From School Library Journal
Grade 8 UpAReluctantly, 17-year-old Percy sets off with his family to spend the summer in Venice. With his civil-engineer father absorbed in his work project, his artist mother flitting off to absorb the ambiance, and his engaging little brother immersing himself in the adventure, Percy finds himself listlessly wandering the beautiful old city. Then he meets Graziella. The attraction is mutual and instant, although the young woman is perplexingly adversarial. Conflicts arise when Percy discovers that she is a member of an underground political group prepared to use extremist measures. Frustrated by the language barrier and by political differences, Percy is on uncertain ground; he is unable to understand Graziella's stereotyping of him as an intruding American who is among those ruining life for native Venetians. He becomes the epitome of the confused, well-meaning, liberal-minded American. A crisis brings the two closer, and they are able to talk and expose the fallacies and truths in one another's thinking. Napoli paints Venice with loving detail that is a gift to the senses: readers can revel in its sights, smells, and tastes. This is one of the book's greatest strengths. Percy is such a clear-headed and responsible youth, save for a few impulsive moments, that he almost stretches the bounds of believability. The romance, also, is less successful than Napoli's political exploration. While the teens come to understand one another's point of view, the edgy politics dominate, and the chemistry between them is less convincing. Nonetheless, the book offers a unique slant on contemporary politics and perspectives couched in an exotic romance.AJennifer A. Fakolt, Carson City Public Library, NV
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 7^-9. Percy's family is spending the summer in Venice because his father, an engineer, is designing a seawall to help alleviate the city's problem with flooding. The first night there, Percy and his little brother, Christopher, buy ice cream from a girl whom Percy cannot forget. Later, he learns that she is Graziella, a counselor at Christopher's camp and an ardent supporter of the rights of Venetians. Napoli tries something tricky here and for the most part succeeds. Instead of just writing the story of a summer romance between teens from different cultures, she raises serious political issues. Graziella, along with some of her friends, is part of a group trying to save the city from foreign tourists and their money, which is turning Venice into a living museum--no longer a place where citizens can find jobs outside of tourism or a home in which to live. When Graziella learns about the seawall, she wants the plans so that her friends can blow it up and make a strike against tourism at the same time. Here, is where the story gets a little far-fetched, but Napoli draws back from a terrorist act and turns to a natural flood to create an exciting climax to the story. The writing is strong and sure, and the story is nicely laced with romance, but Napolli also deftly handles the political issues. Readers may be surprised to find themselves thinking about social issues that have never occurred to them before.
Ilene Cooper
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
