A Sister's Story

 By Donatella Di Pietrantonio

Translated by Ann Goldstein

Europa Editions      2022

167 pages     Literary

It has been several days of beach living since I finished reading A Sister’s Story, but the emotional impact lingers. The narration is told in the first person by one sister ostensibly about the other sister, written years after the events being described. It is the story of memory but primarily the story of pain and sorrow with very little redemptive joy.

Here is the synopsis: "It’s the darkest time of night. Adriana, a baby in her arms, hammers on her sister's door. Who is she running from? What uncomfortable truth is she carrying with her? Like a whirlwind, Adriana upends her sister’s life bringing chaos and cataclysmic revelations.

Years later, the narrator gets an unexpected, urgent summons back to Pescara, her hometown. She embarks on a long journey through the night, and through the folds and twists of her memory, from her and her sister’s youth, their loves and losses, secrets and regrets. Back in Borgo Sud, the town’s fishermen’s quarter, in that impenetrable yet welcoming microcosm, she will discover what really happened, and attempt to make peace with the past.

Donatella Di Pietrantonio, expert chronicler of the bonds between mothers and daughters, revisits the places and characters of A Girl Returned with a moving novel focused on the ambivalent, ambiguous, wavering but steadfast relationship between sisters."

A quote early in the novel explains the sibling relationship: “ As children we were inseparable, then we had learned to lose each other. She could leave me without news of herself for months, but it had never been this long. She seemed to obey a nomadic instinct; when a place no longer suited her, she abandoned it. Every so often our mother said to her: ‘you’re a Gypsy.’ Later I was, too, in another way.” With few characters and minimal plot, the relationship is explained and exploited.

The novel was translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein, the translator of My Brilliant Friend and the other books in the series by Elena Ferrante. Although the style of writing is quite different, the themes bear some similarity. One reviewer said, “A Sister’s Story carries the same message of the greatest Italian literature of the 20^th century. . .a message at once tragic and hopeful—that while suffering may be an inevitable part of life, we can choose not to let it define us.”

One of DiPietrantonio’s unique gifts is the ability to sum up a situation with eloquent, meaningful narration. For example, at the mother’s funeral, the narrator muses: “We looked at each other; not even the bass drum of the band had ever produced the din that our mother drew down from the sky at her funeral.” I instantly understood the emotion.

Fortunately the novel is short. I would have been hard pressed to deal with all the negative situations and pressured emotions if it had been longer. I do believe that A Sister’s Story helps describe complex family relationships. Be prepared to be moved.

In the Margins: on the Pleasures of Reading and Writing

 By Elena Ferrante

Translated by Ann Goldstein

Europa Editions 2022

111 pages     Essays

We do not know exactly who Elena Ferrante is, except that she is a gifted writer. In 2020, she wrote some lectures that were intended to be read by actors, not the author herself. She remains anonymous, but we learn a little more about her writing style in these four essays, aptly named In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing. 

She discusses the difficulties of growing up female and trying to compete in the male-dominated literary scene. She says, “I had to write like a man, staying strictly within the male tradition: although a woman, I couldn’t write like a woman except by violating what I was diligently trying to learn from the male tradition.” It wasn’t until she read Gertrude Stein’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas that she affirmed her voice as a female writer.

This very much reminded me of a paper I wrote for a philosophy class my senior year of university, probably 1965. The professor gave me an A+ on the paper and wrote, “Now you are starting to think like a man” on the paper’s margins. While I appreciated the A+, I was deeply offended by the comment. Because Ferrante must be about my age, I was able to understand her perturbation about trying to find her own voice as a writer.

The essays are a bit meandering. However, I really appreciated the essay that she calls, Histories I. This is where the reader comes to understand Ferrante’s skill as a writer telling the story of women’s lives and the challenges female authors face. She closes this essay by saying, “ I believe that the pure and simple joining of the female ‘I’ to History changes history.” She is proud that no one can now say of her writing that finally she is thinking like a man.

The reviewer in The Guardian writes, “The book feels uneven, tantalising in places, opaque in others. Her ideas can be distilled down into: powerful prose emerges from dutiful prose; all writing is built on the shoulders of great literature; the paradox of realism is it requires truthful lies; and it’s a real bitch to get what’s in your head on to the page.” 

Although I read My Brilliant Friend and watched the first season on HBO, that is the only Ferrante that I have read or watched. I may go back now and read her latest novel, The Lying Life of Adults, which has lingered on my Kindle for a couple of years.

In the Margins is an excellent footnote on the art of writing, and the skill that a woman writer must develop. Besides that, focus on the incredible book cover. The cover highlights and explains the book's contents explicitly. 

One Italian Summer

by Rebecca Serle

Atria     2022

272 pages     Magical Realism

As I am writing this, I am looking out the window on the Gulf Cost in Alabama, but dreaming of the Amalfi coast, the setting for One Italian Summer. It was the perfect book to read on vacation, because I was able to spend a great deal of time thinking about my relationship to my mother, when I was a young woman.

Kate Silver and her mother, Carol, had made plans and purchased tickets to visit the beautiful village of Positano, Italy. Positano was Carol’s favorite place, and she really wanted to share the beauty with her daughter, but after several months of suffering, Carol died. As a way to assuage her grief, Kate decides to leave her husband Eric and take the trip by herself to try to understand who she is without her mother, who had been her rock. She muses: “I cannot yet conceive of a world without her, what that will look like, who I am in her absence.”

Once she arrives, Kate is overwhelmed by the beauty of Positano and begins to follow the plans that her mother has laid out. She feels a little guilty about leaving Eric, who has been another constant in her life, but one of the goals for her trip was to decide what their relationship will be going forward. The views, the restaurants, and the hiking paths immediately call to her, and she begins to find some peace. Shockingly, she meets a young woman named Carol, who is 30, and Kate is sure that this is her mother as a young woman. As the two women become fast friends, Kate’s confusion is palpable. How is this possible? To add to her stress and confusion, Kate meets a businessman named Adam, to whom she is immediately attracted. How is this going to play out?

The plot is somewhat predictable, once the reader understands that Serle specializes in magical realism. It did intrigue me enough to keep turning the pages, but I found that the real strength of the books lies in the character development. We learn so much about Kate through her narration; young Carol is also strong, and you can’t help but be as attracted to Adam as Kate is.

The most important aspect of the book for me was the strength of the bond between Kate and her mother. My relationship with my mother was quite different from Kate’s, but I have watched a similar relationship between my sister and her daughters. My daughter and I have a very strong relationship, but I work hard not to offer too much advice. The book certainly caused me a lot of thought and contemplation about familial relationships.

The other aspect that I appreciated was my introduction to limoncello, an Italian drink that Kate learns to appreciate. I bought a bottle to see how I would like it—and indeed I did. A little bit goes a long way! 

This is my first book by Rebecca Serle, but I very much liked her poetic word choices and the delightful way in which she introduces the reader to magical realism. I scratched my head several times trying to figure out how in the world Kate could have met her mother as a young woman. When the reason emerges, it was obvious—and wonderful.

I loved the final comment from the Publisher’s Weekly reviewer, “Once again, Serle gets the job done just fine.” And indeed, she did. One Italian Summer will be released next Tuesday.

A Girl Returned

By Donatella Di Pietrantonio

Translated by Ann Goldstein

Europa Editions     2019

170 pages     Literary

A Girl Returned is the totally spellbinding coming-of-age story of a 13-year-old, unnamed Italian girl, who is forced to leave the home in which she was raised and return to her birth family—a family that she has never met. She is left totally in the dark as to why this is happening; she believes that the woman who raised her is dying and that is why she has to leave.

The couple who raised her had considerable money; the family she is returned to is very poor. There are several children; three teenaged boys, a younger girl, and a baby. She cannot bring herself to call the woman “mother”, so she refers to her as “the mother.” Everyone is under lots of economic and emotional stress; the children have a great deal of work that they must do every day; and the parents treat the children with little respect and the back of the hand.

Luckily two of her new-found siblings welcome her into their lives. Vincenzo, the oldest son, and Adriana, the younger sister guide her through the transition, although Vincenzo dies unexpectedly midway through the narrative. The girl strives to gain a foothold in life, but she never stops trying to figure out what happened to her city mother, and the reason she was A Girl Returned is heartbreaking.

The girl suffers greatly from the loss of place—the loss of self. At one point she says, “I was an orphan with two living mothers. One had given me up with her milk still on my tongue; the other had given me back at the age of thirteen. I was a child of separations, false or unspoken kinships, distances. I no longer knew who I came from. In my heart, I don’t know even now.” Yet, despite the anguish, she prevails, growing strong and resilient. Her spirit is indominable.

A Girl Returned is beautifully written and artfully translated. Ann Goldstein, the translator, also translated the Neapolitan Series of books by Elena Ferrante, and this book has somewhat the same feel. More than just another Italian novel, A Girl Returned explores some of the same family dynamics as well as some of the same scenery and story pacing.

I was entranced by the review in the Washington Post. The reviewer praises the author for her storytelling skills, her humor, and the way that “she knows just when and where to slip the pieces of her jigsaw into place — all while leaving emotional gaps, psychic wounds that can never heal.”

Lest the reader worry that this book may be too heavy a summer read, please be assured that it is less than 200 pages and it moves very quickly. Sad and heart-warming all at the same time. If you loved My Brilliant Friend, you will love A Girl Returned.

Under the Tuscan Thumb: How "Building Dreams in Tuscany" Turned Into a Nightmare

By Jim Kachenmeister

Self-published     2019

251 pages     Memoir

My friend, Patricia, has shared with me all the marvelous things that happen when she is at her vacation apartment in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. She just sent me her friend Jim’s memoir of the 15 years, he and his wife Debbie have spent in this marvelous region—but the beauty of the city and countryside are only part of the story he is telling. Some of it has been a nightmare. 

Part memoir, part travel narrative, part horror, and part diatribe, Kachenmeister tells the story of how he and his wife gave up their jobs to move to Lucca—planning to live a quiet life there. Once there, Kachenmeister got itchy to own some of the ancient properties that dotted the landscape. He and a couple of partners decided to buy properties and create homes and condos for other expats and vacationers. Enter Italian bureaucracy and global recession. I won’t go into detail about all the problems that ensued, but believe me, less hardy people would have escaped in the dark of midnight—oh, wait, some actually did!

The title, Under the Tuscan Thumb,  is of course a take-off of the love song to Tuscany named Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes and the movie by the same name. Much of the book is written in good humor, but there are hints of the despair Kachenmeister and his team felt when the economy and their plans tanked in 2008 and 2009. Interspersed with this tale of woe are lighthearted and touching moments, as well as memoir-style looks at Kachenmeister’s life prior to the move to Italy. Another section tells of playing golf in Italy, while another far more interesting section tells of the annual olive harvest and their own private brand of olive oil.

The couple tried in vain to sell the apartments and farm houses they purchased, but they changed course and now run them as VRBO rentals. He speaks about how much he loves sharing the properties with the families that come to vacation on his beloved properties. Look at the book’s website for before and after pictures of the property called Il Borghetto in San Gennaro where there are 5 apartments for rent, available on VRBO. Wow! I want to go there.

Under the Tuscan Thumb is available on Amazon.

Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

by Stephanie Storey

Arcade    2016

345 p.      Historical Fiction

Make sure you have access to the Internet  before you begin reading Oil and Marble by Stephanie Storey, because you will spend a great deal of time looking for images of the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, among others. Storey has created a well-imagined rivalry between the fifty-year old Leonardo and the much younger Michelangelo. When the novel begins, both have returned to their home city of Florence to begin new projects.

Leonardo had fascinating interests—from science to painting. The narrative emphasizes the plan he had to reroute the Arno river, so that ships could get from Florence to the sea. He is also fascinated with the idea of flying, and devised a plan for a flying machine. 

At the same time he is on this creative journey, he receives commissions from the city to paint frescoes on public buildings, which he works at sporadically. His primary obsession, during these years, is a young wife of a successful silk merchant. Her name is Lisa Gheradini, and Leonardo convinces her husband to commission a painting of her—the painting that became the enigmatic Mona Lisa.

Michelangelo's obsession is a huge block of marble owned by the city. He had just returned to Florence from the successful completion of his statue, the Pieta, in Rome. Surprisingly, for a relative unknown, Michelangelo receives the commission to sculpt a statue from the gigantic hunk of marble. He decides to create a statue of David, slayer of Goliath, and he dedicates all his energy to its creation—an effort that nearly costs him his life. The David statue came to symbolize the strength of the city of Florence and set Michelangelo on a path to artistic super stardom.

The New York Times reviewer calls Oil and Marble a "richly imagined tale," and indeed the novel is eminently readable. Storey really knows her history, and she manipulates her knowledge gracefully so that it tells a cohesive story. Even though I have been to Florence and seen David, and to the Louvre to see Mona Lisa, I had no idea that both artists were living and working in Florence at the same time. Of course Storey took dramatic license with the plot and the historic figures involved. Even Machiavelli plays a manipulative role in the story line.

I was particularly drawn to the concept of creativity, and how these two men exemplify the spirit of the times and of the creative movement in Florence, in particular. The early 1500s were an amazing time in Florence, and the two men were so fortunate to be part of that era. One quote from the novel about da Vinci speaks to his creative potential: "Leonardo believed in potential like many men believed in God." The scope of his creativity knew no bounds. I was fascinated with the way Michelangelo let the stone speak to him, and after he decided to sculpt David out of the stone, he found that he was asking David to speak to him through the stone, guiding his hand and his hammer.

The rivalry between the two men is a secondary story line, but a powerful one. It reminded me of the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri as it was depicted in Amadaeus, although in the case of da Vinci and Michelangelo, both of them created iconic representations of the times—neither was a secondary player. 

Another minor plotline, but also a powerful one, is da Vinci's idea about redirecting the flow of the Arno River. With my ever handy Google, I found that this was, in fact, true. The construction project failed, and much land was wiped out by a flood, killing many people. Leonardo's shock and grief over the failure of the project is exciting and horrifying at the same time—one of the best written sections of the book. The plotline involving Lisa Gheradini and Leonardo's obsession with her is not as well developed and much less believable. 

It has been at least 45 years since I was in Florence, but Oil and Marble really made me want to return. I loved the city. Storey has made the city of Florence in the early 1500s one of the characters in the book. The book is perfect for lovers of history and historical fiction, art, and excellent character development.

Here are 10 top questions about the creation of Oil and Marble.

My Brilliant Friend

by Elena Ferrante

Europa     2012
331 Pages    Literary Fiction

My Brilliant Friend was a Christmas gift from my brilliant childhood friend, and I have been obsessed with it for several days. Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym for an Italian author, and there are four books in her Neapolitan Series about the lifelong friendship between two girls. Lila and Elena. The fourth book in the series, The Story of The Lost Child, was named one of the 10 best books of 2015 by the New York Times.

My Brilliant Friend is told by Elena, and most of it focuses on her relationship with Lila, beginning when they become friends in first grade until they are about 17. Lila is the daughter of a shoemaker; Elena's father is a porter at city hall. These are the years immediately following World War II, and times are tough. The girls live in a poor neighborhood of Naples, where work is valued and education is not. Elena is enamored with Lila, who is scrappy and independent, while she, on the other hand, is obedient and studious. Both girls are very bright and competitive at school. Both love learning. Both are the products of their environments.

  

Slowly the economy of Naples picks up and the lives of the families improves. We begin to understand that Elena will become educated and Lila will be stuck in the neighborhood, working as a cobbler in her father's shop. As Lila matures she becomes very beautiful and loved by the neighborhood boys, while Elena remains dumpy and studious. Lila is the litmus test for all of Elena's aspirations; she must bounce all the events of her life off Lila. Lila, on the other hand, wants to learn so badly that she becomes Elena's tutor by getting books out of the library to learn the same things Elena is learning. The elementary school teacher encourages both girls, but it is only Elena who remains in school.

Nothing much out of the ordinary happens, but the book is so brilliantly written that the reader hangs on every word. As I was reading My Brilliant Friend, I kept asking myself the question—"What is so compelling about this book?"  The New Yorker calls Ferrante's books "remarkable, lucid, austerely honest." Another word often used in reviews of this book is bildungsroman.  I had to look that one up—it means a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education. And indeed, that comprises the majority of the book, but we are only privvy to Elena's inner thoughts, and not Lila's. We only see Lila through Elena's eyes, and we witness the enormous changes happening to the lives of the girls as they reach adulthood. There are so many characters in the book that there is a index of characters at the beginning of the book, and believe me, I had to look at it frequently.

There is so much that women can relate to in this novel—best friends, dolls, puberty, the arrival of boys in a girl's life, and finally separation as the young women follow their separate destinies. In some ways, the book reminded me of West Side Story—the gritty neighborhood, the posturing boys trying to be men, the dialect of the street, the loss of opportunity. What Elena has that everyone else lacks is the chance for an education, which will in later volumes, take her away from the neighborhood.

As I was reading, I remembered acutely my 13-year-old daughter being told by her best friend of 6 years that they couldn't be friends anymore because they had "nothing in common." My daughter was crushed. I told her that she and her friend had everything in common and her friend would come back to her. That is what happened, and they remain friends to this day. This is the type of friendship that Elena and Lila would understand.

Then, of course, we must mention the mysterious author, Elena Ferrante. This picture, which I found on Google, may or may not be Ferrante. She chooses to remain anonymous because she feels that novels should stand on their own without the insertion of the author's personality. All interviews are done in writing. We must also consider the masterful translator, Ann Goldstein. This book would not have been quite so powerfully appealing without such a great translation.

I highly recommend My Brilliant Friend. I will soon begin book two, The Story of a New Name. In an interview with the New York Times, Ferrante said that she considers herself a storyteller first. I am eager to continue the story.

The New Yorker review of Ferante's books.

The interview in the New York Times.