The Little World Of Don Camillo [Paperback]

Giovanni Guareschi (Author, Illustrator), Una Vincenzo Troubridge (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Image (Doubleday) (August 19, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038523242X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385232425
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,613,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don Camillo's Little World is Magical, January 14, 2004

By 

W. Brown "Dr Bill, Xiamen University" (Xiamen, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little World of Don Camillo (Hardcover)

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.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous lessons in tolerance, October 7, 2000

By 

Guillermo Maynez (Mexico, Distrito Federal Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little World of Don Camillo (Hardcover)

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and human, August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Little World of Don Camillo (Hardcover)

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!