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.
Wait Until Spring, Bandini (Bandini Quartet)
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Editorial Reviews
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"Fante was my God." Charles Bukowski "If you haven't yet discovered John Fante, you're in for a wonderful treat." Evening Standard "Fante's writing has a freshness that should shame many of today's scribblers." Sunday Herald "An excellent rites of passage tale, infused with all the gory humiliation, rich humour and treacherous hormones of adolescence." Buzz"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format: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 14 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
Format:Paperback
It is rare that call any writer an artist, but with John Fante I feel no compunction whatsoever with using the word artist. While this work was his first and as such lacks the maturity, refinement and strength of voice that his later works possess, this particular book holds something that the others do not. That is the quintessential American experience. By that I mean the experience of being an immigrant trying to own their Americaness.
While the writing in this book shows sporadic flashes of brilliance, the message is more important than the words in this book. In a lot of ways this is the American story. It is the story of a poor Italian kid growing up in a world that doesn't want to accept him. This work has a powerful duality working inside of the characters. You have the proud but poor Italian father full of Machismo, and then you have the second generation immigrant who is just not quite American enough for his peers. The main character deals with the plight of poverty and alienation along with trying to fulfill traditional roles at home.
Fante becomes a great American writer. This isn't one of his masterpieces, but this is still an important work because it gives readers a glimpse into a uniquely American experience. The strength of this work lies in its ability to relate a world and experience that all Americans (except for Native Americans) have experienced at one point or another, and that is the immigrant experience. Fante does an amazing job giving readers a glimpse into that world.
While the writing in this book shows sporadic flashes of brilliance, the message is more important than the words in this book. In a lot of ways this is the American story. It is the story of a poor Italian kid growing up in a world that doesn't want to accept him. This work has a powerful duality working inside of the characters. You have the proud but poor Italian father full of Machismo, and then you have the second generation immigrant who is just not quite American enough for his peers. The main character deals with the plight of poverty and alienation along with trying to fulfill traditional roles at home.
Fante becomes a great American writer. This isn't one of his masterpieces, but this is still an important work because it gives readers a glimpse into a uniquely American experience. The strength of this work lies in its ability to relate a world and experience that all Americans (except for Native Americans) have experienced at one point or another, and that is the immigrant experience. Fante does an amazing job giving readers a glimpse into that world.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By "biabraune"
Format: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!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By "roggetod"
Format:Paperback
...and I read a lot of books...in my opinion Fante beats the pain of Dostoevski being as simple in words as Bukowski..."Wait until Spring, Bandini" is probably the best although one of the simplest books I read in my life...I think Fante deserves the Nobel post-mortum...Hamsun and Marquez got it, why not Fante?
By nozz
Format:Paperback
On the one hand, everything is exaggerated. The characters' binges of emotion are exaggerated, as are the actions-- sometimes childishly self-destructive-- that the characters are driven to. On the other hand, there is a lyrical prose style that smooths everything over, often using an incantatory sort of intentional repetition. I'm not sure there isn't also an awkward sort of unintentional repetition here and there, but what do I know? The book starts out focusing on one character but winds up turning its attention more to a different character-- and a less interesting one, as has already been remarked here. I didn't know that it was the first book-- and not the most famous-- in a tetralogy. It's a good start. If some day I have the time, I'd certainly like to read the rest.
By Jonathan K.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The beginning of the Bandini Saga will wrench your heart. You find yourself, with the characters, trapped in this frustratingly inexpressible human condition. Fante manages, a triumphant champion, to articulate the unbelievable, ungraspable circumstance called life. John's a writer's writer, and a heavyweight at that.
By fy colorado
Format:Kindle Edition
This is one of those books that seems very recent even though it's fairly old. One of the great American writers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A+
great book for a great price! it was shipped quickly and securely. no problems & no complaints! very pleased :)
Published 7 months ago by petrichor
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Interesting and Sometimes Enjoyable Read
What starts out as a father's love, contempt and obligation to family turns into a son's love and contempt. The father I enjoyed, the son not so much. Read more
Published 9 months ago by W. Powell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great description of city poor
I thought he described with insight the inner thoughts of city poor people. Almost thought he could have been one until I read his bio. Read more
Published on January 7, 2011 by Real Name
3.0 out of 5 stars
Meh, okay book.
Not my favorite Fante book, but seeing as though it's one of his firsts, it sets a good foundation for other Arturo Bandini stories to come later in the awesome series.
Published on June 25, 2010 by mmac
4.0 out of 5 stars
For those who like their fiction rough-hewn
Apparently this is Fante's first published book, but not the first book he wrote.
This was the second book by Fante that I read, the first being Ask the Dust. Read more
This was the second book by Fante that I read, the first being Ask the Dust. Read more
Published on August 15, 2008 by Jim Morrison
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wanted more from this
I think I wanted more from this after reading ASK THE DUST. I didnt get the same feeling of desperation and despair as in the other novel. Read more
Published on January 22, 2007 by William D. Tompkins
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sparse, Flat early work of Fante
Ask the Dust, a later novel, is a better representation of what Fante does well: 1st person honest narration that vacilllates between indifference and a consuming passion for the... Read more
Published on July 29, 2005 by Zachary O. Feingold
3.0 out of 5 stars
A book about sad memories
'Wait Until Spring, Bandini' is a kind of book that deserves a place among others that have a main target in vision: to tell a story of memories of a hard and impoverished youth... Read more
Published on May 17, 2004 by Durango Kid
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