Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:This tale of a family in Little Italyis "a minor miracle . . . documenting the madness and the grace of God in everyday life" (Newsweek).
On a 1950s September night so hot that the devout Catholics of Little Italy wonder if New York City has slipped into hell, the butcher Joseph Santangelo invites his friends to play pinochle. At the end of a long, sweaty, boozy evening, his friend Lino Falconetti, addled by wine and heat, bets the hand of his daughter, Catherineâ??and Santangelo wins.
Santangelo's modern new wife clashes immediately with his superstitious, fiercely protective mother. But years later, it is Catherine who is horrified when the daughter they raise turns out to have more in common with the old world than the new.
From a New York Timesâ??bestselling author, this story of two generations of an Italian-American family is imaginative, evocative, funny, and warmâ??and was made into an acclaimed film directed by Nancy Savoca, starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lil… (plus d'informations)
Household Saints takes place in 1950s Little Italy. The first line states that local butcher Joseph Santangelo has just won himself a wife from Lino Falconetti during a late night pinochle game. From here we’re introduced to Catherine Falconetti, Lino’s naïve 17 year old daughter and Joseph’s future wife. The courtship, if you could call it that is whirlwind and the reader is quickly immersed in the daily lives of the Santagelo’s, including Joseph’s superstitious mother Carmela. Carmela keeps an altar to the saints in the living room and frequently talks with the ghost of her late husband Zio. After Carmela's death, Catherine remakes their tiny apartment into a modern American home and vows to raise her daughter Theresa the same, modern way. As Theresa grows, it becomes clear that Carmela’s old fashioned Catholic legacy is alive and well in Theresa, who dreams of becoming a canonized saint.
This is a novel written in two parts. The first half deals with the early years of the marriage of Joseph and Catherine. The second half speeds through important moments in the life of Theresa through age 20. Personally, I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half. Joseph and Catherine are more engaging and even with some tragedy the tone of this half stays light if slightly eccentric. Theresa’s life is told more in the tone of magical realism and I had difficulty understanding some of her motivations and thought processes. Even with the drawbacks that arise near the end, this book is still worth the time. It’s only 225 pages and the pacing is such that you’ll get to the end and it will feel like a blur. It was also quite fun to be immersed in the era and mindset of 1950s little Italy and all the cultural mores that existed in that time. ( )
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
Lord of all pots and pans and things, Since I've not time to be a saint By doing lovely things Or watching late with Thee Or dreaming in the dawn light Or storming heaven's gates Make me a saint by getting Meals and washing up plates. "Kitchen Prayer" From a Holy Card Sold At the Shrine of he Virgin, Knock, Ireland
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:This tale of a family in Little Italyis "a minor miracle . . . documenting the madness and the grace of God in everyday life" (Newsweek).
On a 1950s September night so hot that the devout Catholics of Little Italy wonder if New York City has slipped into hell, the butcher Joseph Santangelo invites his friends to play pinochle. At the end of a long, sweaty, boozy evening, his friend Lino Falconetti, addled by wine and heat, bets the hand of his daughter, Catherineâ??and Santangelo wins.
Santangelo's modern new wife clashes immediately with his superstitious, fiercely protective mother. But years later, it is Catherine who is horrified when the daughter they raise turns out to have more in common with the old world than the new.
From a New York Timesâ??bestselling author, this story of two generations of an Italian-American family is imaginative, evocative, funny, and warmâ??and was made into an acclaimed film directed by Nancy Savoca, starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lil
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(3.54)
1
This is a novel written in two parts. The first half deals with the early years of the marriage of Joseph and Catherine. The second half speeds through important moments in the life of Theresa through age 20. Personally, I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half. Joseph and Catherine are more engaging and even with some tragedy the tone of this half stays light if slightly eccentric. Theresa’s life is told more in the tone of magical realism and I had difficulty understanding some of her motivations and thought processes. Even with the drawbacks that arise near the end, this book is still worth the time. It’s only 225 pages and the pacing is such that you’ll get to the end and it will feel like a blur. It was also quite fun to be immersed in the era and mindset of 1950s little Italy and all the cultural mores that existed in that time. (