Customer Reviews

The Rosselli Cantata : A Brief Family Chronicle

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This is truly an amazing story because it is based on real events, albeit fictionalized to protect the innocent. My grandmother told me the story of how her father had to leave Italy because of a deaf mute cousin who was killed on his property by accident, how a priest helped him come to America and how she came to America with her step-mother and older brother. Her father had several more children by the 2nd. wife and 2 of those half siblings, sisters, were deaf mutes. It was amazing to read and watch the story unfold from the son's point of view. At a recent reunion with the family it was acknowledged that the true ending of the story was that it really was an accident after all. My cousin, A. S. Maulucci, wrote a beautiful story to immortalize this wonderful Italian family and all of their struggles.

Ever wonder what it was like for the European immigrants who came to America in the early 20th century? This story will show you what it was like to adjust and survive in those difficult times. However, this is not your typical family saga. The central character, Salvatore Rosselli, goes to New York to find the man who murdered his father in Italy with the intention of taking his vengeance and returning home. It doesn't turn out that way, and he must live with the pain and anger which he channels into making money. Isn't that the usual way with first-generation Americans? Ironically, he becomes a success, never returns Italy except for a brief visit on business, has a large family, and just when he's finding some peace, the murderer comes back into his life. This is a universal American story that resonates with all of us, not just Italians.

There are passages in The Rosselli Cantata which are written with the simplicity and strength of a folk tale. Maulucci has a fine grasp of Italian-American life and a lucid style in which to show it. The characters in The Rosselli Cantata are particularly elemental -- the deaf-mute Dominic with those bare feet that looked like the stumps of a tree, the son Salvatore who kneels in the soil of his dead father's farm a generation later and rubs the limestone dirt into his face and weeps until it turns to mud -- these are powerful images. I thought of Cavaleria Rusticana and Pagliacci while reading this brief book; it has the same verismo. -- Eugene Mirabelli, author of The World at Noon

The Rosselli Cantata was a great story, so close to home. I felt that I was sitting around the kitchen table with my father telling the story. Our family is from Canosa, a city near Cerignola. I have been looking for inspiration to write my dad's memoires and this book certainly inspired me to continue with my writing. My father said that in the evening, around a lamp or candlelight, his mother would tell stories, much like the Rosselli story. This was their entertainment, since they didn't have electricity or T.V. These stories are important in preserving the culture of these places in Southern Italy. Anthony has done marvelous work in his narrative style. I was very pleased in finding this book through Amazon.

It was exciting to see a book written about my husbands "family". The book is very interesting and makes us want to know more.

This novel is written with the economy and power of good poetry.

The ending of this novel was amazing. It gave me chills. The strange twist was totally unexpected (the way good twists should be!) The son of the murdered man finally finds the murderer many years later in a park and sees that the man's own sons have -- well, I don't want to spoil it for you! Just read it for yourself. It's a darn good story. The writing flows and will carry you along effortlessly.