Tuesday,
May 08, 2007
Book for Young Girls: " Giovanna's 86 Circles.." by Paolo Corso
The
ANNOTICO Report
Although
I would recommend this book, as a gift to a young Italian American girl,
because it involves stories BY Italian American Girls, and those stories have
metaphorical visions, like Corso's prose, that
are memorable and entrancing, and powerful in the moment thanks to the
imagery's dream-like density, these stories may not always involve or
illuminate Italian-American lore.
For
late teen Italian Americans, "Looking
Through My Mother's Eyes: Life Stories of Nine Italian Immigrant Women"
by Giovanna Del Negro (Guernica Editions Inc) would give a deeper insight into their culture.. This look at the traditional and
subversive world of women's folklore examines the realm of women's talk,
exploring the ways Italian immigrant women use classic folk genres to stretch
the boundaries of their culture. Through songs, lullabies, bawdy riddles, and
trickster tales, these women subvert, redefine, and alter what it means to be
Italian and female in
GIOVANNA'S
86 CIRCLES AND OTHER STORIES by Paola Corso
Now
out in paperback with the
ISBN
0-299-21284-X $16.95
To
order, call the Press distributor toll free at 1
(800) 621-2736.
Discounted copies for bulk orders available.
In
this mesmerizing fiction debut, Italian American women and girls spin their
culture's lore to enliven a dying steel town.
Even
a wrecking ball is no match for the legend of Giovanna's green thumb in the
title story.
Quirkyand profound, Paola Corso's
magical leaps reveal the poetry of these women'slives.
The
book is a Best Short Stories of 2005 Selection in The Montserrat Reviewby Grace Cavalieri,
a
John Gardner Fiction Book Award Finalist, and Sons of
Review
excerpts include:
"Entrancing.powerful in the
moment."-
Publisher's Weekly
"Captivating storytelling in the tradition of Italian
fairytale makers."--Daniela Gioseffi, Rain Taxi and
Voices in Italian American,"
A major contribution to female Italian American literature. Corso
mixes myth and reality, fable and grit to illustrate the beauty, power and
necessity of storytelling."-Rita Ciresi, author
of Remind Me Again Why I Married You and Blue Italian
".rewards
second and third readings.the test of a good story.
Brava!" -Fred Gardaphe, Fra Noi
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