History

I still remember how bowled over I was the first time I read this book. I stumbled across it somewhere - I'd never heard of it - and wondered how such a great and moving book wasn't on every bookshelf in every bookstore. It's a bit better known now but not much and that's too bad. It is a truly great book and great story. I can't imagine reading it and not being changed. It's a reminder - or a teacher - that war happens to people and that it's seldom pretty. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

When I first read this book, I cried so much that it was hard to breathe. Beautifully written, beautifully translated, this is one of the best books of the second half of the twentieth century. This is the story of a young Italian woman and her sons, mostly during World War II. The beautiful portrait of the young baby, and then young boy, was just so moving. And I loved the descriptions of their dog, Bella. As she looked at each of her puppies, she thought it was surely the most beautiful one in the world. Morante captured the essence of motherhood. Of course, life has tragedy, and this is a very, very sad book. But if you want a good story, and marvelous writing, writing that is so beautiful that you are just stunned, then read this book.

I read this book and for the first time I cried reading. Not once, not twice, but everytime I read it. And whenever I think of the book my heart hurts. Not only because Morante overwhelmed with her style and that the story is so touching but because the pain and misery described in the book are still part of millions of women and children's reality. I recommend this book especially to youngsters and teenagers, it will teach them as much as Anne Frank's diary.

I read this book over four years ago, and I still come to this website to see if any new titles have been added to the "If you liked this book..." section. I have a B.A. and M.A. in literature, read voraciously, and this remains in my top 10 list of all novels (among others, "Gathering Evidence," by Thomas Bernhardt, "Maria Zef," by Paola Driga, "Independent People," by Halldor Laxness . . .). It is one of those books that, should you hear of it somehow and read it, you will think a long time about how lucky you are that you "met" this novel, and this author, if you've never read her before; and you will shudder to think you might have gone through your life and missed such a book, and you will begin to wonder how many other books there are out there like this, some that you know you will never find. This is a serious novel, and a deeply moving one, especially if you have a fondness for literature about children. But this is not a prerequisite. When I began the novel, I didn't believe I could come to care so deeply for a fictional character, much less a five-year-old boy who, for the majority of the novel, is too young to speak. And his dogs! This is a truly magical novel. During the last fifty pages, I could not possibly put this book down, and my whole being was affected for days after reading the book, and I can never really forget it. If you don't like to feel, don't read this book. But if you do, you will rarely, if ever, be so richly rewarded.

This is a story set in war-torn Italy that follows the life of a simple, good child-like woman, as she deals with widowhood, rape, and survival with her two sons. The beauty of this stunning book, is in the descriptions of the characters, and the emotions each one is experiencing from the point of view of an anonymous bystander. As the years pass in this family's life, it's as though we were so intimately connected with their pain and anguish that we are somehow responsible because we do nothing but watch from afar. I was overwhelmed with such feelings of compassion for the struggling mother, her unruly eldest son, and most of all, for her innocent Useppe, the child born of her rape. Elsa Morante's ability in touching my heart with words that helped me "experience" each moment with these special characters, is incredible. She describes fleeting moments of love, anguish, and sorrow, without naming them, and yet they are so recognizable, they just tug at your heart. This writer has an extraordinary ability with words, that special ability to paint feelings so delicately, you are not aware that you have been touched until the end of the passage. And often I would have to pause before reading on, to wonder at the effect the words have had on me. I have never experienced that kind of thing in a book before, and I have read all my life. I'll never forget this delicate and sensitive work.