Customer Reviews

Little World of Don Camillo

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I fell in love with both the priest Don Camillo and his faithful adversary, Peppone the Communist mayor, when I was only ten, and since then have read all of the books, several times. After my experiences of being in the USAF in Taiwan in the 1970s, and now a permanent resident in mainland China's Fujian Province, I can appreciate the kinds of clashes that can occur between Communists and Christians--serious, but at times quite humorous also. I appreciate the zany humor but most of all the down to earth warm portrayels of both Don Camillo and Peppone. The author shows good and bad sides of both, and Don Camillo's conversations with Christ, who speaks to him from the crucifix above the altar, are priceless. After a few stories, one realizes that neither Don Camillo nor Peppone are the good guy or the bad guy, but simple ordinary people--and though enemies, they each sometimes go out of their way to help the other (though secretly, to save face). The cast of supporting characters, like skinny Smilzo, is also a delight.
The line drawings of the angel Don Camillo and the devil Peppone are, of course, priceless. Simple and to the point, they are the icing on the Don Camillo cake, and probably the reason why I draw cartoons on everything from greeting cards to my books on China--Amoy Magic, Fujian Adventure, Mystic Quanzhou, deng deng (which is Chinese for "etcetera"). I highly recommend not only Little World but all of the Don Camillo books in print.

I first read Don Camilo when I was 13. The thing that I have always liked the most about this book is its central lesson: it is possible to fight about ideologies, but when the community is in danger, we must forget the fight and help our neighbors. We'll continue the fuss later. Episode after episode, Don Camilo, the local priest, and Peppone, the communist mayor, confront each other, sometimes in a serious and violent way. But every time, both men negotiate their way out of trouble. That is a related lesson: public enemies / private friends. When you finish the book, indeed, you get a feeling that these two enemies and rivals have developed, over the years and innumerable shared experiences, a friendship that is deeper than most people's relationships. I like very much the parts when, in the midst of a crisis, Peppone and Don Camilo run secret negotiations in the middle of the night. But if you think this is a "rosy" book, full of childish situations, you are wrong. The problems that both characters have to solve are often deep and painful. This is the best kind of educational book, because it does not really have a "moral". The intelligent reader -and most children are- gets his own conclusions in a funny and humorous way. Those are the lessons likely to stay for life. A lovely book.

Guareschi's books should rank among the classics of Italian literature and ought to be read at school, but they are not. Why? Who knows.... Maybe because the so-called Italian intellectuals think that comic stuff isn't deep enough. Anyway, don Camillo, Peppone and his comrades are the most loved characters in Italian fiction and their stories are real masterpieces. A must read both for the old and the young. You'll love Guareschi!

I was at a summer fair recently and browsing on the book stall when I found a very old copy of the Little World of Don Camillo dating from 1953. I had no idea what it was at the time as I'd never heard of it but i was intrigued by the blurb. this book is HILARIOUS! I kept laughing out loud and getting very strange looks! but it was worth it! I am now determined to find the rest of the books and read them although I am aware that they may cost me slightly more that my 25p find at the Fete! It's a brilliant book that transports you into another world with ease and lets you meet characters that you can believe in and love. A very well spent 25 pence!

Having first entered Don Camillo's little world at 10, I have returned innumerable times over the decades, and frequently given directions to friends, too. This little work is a masterpiece. There is more wisdom, faith, hope, and love, to be found in its pages than in many far more "serious" works of fiction. All of that is accomplished in a deceptively simple gem of literary style. Like any great work of fiction, it captivates the heart as well as the mind. It is impossible to spend time in this little world and not come away with a smile on one's face and hope in one's heart. The Little World of Don Camillo is ideal reading for anyone, of any age or condition, anywhere.

Being a collection of humorous short stories, this volume has ups and downs - some stories being well-written and funny, others less so. Guareschi's talent is undeniable; he opens this book by writing, "My life began on the 1st of May, 1908, and between one thing and another, it still goes on." This is written humor at its best.
I think partially the fault for disliking a few of the stories lies in the way I've read them - I've read too many too fast; that's like eating too much chocolate. Perhaps a more paced reader will really enjoy this book and be able to give it a 5-star rating.

I have never read a Don Camillo novel that I didn't like. Comprising short, humourous, often heartwarming, tales about a parish priest in a small Italian village and his battles against the local communist mayor, his conscience, and other local crises. It has a charm, warmth and local flavour that take the reader on a journey through time to a different world. These stories are simply excellent! If you only read one book this year, make it this one.

This little book is filled with quick-reading short chapters which each impart a bit of wisdom and a moral or biblical lesson, and always with humor.

The story format is short tales in the ongoing feud between village priest Don Camillo and communist mayor Peppone. One of them often ends up bruised (literally or figuratively). At first blush it would seem like a good vs evil scenario, but really they are very much alike, and secretly sympathize with (even love)one another. Each struggles through life's choices from the perspective of his own situation.

One of the best parts, for me, is that each battle-du-jour includes Camillo's "consultation" with and reception of "advice" from the Christ image at the church altar. Rich stuff. Of course the image is not really speaking, and this technique is the author's metaphor for the working of the Holy Spirit in Camillo (or "his conscience", depending on your own theological perspective).

The theme runs throughout the book. Each chapter in pretty much a stand-alone story, although a few chapters are coupled, dealing with an ongoing incident. An entertaining little read that is a superior choice to those "thought-for-the-day" motivational/religious pamphlets. I read mine a chapter at a time when going to bed for the night. It gave me a truth to ponder as I dropped off . . . zzzzzzzz. Or maybe install a copy in your bathroom book rack. This book is very Italian and very Catholic . . . but you needn't be either to enjoy it (I'm not).

I stumbled upon "Don Camillo and His Flock" when I was 13. I'm 25 now, and I've read it five times already. I found a first edition of "The Little World of Don Camillo" in a decripit old reading room with decaying books that were to be thrown away. I adopted it, and with it, the knowledge that for as long as I live, Don Camillo's little world will always make me smile, make me think, make me cry, and be to me, the truest example of the magic that books can weave in one's life.

Don Camillo and his friends (and enemies) are the kind of people you want to curl up in bed with when things get tough. Without being moralistic or didactic, this rural Italian priest and his "flock" manage to maneuver around many of life's difficulties in a funny, kind, and honest way.