The Jukebox Queen of Malta [Import] [Paperback]

Nicholas Rinaldi (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; New Ed edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593044215
• ISBN-13: 978-0593044216
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authentic and absorbing, January 1, 2002

By 

Rosanne Dingli (Karrinyup, Western Australia Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The JUKEBOX QUEEN OF MALTA: A Novel (Hardcover)

The atmosphere created by Nicholas Rinaldi in this novel is authentic: this was Malta in WWII, when there was constant bombing, little food and a common desperation that led to individual acts of heroism, ingenuity, folly. Having lived in Malta for 27 years, the scenes, characters and dilemmas created by Rinaldi reawakened in me a kind of nostalgia; reminded me of the steadfast, ingenious Maltese: their seige mentality, pious irreverence and black humour. The writing is crisp, immediate and evocative, with passing references to literary and historical stuff, emotional and psychological stuff and religious and philosophical stuff: but it is never heavy, overbearing or dry. This is an engaging novel that entertains while it makes the reader wonder (because it is obvious the history on which it is based is real) how the human spirit experiences, endures and lives to overcome. There are insurmountable obstacles facing the characters in this books. There are classical juxtapositions of characters and scenes. There are locations that suddenly take on personalities of their own, taking charge and dominating the story. That's Malta for you: its history, presence, size and improbabilities arrest the heart. In this case, it made an author stay and write on. I found it hard to put down, and will find it hard to forget.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Maltese Opinion, September 18, 2000

By 

Caroline Zammit (Malta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The JUKEBOX QUEEN OF MALTA: A Novel (Hardcover)

Being a Maltese myself I was more interested to find out about the portrayal of Malta and the Maltese by Rinaldi...and I must say I was impressed. This book is so well researched that it actually includes newspaper cuttings of the time (some of the shops advertised at that time still stand today!). His description of the hardship endured by the Maltese during the Second World War is absolutely spot-on without being over-dramatic or too romantic. His characters are so real, the plot so clever I could not put the book down.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Novel to Close the Century, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The JUKEBOX QUEEN OF MALTA: A Novel (Hardcover)

Written at the tail of the Twentieth Century, "The Jukebox Queen of Malta" takes a look back to mid-Century, spotlighting characters and a people who defy a part of the horrific terror induced by WW II. In so doing, the novel touches upon many of the major intellectual themes of the past one-hundred years (Self-Other, Fragmentation, the Individual, the Absurd), providing a fitting synthesis of these currents for the closing of the millenium. The writing is fluid, lyrical and flows like a dream.