deal with the intense fallout from her relationship with Graziano, quickly falls apart once her seducer disappears. Chilling and intimate, Ammaniti's work brings life to a deceptively quiet town and its wealth of eclectic and unsettling residents. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From The New Yorker
Ammaniti's previous book, "I'm Not Scared," which was made into a movie, used to memorable effect the point of view of a terrified young boy. This novel centers on Pietro Moroni, a skinny, introspective boy in a small village, who is taunted at school and ignored at home. When his favorite teacher, a spinster with problems of her own, lets him down, his anger—at the world, at his loutish parents and his hopeless brother—combusts. The story of the boy and his teacher intersects with that of a local playboy, a ne'er-do-well newly returned to the village, whose gargantuan narcissism cannot ward off a dawning realization of his life's errors. Ammaniti beautifully evokes the lopsided streets of an Italian backwater and, especially in Pietro's surprising friendship with the prettiest girl in the village, the shadow life of childhood.
Copyright © 2006 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © 2006 Click here to subscribe to The New Yorker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Hunt
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Niccolo Ammaniti's "new" book, "I'll Steal You Away" is a melange of small but very passionate vignettes concerning a cross section of people in Ischiano Scalo, an Italian Peyton Place. His protagonists are one Pietro Moroni, an uncertain pre-teen who carries the responsibility of the world on his shoulders and Graziano Biglia, a forty-something ne'er-do-well. Their lives are largely connected with Flora Palmieri, a local school teacher on whom Pietro seeks revenge for failing him at school and with whom Graziano has a whirlwind courtship lasting one night.
I'll Steal You Away" is "new" in the sense that it was written before his wonderful 2003 book, "I'm Not Scared" (after which a gratifying movie was made) and translated by Jonathan Hunt (no relation to me) earlier this year. Ammaniti's attention to detail and his often graphic descriptions of characters in sensual scenes are in abundance in "I'll Steal You Away". He knows how to tell a story. However, this earlier book suffers from being too long where "I'm Not Scared" was of an apt length. While one of the aims of the book is to transfer a sense of worth and power to Pietro from Graziano during an encounter where the youngster is being attacked by his peers and Graziano comes to Pietro's aid, it nonetheless takes almost the entire length of the book to get to that point.
Hunt's very British translation makes for a fun sidelight (at least for American readers!) but Ammaniti shines in the force of his narrative delivery. It's a good book but some editing would have made "I'll Steal You Away" an even better one.
I'll Steal You Away" is "new" in the sense that it was written before his wonderful 2003 book, "I'm Not Scared" (after which a gratifying movie was made) and translated by Jonathan Hunt (no relation to me) earlier this year. Ammaniti's attention to detail and his often graphic descriptions of characters in sensual scenes are in abundance in "I'll Steal You Away". He knows how to tell a story. However, this earlier book suffers from being too long where "I'm Not Scared" was of an apt length. While one of the aims of the book is to transfer a sense of worth and power to Pietro from Graziano during an encounter where the youngster is being attacked by his peers and Graziano comes to Pietro's aid, it nonetheless takes almost the entire length of the book to get to that point.
Hunt's very British translation makes for a fun sidelight (at least for American readers!) but Ammaniti shines in the force of his narrative delivery. It's a good book but some editing would have made "I'll Steal You Away" an even better one.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Guy R. Hearn
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In "I'll Steal You Away" Ammaniti gives us two intersecting tales of people trying to escape the deadness and brutality of Italian provincial life, interspersing these stories with cameos, walk ons and diversions from a range of hilariously drawn characters.
And whilst I would agree that the one of these narrative threads - the story of Graziano Biglia, ageing Lothario and charicature of the Latin stud, desperately trying to conjure up a respectable future as the local boy made good, whilst being led by the nose by the skittish, gold digging nude dancer Erica - is frequently hilarious, embarrasingly well observed, and always diverting, ultimately this is an entertainment. Such a cartoon is Biglia, that it is hard to be anything other than amused by his sufferings, or those of Flora, drawn reluctantly into his web thanks to the inhibition-lowering effects of MDMA.
But in his other narrative thread, Ammaniti has created one of the great adoloscent characters in literature. I challenge anyone who had a less than perfect childhood - and that's most of us - not to relate strongly to Pietro Moroni. Pietro, 12 years old but small for his age, struggles with a dysfunctional family dominated by an abusive alcoholic father and with bullying and victimisation from the local toughs. His only salvation comes from being the best friend and soulmate of Gloria, the most beautiful and feisty girl in town. But as Pietro hits adolescence that plank is also becoming shaky, as friendship starts to turn into something else, with all the uncertainties and fears that brings.
Pietro is swept along on a wave of events that he has no way of controlling, let down by all the adults in his life, only able to turn to the always supportive, but not always wise, Gloria. Ultimately, as his narrative crosses paths with that of Biglia, he takes a series of unpredictable and shocking actions to take control of his life.
A book that can be hilarious, picaresque, and profound simultaneously is a rare thing indeed - and Pietro and Gloria's story in particular will stay with you for a long time. And for anyone who remembers the fear, pain, occasional rapture and general heightening of the senses of your first love / first crush, this book will stir up feelings and memories you've long forgotten.
Deliberately or not, Ammaniti has left plenty of room for a sequel and personally I hope he writes it. But for now, I heartily recommend this book to anyone with a heart.
And whilst I would agree that the one of these narrative threads - the story of Graziano Biglia, ageing Lothario and charicature of the Latin stud, desperately trying to conjure up a respectable future as the local boy made good, whilst being led by the nose by the skittish, gold digging nude dancer Erica - is frequently hilarious, embarrasingly well observed, and always diverting, ultimately this is an entertainment. Such a cartoon is Biglia, that it is hard to be anything other than amused by his sufferings, or those of Flora, drawn reluctantly into his web thanks to the inhibition-lowering effects of MDMA.
But in his other narrative thread, Ammaniti has created one of the great adoloscent characters in literature. I challenge anyone who had a less than perfect childhood - and that's most of us - not to relate strongly to Pietro Moroni. Pietro, 12 years old but small for his age, struggles with a dysfunctional family dominated by an abusive alcoholic father and with bullying and victimisation from the local toughs. His only salvation comes from being the best friend and soulmate of Gloria, the most beautiful and feisty girl in town. But as Pietro hits adolescence that plank is also becoming shaky, as friendship starts to turn into something else, with all the uncertainties and fears that brings.
Pietro is swept along on a wave of events that he has no way of controlling, let down by all the adults in his life, only able to turn to the always supportive, but not always wise, Gloria. Ultimately, as his narrative crosses paths with that of Biglia, he takes a series of unpredictable and shocking actions to take control of his life.
A book that can be hilarious, picaresque, and profound simultaneously is a rare thing indeed - and Pietro and Gloria's story in particular will stay with you for a long time. And for anyone who remembers the fear, pain, occasional rapture and general heightening of the senses of your first love / first crush, this book will stir up feelings and memories you've long forgotten.
Deliberately or not, Ammaniti has left plenty of room for a sequel and personally I hope he writes it. But for now, I heartily recommend this book to anyone with a heart.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ammaniti's style is lean and sparce but full of references to many modern topics such as art,music and literature and it was fun to recognize the references or at least some of them. The book is chock full of interesting characters, some of whom appear only briefly and then disappear. The main protagonists, Pietro,a young student and Graziano, an aging Lothario meet only once but the effect of the encounter is life altering; Ammaniti tells a good story but his dialogue is stilted and the ending improbable and unsatisfactory. Being somewhat of an Italophile, I enjoyed the depiction of a small nondescript backwater town and the lives of the folks that live there. If these kinds of things interest you, read the book otherwise give it a pass.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Dark Horse
This book is a bit of a sleeper. I really encourage readers to read it through as it's a gem of a book ! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Treasure Hunter
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not his best, but with good bits
Early (1999) third novel by Niccolò Ammaniti (NA), who won great praise for his second, `I'm not Afraid', which was made into an awards-winning movie. Read more
Published 6 months ago by P. A. Doornbos
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not my cup of espresso
Although a devotee of Italian literature, I must admit that I am not fond of most of the current crop of Italian writers (too much imitation of "hip" American writers and... Read more
Published on May 10, 2010 by Gianni D
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'll Steal You Away
Only read this if you like conflict, unrelenting quirky characters, bullies, mischief, sex and a carefull sad ending.
A humorous yet sad story, and entirely believable. Read more
A humorous yet sad story, and entirely believable. Read more
Published on January 4, 2007 by Alan C. Iannacito
3.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of nice prose does not a novel make
While there are many lovely passages in this book, and the prose generally has a "keep reading me" feeling, this book fails as a novel. Read more
Published on November 5, 2006 by Ursiform
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