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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cute, May 10, 2002
This review is from: The Silent Gondoliers (Paperback)
I am one of the handful of people who haven't yet read "The Princess Bride," so I can't comment on how this compares to that book. However, this was an entertaining little tale and a cute fable. Everyone once knew that the gondoliers of Venice were the best singers in the world -- so amazing, in fact, that the great Enrico Caruso was overwhelmed when he heard them singing. One talented young gondolier with a "goony" smile, Luigi, is incredibly skilled as a gondolier and wins the heart of the girl he adores. But when he tries to sing, chaos reigns. People pelt him with vegetables and dead fish, even when he isn't singing. Out of necessity, poor Luigi is drummed out of the gondoliers. His girlfriend dumps him, and he ends up washing dishes in a tavern with only his dreams to sustain him. Can Luigi overcome his terrible singing voice and realize his dreams? This is a cute little story, though "fable" might be the wrong description for it because there is no firmly-defined lesson in it. Is it the special-rubbing-off line? Never give up on your dreams? Be an insane optimist? I never really figured it out. The outlines of it are rather uneven, especially the entire chapter devoted to the history of surfing. This might work in a book three or four times "Gondoliers"'s length, but in a story this short it merely feels awkward. And for the record, the translation of "pizza" is not "pizza," but "pie." Nevertheless, Luigi is a sweetie, with his goony smile and obsessions with being a gondolier. The reader really does want him to succeed, and boos enthusiastically at the unsympathetic The Great and the aptly named "John the Bastard." The line drawings add a nice touch, very pretty in most cases. And the author manages to make Venice sound like one of the loveliest places in the world. A nice little book, good for passing twenty minutes on a rainy day.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Princess Bride--but it doesn't need to be., March 23, 2001
This review is from: The Silent Gondoliers (Paperback)
I just now, this moment, have set down the book, "The Silent Gondoliers." It is the story of the Gondoliers of Venice, and why they no longer sing as they row. It was written by Morgensern late in life, the result of years of study. It seems as a child, he heard the beautiful voices of the Gondoliers, and began years of study and research to see why they no longer sang. The culmination of that is "The Silent Gondoliers," a very short book--only 110 pages, that bears absolutely no resemblence to "The Princess Bride." I am grateful for this. If the whole thing had just been a rehash of the Princess Bride, it would have made Morgensten a panderer. It is not nearly as funny--I figure this is likely because Morgenstern was basing it on "Real Live Events." But, and this is an important but, it is as entertaining. It is an easy read, and if you decide you hate it you will by no means have wasted much of your time. If, however, you find the story rings absolutely true with what you believe about the world, then I think you will enjoy the story of Luigi, the greatest Gondolier who ever lived, who, due to circumstance, was stuck washing glasses at the Tavern.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The writing equals Princess in this too-brief tale, January 23, 2005
This review is from: The Silent Gondoliers (Paperback)
Writing as a researcher, the elusive S. Morgenstern investigates a mystery that has bothered him ever since he learned of it. Why are the gondoliers of Venice, once world-famous for their beautiful singing voices, now silent? As he reveals the facts of the case, we are treated to a fable that is as engaging, in its way, as The Princess Bride.
The bulk of the story deals with Luigi, an aspiring gondolier who wants nothing more than to join his peers in song in the Grand Canal. When his dreams are crushed, he becomes a quiet background figure in Venice, known only for his ability to wash dishes and his goony smile. But behind that sad, goony smile, Luigi never stops dreaming of accomplishing his lifelong goals.
I don't want to spoil any of the plot points of the book, so instead I will praise the skill of the writing, which is equal to the skill on display in Princess Bride. The device of the garrulous researcher is consistently hilarious, as are all of the asides and digressions that shine light on the impossible, yet almost-real world of Venice. The story lacks the depth and complexity of the Princess Bride, and so falls far short of that book in terms of overall impact. Rather, it's as if this is an extension of the former work, and could almost have been worked into The Princess Bride as a longish chapter (the entire book clocks in at a meager 110 pages).
Readers will fall in love with Luigi's stoic smile and deference to the world around him. He is a humble man, but one who has an inner spark that can never be extinguished, and the power of his character, along with the humorous writing, drives the book.
This is a must read.
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