"The Saint of Lost Things"
-Christopher Castellani - Not Recommended
The
ANNOTICO Report
One
must often make the decision to either "ignore" books, movies, etc
that one finds counter productive to the Italian Community,
and not give them any free publicity, or "WARN" the
Community.
In
this case I WARN!
"The
Saint of Lost Things" (Algonquin Books, 2005), by Christopher Castellani could have been good, not great book, but unfortunately
Castellini gets "lazy", and uses tired
hackneyed negative stereotypes to hold his story together.
His
first transgression is the use of the "mercurial" Italian husband,
and the second was the alleged "conflict" between the Italian
American community, and Blacks, a grross distortion
that Castellani helps to perpetuate.
The
latter particularly "galls" me most, because from the time of the
first large scale Italian "legal" immigration in the 1840s, and then
to a much greater extent the "legal" immigration between
1880-1920, the Italians were far more friendly and
This
all despite Italians often being paid less than blacks for the same work, and
Black overseers with rifles on horseback guarding Italian row crop workers in
the
One
last point, So many Italian American writers feel so "betrayed"
because Italian Americans don't buy their books in sufficient quantities.
My
point is, it is the Italian American READER that is betrayed by Italian
Americans WRITERS who so often FAIL MISERABLY to provide the Italian American
reader with FEEL GOOD Books that make them want to
embrace their Italian Heritage.
Instead
those Italian American Writers too often write into their stories that type of
character or conduct that would
'shame" us, or tend for us Italian Americans to "shun" our
Heritage, and their books!!!!!
A
"pox" on those belly aching "poor is me" Italian American
Writers who are so oblivious to the obvious. I question their self indulgence,
their motives and agenda, I question their being
in touch with the pulse of the community. Do they really understand
the basics of story telling?
THE
SAINT OF ALL LOST THINGS
(Algonquin
Books, 2005)
Christopher
Castellani explores the ties that bind in an Italian
neighborhood in
Her
mercurial husband Antonio has lost his opportunity to realize the American
Dream. Their friend Guilio Fabbri,
a shy accordion player, has lost his beloved parents. In the shadow of St.
Anthony's Church, named for the patron saint of lost things, the prayers of
these troubled but determined people are heard, and fate and circumstances
conspire to answer
them in unforeseeable ways.
A
natural storyteller, warm-hearted and instinctual, Christopher Castellani has fashioned an engaging plot with writing that
is dead-on and characters who reward you with their
genuine humanity. [They] are so real they seem to leave the fog of their breath
on the page.???
---Julia
Alvarez
Editorial
Reviews
From
Publishers Weekly
Castellani explores the lives of Italian-American
immigrants in this eloquent, leisurely tale about dreams and disappointments, a
follow-up to his debut novel, A Kiss from Maddalena.
Here, Castellani picks up Maddalena
Grasso's story in 1953, when she is seven years
settled in
---- Reed Business
From
School Library Journal
Adult/High School- It is 1953, and Maddalena Grasso, newly arrived in the United States from Italy, is
trying to make sense of the language, the customs, and her place in her new,
extended family. Her perpetually dissatisfied husband, Antonio, yearns for the
American Dream: shiny new car, new home, and children. Having convinced the
beautiful Maddalena to marry him and leave her family
behind, he now watches over her jealously. He feels a mixture of contempt and
envy for his brother, who seems perfectly happy with his average wife,
nondescript daughters, and job managing a restaurant.
While
Maddalena tries to keep Antonio grounded in the
simpler joys of the life they share, an adventurous and single childhood friend
lures him with promises of easy riches. Maddalena
befriends a middle-aged single man who has recently lost both parents. Giulio Fabbri is drifting through life, but as his friendship with
the Grassos deepens, he comes to understand himself
and his dreams better. Threading through the various relationships are
undercurrents of racial tension.
When
an African-American family moves into their predominantly Italian neighborhood,
the community reacts with ugliness. Maddalena, Antonio,
and Giulio interact with Abraham Waters in markedly different ways, and these
differences are telling in how each individual handles life's disappointments
and surprises. Castellani's lyrical and elegant novel
goes beyond the story of a mid-20th-century Italian-American community. His
characters are finely drawn, and he has a keen eye for the subtle dramas of
family and friendship.?Kim
Dare, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA ----- Reed Business
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