Customer Reviews

Little Money Street: In Search of Gypsies and Their Music in the South of France

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

 

 

Gypsy culture is a misunderstood, fascinating ,sad and rich culture that is explored with keen insight by author Fernanda Eberstadt;she presents all facets, warts and all. The pretext for writing this book was the exploration of the music of the Perpignan band Tekameli Religious Gypsy Songs who reside in southern France, specifically in the Gypsy homeland of St. Jacques which is a section of Perpignan, home of the largest Gypsy population in Western Europe. She uprooted her family for her project and the result is an investigative bit of journalism that is part history, part social commentary and all appreciation for a culture that is a paradox. Eberstadt's writing style is entertaining and keeps the account of her life among the Gypsies completely enthralling. Her descriptions of daily life and the characters involved brings everything to life. Her year and a half exploration is funneled into snippets of time that stretch the duration, revealing glimpses into a secret society that lives on the fringes of society, complete with outcasts comes all the epidemics associated with poverty; drugs, alcoholism and AIDS are just some of the afflictions affecting these outsiders. There is no romantic vision drawn by the author but rather a vivid portrayl as close to real life as you can get without being there I suppose. She befriends the lead singer of Tekameli, Moise and his wife Diane and a cast of characters that all seem to interrelated in her quest for learning more about Gypsies. Along the way she makes friends with various family members, learns about their childrens prearranged marriages and lots of other familial practices. Children are not children in the western sense as they grow up very quickly, even marrying while still teenagers. The sense of the world is shrouded in generations old traditions that value family more than money. Ambition is almost a foreign word and practically nonexistent. Men are chauvinistic and women accept their role for the most part; married men have numerous women while young women must go through a ritual before marriage to prove her virginity that would make medieval times seem modern. Some of the things revealed are almost beyond twenty first century comprehension. Nonetheless the author has a way with words that captures the imagination; it is a vivid,colorful, visceral world the Gipsies inhabit in Perpignan. An example would be her description of attending a cockfight that is superb(I've seen a few myself)and when asked if she enjoyed it she "begins sifting through layers of interest, boredom,, exquisite discomfort, squemishness and self-disgust" which is a perfect description of feelings that matches her perceptible description of the action she saw. It is this type of language(I'll spare you the description of the cockfight)that is used throughout the book that brings the culture to life. Besides thoroughly enjoying the book I really had a good time listening to Ida Y Vuelta. Their spiritual music is uplifting in it's praise to the Lord but much like the Gypsies themselves, hard to understand how such beautiful music can come from such upheaval. The diversity of the Gypies is another point examined in this entertaining book that is an easy read that can be read quickly, especially if you like the subject. Recommened for anyone wanting to know more about Gypsy culture and the beautiful music they produce.

A somewhat random disjointed description of gypsy life in southern France. The author romanticizes the sad squalid existence of a culture in decline. The gypsy neighborhood reminds me of an Indian reservation in the southwest USA. The book is 'OK' but not enthralling.

I read this book because I lived in Spain for a few years as a young adult where I learned to despise gypsies. I grew up in New York and was never mugged or had my pocket picked, yet, in Spain, I was mugged and pick-pocketed -- by gypsies.

I read Little Money Street hoping to learn something about the gypsy culture that would make me more sympathetic to them, but that didn't happen: Ms. Eberstadt summed it up when she wrote that the gypsies of Little Money Street pride themselves on being illiterate and uneducated, unable to get their kids to school in spite of the government bending over backwards to accommodate them, yet, somehow they are able to avail themselves of every government handout, which requires that they fill out mountains of complicated paperwork. Not a culture worthy of admiration.

I give the book two stars because it was well-written and interesting, but I won't be rushing off to ingratiate myself upon any gypsy family anytime soon.

Reviewed by Diana Bocco

NYC socialist Fernanda Eberstadt moved to Perpignan, France with her family in 1998. She arrived without many expectations besides a quiet countryside life and the chance to work on her new book (she was already an acclaimed novelist at the time). What she found there was a rich cultural life that changed everything she ever thought true about Gypsy life and culture. A fan of Gypsy music, Eberstadt soon found herself tracking the roots of Gypsy band Tekameli, whose members still lived and worked in the area. The internationally acclaimed band had maintained a local focus, surrounding themselves with only their own culture and thus pushing popularity, fame and richness away.

I've always been fascinated by Gypsy culture, and I truly hoped the book would shed some light on the mystery of a culture that has evaded classification and stayed outside mainstream society for centuries. While Eberstadt does delve into the lives of the Gypsies she meets, her observations are often too superficial to explain anything. We soon learn that gypsies don't send their children to school, don't allow girls to mix with boys (not even to talk), consider working a "disease of modern society" and are proud to live on welfare their whole lives.

What we never learn is how the author (or even the Gypsies themselves) feels about this. Because this is a memoir, I was expecting strong emotions throughout it, but Eberstadt seems to turn a blind eye to the abuse, the alcoholism and the teen marriages that occur all around her. She lacks the passion to react to what happens, and at some point in the narrative even drifts away from everybody without giving us any good reason for it.

I wasn't so much interested in the pursuing of Tekameli members as I was in learning more about Gypsyes in general (which the title of the book suggests the story is about), but somehow didn't get much of that from the book.

Little Money Street is still a great read, and I would have given it three stars except for one major problem: the book is riddled with spelling mistakes, dropped words and incomplete sentences. This may be a problem of the paperback edition (I haven't seen this mentioned on reviews of the hardback), but it's so severe that it quickly becomes a problem, interfering with the understanding of the text. If you can get past that (it's not as easy as it sounds), the book can be a quick fun weekend read.

Armchair Interviews says: A book with a great story that is affected by lack of proofreading/editing.

Very interesting book. It would be interesting if Ms. Eberstadt could write a book on Linda. However, I am not sure the family would trust her intrusion again.

This book offers a peek into a culture that interests many people but which is a mystery to most. Fernanda Eberstadt has dispelled some of the stubborn myths, both good and bad, that plague the Gypsies and in some instances replaced them with painful truths that make me wish for the mythical again.

The history of Gypsy music, the process by which it is born, and the dicotomy in the attitudes of dismissal and respect the Gypsy people show it is, in itself, a great read. I can't wait to listen to some of the music mentioned. I'm familiar with the Gypsy Kings but I want to hear the truer, less polished version of this art form.

Eberstadt shows the tragedy and comedy of the Gypsies and believe me they can soar high and fall fast. But I was left with the feeling that as long as they feel a sense of control over their lives the Gypsies will always be Gypsies.