Customer Reviews

That Fine Italian Hand

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

If Italy and the Italian people are as bad as Paul Hoffmann makes them out to be in his "That Fine Italian Hand" then why has he been a non-Italian living in Italy for most of his life? His book focuses on the peculiarities and eccentricities of Italian life in a blatant attempt to make the Italians look like a nation of fools. Hoffman fails to balance descriptions with the other side of Italian life... that beautiful, colorful, lively and loving side that so many other cultures are lacking! Instead Hoffman describes ad nauseum some of the foibles of Italian life in an attempt to make the reader snicker. Hoffmann's book is ethnocentrism and cultural elitism at its worst. If the reader wants a honest look at Italian Life try Tim Park's "Italian Neighbors" instead. Parks is able to relate the ups and downs of Italian life as a non-Italian living in Italy. You will learn what it is about Italy that made Parks decide to stay in Italy and raise his children there.

The author is very well informed. Some parts of the book may be out of date (red tape, for instance, has been significantly reduced since 1990), but most of it is simply correct. I have no way of knowing if the author would describe in the same diminutive, at times almost disparaging way institutions and traditions of his own country, but that is not very relevant, an educated reader can filter that out and just focus on the facts, which are mostly right on target. This is an executive report on the country, not a romanticized travelogue. If you believe that Italy is Paradise on Earth, and wonder why the rest of the world is not flocking there, perhaps you need to read this book (not that I want to spoil your illusions....) If, instead, you want to find out why so many persons speak highly of living in Italy, you probably need to look elsewhere.

Perhaps Paul Hoffman has spent too much time in newsrooms... After all, newscasters' job is to unearth the seedy, the awful, the criminal, the negative. And that's precisely what you'll read in this book. Hoffman offers a mind-numbing slew of negative stereotypes (as thoroughly researched as they may be, one could also provide dozens of anecdotes to support prejudices against the Irish, Jewish peoples, Africans, Swedes...). In this book, Hoffman tries to explain EVERY reason for EVERY problem Italy has EVER experienced--from littering and crotch-scratching to poor governmental structure to tax evasion. It's as one-sided a book as any of those awful "I bought the most beautiful house in Tuscany and had the most beautiful time with the most beautiful people" travelogues... just replace the word "beautfiul" with "bad."

Most of the reviews have to do with not liking what he has to say about Italians -- they can't really question the accuracy of the information, which is fondamentally sound. Italians or those of Italian descent may not find it a flattering portrait, but it is worth reading just the same. The author has done his homework and most of the data still holds after 10 years...

Any American with a genuine interest in Italy and its people should read all the tales of Hofmann on the subject. Begin anywhere, but do not neglect That Fine Italian Hand.

An expatriot Austrian since the eve of WWII, Hofmann describes l'Italia with the intimacy of 50-odd years living there - combined with the objectivity of one who admits he will never BE an Italian. Far from being over critical, Hofmann is almost heartbreakingly aware of both the many glories of "Italianness" and the equally numerous shortcomings. He finds both to be essentially inseparable and probably indispensable to the very survival of the place and its people.

Paul Hofmann's work never fails to educate - even while it entertains. History, culture and anthropology in an easy-to-digest ragout.

I found this book to be absolutely dreadful. I kept wanting to throw it against the wall, but waiting for it to turn around. It never did. It is a rant about everything "wrong" with Italy. In the very last few pages, he acknowledges that Italians say they would never want to live anywhere else. But does he explore why? No. I even had my sister read it--married to an Italian, and had lived there for years. She had the same reaction. It's not like what he narrates is entirely wrong (though some is); it's just not anywhere near a complete picture. It's as if you started to look at your beautiful beloved to find all the flaws--they're there, but do not constitute the overwhelming experience. The title and introduction seem pasted on. And the anti-South stuff--just awful. This book is going straight to the recycle bin--not donated to the library.

If you want to be hit over the head with every anti-Italian sentiment and anecdote from an erudite former newsman, this is the book for you. As factual as the information may be, the focus is lacking (that is, there is no real focus, other than "Italians do everything wrong"), and the knowledge imparted does not leave the reader with the sense that he/she has actually learned anything that one couldn't get from any mediocre mafia movie. I really wanted to like this book...

My favorite book by one of the most prolific authors of the italian cultural scene. Hofmann leaves no doubt as to his love for his adopted home, yet far from being a chamber of commerce puff piece, he endeavors to portray the real italy to his readers. Anybody traveling to Italy would do well to read this book, I've traveled to Italy on several occasions and find myself returning to this book again and again.

Also if I am Italian, I don't think that we must undervalue Italian's faults; but this book is a list of stereotypes (altought brilliantly narrated) that don't help to know Italy and the Italians.

While the author has a good grasp of Italian culture and society, he neglects to highlight the positives of the Italian people and culture.