Wait Until Spring, Bandini [Paperback]

John Fante (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2002

He came along, kicking the snow. Here was a disgusted man. His name was Svevo Bandini, and he lived three blocks down that street. He was cold and there were holes in his shoes. That morning he had patched the holes on the inside with pieces of cardboard from a macaroni box. The macaroni in that box was not paid for. He had thought of that as he placed the cardboard inside his shoes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Fante began writing in 1929 and published his first short story in 1932. His first novel, Wait Until Spring, Bandini, was published in 1938 and was the first of his Arturo Bandini series of novels, which also include The Road to Los Angeles and Ask the Dust. A prolific screenwriter, he was stricken with diabetes in 1955. Complications from the disease brought about his blindness in 1978 and, within two years, the amputation of both legs. He continued to write by dictation to his wife, Joyce, and published Dreams from Bunker Hill, the final installment of the Arturo Bandini series, in 1982. He died on May 8, 1983, at the age of seventy-four.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1 edition (May 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876855540
• ISBN-13: 978-0876855553
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written Italian-American family story, May 28, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wait Until Spring, Bandini (Paperback)

"Wait Until Spring, Bandini," by John Fante, is a novel about an Italian-American family living in Colorado. The story focuses on Arturo Bandini, a teenager who is the eldest of the family's three sons. His father, Svevo, is a bricklayer and an immigrant to the United States. Very Americanized, Arturo loves baseball and is tormented inside over his family's poverty.

Fante richly develops the relationships among the members of this often dysfunctional family. He also vividly evokes the experience of raising a family in poverty. Particularly interesting is Fante's portrayal of Roman Catholicism within the life of the Bandini family; religion is shown to be a very ambiguous force. There are some dark, even cruel episodes as the family's story unfolds.

As much as I enjoyed "Wait," I did not find it in the end to be as satisfying as the other Fante novels which I have read ("1933 Was a Bad Year" and "Full of Life"). Still, it's a powerful family story that is graced by Fante's excellent prose style.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, June 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (San Diego Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wait Until Spring, Bandini (Paperback)

Wait Until Spring, Bandini is a masterfully crafted novel by an amazingly underapreciated author. John Fante's name is like a password, those who know it cannot deny their bookishness. His writing is powerful and touching in its simplicity as he tells the tale of Aurturo Bandini, the son of Italian immigrants living in Colorodo. There are no wars, explosions, or black holes in this book. Its a tiny little story about one winter in a boy's life. Its power is in the realization that it provokes, the realization that growing up is something we all had to go through, that we've all made mistakes, and we're all human.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fante-stic!!!, May 23, 2004

By 

"biabraune" (Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wait Until Spring, Bandini (Paperback)

A poignant book, wonderfully written. In my opinion, this was his first and best novel. Even better than "Ask the dust", regarded as his masterpiece... A brilliant beginning for such a writer!