Lambrusco: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Ellen Cooney (Author)
Key Phrases: raining gold coins, San Guarino, Signora Fantini, Etto Renzetti (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this heartfelt if uneven portrayal of a widow's wartime struggles, Cooney captures the chaos visited upon the Italian countryside during WWII. Lucia Fantini, renowned for her operatic performances in the family restaurant, finds herself on a mission to find her son, Beppi, who went into hiding after blowing up a German tank. In her travels, she crosses paths with an American woman, a former golf champion who is part of army intelligence; distant neighbors whose homes have been bombed; and people who have been involved with the restaurant. Cooney takes great pains to capture the individual idiosyncrasies of the characters, but the many competing personalities dilute Lucia's story. Flashbacks appear frequently, and though some are illuminating, the combination of recollections, the present story and Lucia's occasional delusions (one minute, bombs are falling, the next, Lucia is having a conversation with Verdi and Puccini over who is the greater musician) lacks balance. Still, Cooney (A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies) accomplishes her task of portraying, on a very personal level, the moxie and individuality of the Italian villagers as they face the challenges of war. (Apr.)
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Review
“Cooney’s darkly comic journey of revelation triumphantly demonstrates the sustaining power of love, duty, family, and friendship.”
—Booklist

“Lovingly presented . . . touching . . . Cooney explores how war causes not just injury to the body, but more importantly explains how every participant can be ‘injured in his nerves, in his self, in his soul.’”
—Kirkus

"This is surely Ellen Cooney's most original work. Who else would have placed a squad of partisans in the Italian Resistance, who happen to be waiters in a seaside restaurant famous for the opera sung by the owner's wife, against a backdrop of bombed, wartorn Italy? The effect is positively Felliniesque."
—Anita Desai


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375424962
• ISBN-13: 978-0375424960
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #938,481 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lambrusco: A Review, July 20, 2008

By	Book Lover - See all my reviews

"Lambrusco" is the story of one woman's journey as she searches for her missing son across war torn Italy. The novel takes place during World War II and while war provides the horrific background, this is not a story about war itself, but rather about the way it affects those who are surrounded and engulfed by it. It is a story about ordinary people banded together in difficult, extraordinary times. It is about hope, the ways in which we, as individuals, affect those around us, about family, friends, and community. From the moment the book opens, with a list of the cast of characters, you know you are in for an interesting ride. Although the novel is told from Lucia's point of view, there are moments where Lucia's imagination takes over and the result is a panorama of all the things that make us human - our imaginations, fears, lusts, our love, our tenacity, and the relationships we forge and build in even the worst of circumstances. While Lucia must face devastating events, it is her hope, her voice that ultimately survives. The beginning of the novel sets up the journey Lucia must make, but it is the second half which really showcases Ms. Cooney's talent. She creates some real moments of beauty and humor, not an easy task considering the circumstances. Overall, "Lambrusco" is a worthwhile read from a talented writer.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Toast to "Lambrusco", May 22, 2008

By	Robert L. Winchester - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is a beautiful telling of ordinary people living through extraordinary times. During WWII, these small towns in Italy were caught between the advancing American army, their own Fascist government, and the retreating Germans. We follow Lucia as she searches for her missing partisan son and in the process meet her family and friends, finely drawn characters. We share her thoughts; memories, fears, horrors, and finally hope. Hope, that beneath the devastations and the scars of war there will again emerge songs to sing and a time to love.
This is an author who respects the reader. Through her words she subtly seduces us into Lucia's world. Read and enjoy. BRAVO!

4.0 out of 5 stars A toast to the pleasures of life, May 13, 2008

By	Bookreporter.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Lucia Fantini was once in love with life. The emotional heart of her husband's village restaurant Aldo's, Lucia fed her many customers' hearts even as the wonderful food fed their stomachs. She nightly entertained the restaurants' guests with the music of Verdi, Rossini and Puccini --- her country's most notable opera composers. Dressed in beautiful gowns to complement the musical selections, Lucia used her voice to elicit a romantic ambience, even a marriage proposal or two. Surrounded by her many neighbors and co-workers and her small but loving family (her husband Aldo and her son Giuseppi, nicknamed Beppi), Lucia had a life full of friends, family and music.

But that was before Benito Mussolini's fascist Blackshirts, and then the German Nazis, seemed to infiltrate every corner of Italy. Even Aldo's, once a safe harbor for Lucia's neighbors, has been filled with hostile strangers. When Aldo dies, Lucia feels estranged from her old life. Now she no longer sings for the love of life --- instead, she substitutes the name of her favorite wine (Lambrusco) for the words of her beloved arias, which have become too painful to sing.

Lucia is not the only one mourning the loss of her old life. The cooks and waiters at the restaurant --- and even some of their children --- have become partisans, secretly plotting against the fascist influences around them. Before long, Lucia has become the perfect gun runner for the ragtag organization --- no one would suspect this innocent-looking woman of hiding guns and ammunition in bags of flour! But when Beppi blows up a German tank and then goes on the run, Lucia's involvement with the resistance movement takes on a new urgency. As she encounters old lovers and friends, as well as new, unlikely allies, Lucia tries desperately to find her son --- and a glimmer of that life she once knew.

The strongest aspect of Ellen Cooney's LAMBRUSCO is the individuality with which she paints each of Lucia's friends and acquaintances. Using distinctive dialogue, odd quirks and individual foibles, Cooney manages to flesh out the large cast of characters who flicker through Lucia's narrative. At times it still can be difficult to keep track of the large number of partisans who play more or less major roles in the novel, but her eye for detail and ear for dialogue result in a richly embellished tapestry of the people and places in Lucia's life.

Lucia's story is a fluid one, drifting freely --- and sometimes abruptly --- from the present (as Lucia dodges hostile bullets and wayward bombs) to the past (as she recalls better days, or recollects first meetings with old friends) and even to pure fantasy (as she imagines a conversation in which her favorite composers argue their relative greatness). Despite its sometimes dreamy tone and serious subject matter, Cooney's novel manages to find humor, friendship and love in even the most surprising and stressful circumstances. And despite its bleak moments, LAMBRUSCO, like the wine of its title, offers a toast to the pleasures of life.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl