Italy Books

In Little Italy, May, Burbank and Boone-Remembrances Joe Martinelli recounts for us a time of innocence, family loyalty, pride and patriotism growing up in a small Italian American Cincinnati neighborhood. A must read for Cincinnati residents of May, Burbank and Boone Streets and a delight for the rest of us.

Joe Martinelli's slice of Italia takes place in the heart of one of two of Cincinnati's Little Italy's in his endearing look back to his boyhood days of growing up amongst the backdrop of jitterbugging, zoot suits, friends and more profoundly, his boyhood growth in the search for the opposite sex. It's easy to feel why the author found those days to be truly "places in the heart".

As I read Mr. Martinelli's memories of growing up in Little Italy,it struck me that this same scenario happened in all the large cities in the northeast. Whether it was the Little Italy of Boston, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, the climate and characters were much the same. This book could have been written about my neighborhood in Pittsburgh. As I read, the similarities were astounding. I took my own trip back to the trials of puberty and the wonderful smells emanating from every kitchen in our apartment house. Thanks for the trip Mr. Martinelli.

First time author, Joe Martinelli, has created his own niche with Rememberances. I kept smiling while reading this book. His depiction of Italian family life and his fondest boyhood memories made me nostalgic for an era gone by.

I am doing historical research on Italy and Sicily and this book gives a wonderful view into the lives of ordinary people of the Sicilian countryside. Very frank accounts that are not sugar-coated.

The perfect book for the avid reader, these are well written and enjoyable. These tales bring a flavor of life to the reader that is rare in writing today.

The whole world is a small town is a sicilian phrase that means no matter where you travel, people will be basically the same. Reading this work by G. Verga gave this saying a whole new meaning for me. I learned that people in Sicily are basically the same today as they were 120 years ago. Giovanni Verga was born and lived in a small town in Sicily called Vizzini. This is the same town that my parents are from. I have spent many summers with my grandmother there. The distant past was always portrayed as somehow better by my grandmother. According to her, our ancestors did not succomb to petty human weaknesses. After enjoying these short stories I realize that my grandmother remembered her youth more with nostalgic fantasy than historic accuracy. This work wonderfully portrays human motivations, strenghts and weaknesses. It was a wonderful revelation to realize that the whole world is a small town, not only in the dimension of space but also in the dimension of time.

This is a wonderful little collection of short stories by the Sicilian author Giovanni Verga. I had never read any Sicilian literature before Verga, and I'm so glad that I started with this book! It has further piqued my interest in Sicilian culture and the Sicilian language. Verga uses his words very carefully in order to paint the pictures of the sorrows, joys, sufferings and moments of rejoicing in eastern Sicily. This is definitely worth the money for anyone who is interesed in Sicilian or Italian literature.

This is the best travel book about the London that I found. It has all necessary information that I was looking for without the tones of text and pictures. It gives you so good ideas about what you can or should see in one day that I decided just to follow the book. :)

Took 3 guides to London for our 2005 trip. This guide has the best pictures of the 3. Most of the information is very good. The walking tours are the best! It even tells you when to stop and eat.hmmmmm

The guide doesn't really cover all aspects if you are new to the culture and city. No real tips on staying out of trouble and the detailed city map is combersome. That aside, the book is well put together with wire spirals, the cover is a hard paper for good construction.

Before traveling to London, we purchased many travel books, but AAA's London guide was the only one we took with us. The book is filled with beautiful color photos, great descriptions, planned itineraries, and a fantastic detailed map. We are planning on traveling to Rome this summer and AAA's Rome guide is the only travel book we will be purchasing before we go.

My wife and I used this travel guide extensively while in London. It served as our bible, tour guide, and street map. It is laid out in a very clearly and the sprial binder makes it very easy to flip to any page. It is filled with clear, color pictures and maps. The guide is broken down into various regions throughout London, with each section highlighting Must See Attractions, and then At Your Leisure sites that are also in the area. It also has a very nice reference on how to see a region in one day. An Underground map is on the inside back cover, and a regional map of London on the front inside cover. Other nice features are sections called 'Finding Your Feet' - which provides great information for when you first arrive in London (either by plane, train, boat, etc..) and a 'Practicalities' seciton that talks about currency, clothes sizes,etc.

What really made this book stand out compared to other London travel guides was it included detailed street maps of these regions. Those proved invaluable for us once we started walking around the area. The book is compact, and fit inside my coat pocket comfortably.

This book was given to me on the last day of High School in 1972 by a girl friend. I've kept this book ever since and it ranks up there with my all time favorite books even though I agree with one other reviewer that this is not the best example of Lawrence's work. However, with that said, this book also has a heart and tenderness that really meant something to me. I'm amazed no one has ever written a screenplay of this work since it's worth it. It was the only book Lawrence ever won a prize for, which says something about it. Take a chance and read it.

This book was beautifully and passionately written. It is a love story unique and philosophical. Do we choose our own fates? Alvina will tell you.

Just like SISTER CARRIE, THE LOST GIRL is about a young woman searching for her place in the world. Meaning, floucing from one man to another, flirting, playing, getting engaged then dashing away for fun. And just like JEANNIE GERHARDT, this old man gets herself in trouble.

But the most fascinating part of this book is it's glimps into her background. How she was brought up in a wealthy and rich household, only to try out different occupations against her father's wishes, then ends up as a lower classed female in life. Very tragic.

I recently got done reading this wonderful, yet forgotten novel of Lawrence's. Truly compelling in it's intricate details of a young woman trying to find herself. Literally. She goes on the 'universal' self journey and discovers that she was lost and finally finds her identity and sensuality in the man she loves. D.H. Lawrence has a wonderful way of not wrapping up the ending in a nice,neat little package. As always, Lawrence is the ultimate man of mystery, sensual needs and desires. A "must read" for those who love to read Lawrence and for those who never have!

I read The Medusa's Smile twice.
The first time rather fast just to see what really happened. But well before the end I was falling in love with the 17 year old Marina and the elusive sophisticated Marco Albrizzi.
I had also the feeling that I was missing something. That there was more than the story in the book. So I read it again, slowly. And then I was able to enjoy the atmosphere, the emotion, the restrained melancholy.
Is really more lasting the love that has not been totally fulfilled?
Is an old friendship the ultimate consolation?
Read the book and decide by yourself.

For everyone who has visited and loved Venice this intriguing novel will hold special delight and meaning.

The author's descriptions are breathtakingly real, sensitive and provocative. The juxtaposition of the heroine Marina's present and past life and the contrasting worlds of Venice in the winter and summer are compelling.

The story is particularly unique in the time-frame it spans. Italy of the 1950's and 1960's is captivating as it comes alive with the author's intimate knowledge and skillful writing.

The surprise ending holds pathos, tenderness, and the poignant reality of love lost and yet forever there. Readers of this novel will not be disappointed.

This is a novel of juxtaposition: Venice, shuttered in the cold light of winter and opulent in the heat and passion of summer--beauty, masking ugliness--innocence, becoming the handmaiden of guilt. Marina Renier Anderson,after the breakup of her 23-year marriage to a prominent American surgeon, returns to her native country, Italy. She goes to Venice and begins to relive events of a summer spent there when she was seventeen--events which culminated in a tragedy. In mythology whoever looked at the face of the Gorgon, Medusa, was turned to stone. That summer, the modern version of Medusa, beautiful and horrifying, turned hearts to stone. Marina is hoping for healing and release from her guilt. She must, however, learn to accept what cannot be altered. This novel is a tour de force, skillfully managed by a writer whose love affair with words brings to life a magical place and unforgettable personalities.

All good storytellers pull us into their world. Laura Brylawski-Miller lifts the veil to a Venice imbued with a shimmering air of unreality. Her narrator, Marina, returns for a winter visit during a time of marital crisis and reflects on a long ago summer at Venice's Lido beach in the company of wealth and glamour where much was illusion and deceit - "beyond the curtain of snow lies that summer at the Lido...blue and gold and bloody forever. "

Brylawski-Miller's descriptions are masterful. Her sense of place is only surpassed by her finely delineated characters. After my daughter-in-law finished reading the book in one gulp, she commented "I was really sad to put it down.. I am definitely going to look for her other novels because the characters in this one stayed with me for days - and I really missed them."

An engrossing coming of age tale - and so much more...

At the age of ten, I discovered the stigmatist, Padre Pio - a man of many wonders. To a ten year old, he was a super hero, a man of many powers. As an adult, he is still a super hero to me, but in another way. Padre Pio embodied all that is holy and was yet so human.

Meet Padre Pio is a wonderful book. We see Padre Pio as a human, not just a saint and a holy man. This book takes us from his early days as a child all the way to his death and beyond. We meet a charming man with a beautiful soul. We experience the first appearance of his stigmata and the many miracles that follow. Many of his relationships with friends and family are intimately revealed and show a very caring man with a wonderful sense of humor.

Whether you consider yourself religious or not, pick up this book. It is a wonderful read which introduces a marvelous man to it's readers. You can't help but smile when you read this book!

Patricia Treece gives us a well-written and easy-to-read insight into the life of Blessed Padre Pio. Though it is a short book, it nevertheless leaves you with an appreciation of this significant figure of the last century. I lived in Italy some fourteen years and came to hear about him (through Italian relatives who visited him), though I never met him. I now have met him through this book! The author handles the controversial aspect of his life well; and I do remember that. It is a book well worth reading and passing along to others.

If you don't know much about Padre Pio here is a great way to get started. Patricia Treece, author of numerous popular books about miracles and saints, has an engaging journalistic style vs. a gooey sugary style that might turn you off. Divided into paragraphs with sub-titles it lets you read as if it were such classics as The Little Flowers of St. Francis.
If you do know Padre Pio well, as I do, it is still delightful to hear about him again - like hearing a favorite love-song replayed after many years to a new beat.

Here is another book, about an extraordinary person, Padre Pio, by Patricia Treece, an extraordinary writer!

With clear, precise, telling strokes, Treece makes us see, and feel, who Padre Pio was and how he lived according to the divine light that infused his whole being.

As with other saints Treece has profiled, we are again amazed at how a person can live with great pain and physical frailties, and, because of them or in spite of them, reach incredible spiritual heights and demonstrate incredible spiritual powers.

The author?s words prove equal to the task and do honor to Padre Pio, as when she writes: ?God definitely toys with those He loves in games of spiritual hide-and-seek, or a kind of spiritual yo-yoing that is meant to make a soul utterly pliant in God?s hands.?

I found Padre Pio?s own words deeply thought-provoking, as when tells Padre Eusebio: ?Listen, my son, you think, like many others, that sin is the breaking of the law, but it?s not that but infidelity to love.?

Ultimately, it is not words, but a person?s life that matters, and the author has captured Padre Pio?s most instructive and inspiring life poignantly.

Rolf Gompertz, Author of 'A Jewish Novel About Jesus' and 'Sparks of Spirit'

This is a good introduction, although it does not offer a lot more than the introduction by Howard Hibbard. I prefer it to the one by Linda Murray in the World of Art-series. The book by Hughes offers a more balanced view on the works it describes, in the way that it usually gives several opinions of other writers, then sometimes gives a preference for one opinion in particular, but also sometimes states that there is simply not enough evidence to substantiate the views of other writers. Therefore it is a pity that Hughes does not always substantiate his own views, he doesn't tell us why a particular view is better than another.
Nevertheless the book is full of interesting information and easy to read.

Firstly, I was thoughroughly impressed by the quality of this little book. The layout of the pages, the quality of the paper, everything. I'm glad to report that the content matches its presentation: Very clean, clear text featuring an unbiased look at Michelangelo's life. The book often cites former biographers (specifically Vasari and Condivi) and more often than not, it tries to find the right history. Very good illustrations of his more famous artwork as well as some drawings. Excellent!

You know how rare that is! But this book is one you don't want to put down. It is so well written, educational, and has so many great illustrations. I enjoyed it a lot.

Hughes gives a lot of info in a short book, and paints a very well balanced idea of Michelangelo the man. I felt bad for
Buonaratti after reading this. He truly was a miserable man, yet his committment to his art was never diminished for a moment. In the end the story of his life is inspiring and humbling. Inspiring because it proves what man can acheive, humbling in the sacrifices that were made in order to fulfill his destiny as one of the great geniuses to have ever lived.

We just finished a three-week trip to Italy, and found this guide totally reliable. Even if you don't speak Italian, you can puzzle out the essence of the reviews, and you can't go wrong with restaurants listed.

If you are going to select you own lodgings or restaurants, the Red Guide is a must. You can trust it completely.

Excellent advice with up to date information and easily red map directions. Find the ratings and prices advised accurate. Ideal for the European who probably speaks several languages. For those only English speaking from the southern hemisphere an extra effort is required to fully comprehend some advice in a foreign language. Why can you not purchase the guide translated into English? However it does encourage a better knowledge of the chosen language.There is no better information on accomodation and resturants in a concise publication so I will stick with Michelin to maintain a Bon voyage.

Once you figure out the various symbols, the Michelin Red Guide has the most relevant information in the least space of any guide...an excellent guide.

I love this cookbook -- my hubby got it for me at an estate sale! IT is teaching me stuff my mom could not have taught me. I was raised with Iowa farm-style Americana fare -- with lots of shortcuts with prepared, frozen and canned food. Learning to cook with high-quality fresh foods has saved me money, and raised the level of yumminess and my excitement about cooking for our large family!

I have used this book for several years and cooked many of the recipes in the book. Everything I have made has turned out great, and a few of the recipes have become standard fare for our dinner parties including the lamb stew with marsala. One of my favorite recipes is the Osso Bucco which is a twist on the classic recipe with its use of red bell peppers. It does take some time to prepare, but it is well worth the effort! This is the main book I use for cooking and I recommend it highly!

We love this book so much, we wore out the first copy. This is our SECOND COPY! This cookbook from Biba is excellent. The recipes are actually authentic (at least from my childhood.)

Being from Italy I am very skeptical about italian cookbooks. When I found this one in a bookstore I thought it looked better than any cookbook I had seen. I have now owned it for about 10 years and have given it to countless friends as a gift. I have made a majority of the recipes and have never been disappointed. I am particularly happy with how simple most recipes are: as is the case with true Italian cooking, only a few ingredients and a little bit of time can make some spectacular dishes. Without question an excellent book for anyone wishing to experiment with Italian cooking, and even for Italians longing for some great recipes.

Gorgeous photographs. Most pieces of glass you would only see in a museum. I wish there were more.

Having recently returned from Venice, I wish I had this book before I left. Mr. Gable's meticulously researched volume offers so much valuable information, any glass collector or any tourist interested in a deeper perspective of the glass art of the city should read this book. The author's grasp of the nuances of the various styles is masterful and gave me a whole new appreciation of the experience I had in Venice.

"Murano Magic" is a terrific volume to own if you love collecting Venetian glass as much as I do. Or if you want to learn the ropes. This exhaustively researched (and yet surprisingly easy to read!) book tells you everything about the big glassmaking families and their works. (I especially liked the historical perspective the author gave to discussing the different glassmaking houses.) And the photos are outstanding. Many glass books I've seen just don't have enough photos to show examples of all the different kinds of Venetian glass (there are literally thousands of styles). "Murano Magic" has wonderful photos and lots of them. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Venetian glass.

It is almost a crime that Amazon is listing this book with "No Photo Available," because it's a real eye-catcher of a volume, with stunning photographs on every page. But don't be fooled by its beauty; this is no mere coffee-table book. Rather, it's an encyclopedic guide, exhaustively researched and engagingly written. I have been fortunate enough to visit Venice several times, but Murano Magic made me see the city and its art with new eyes and a deeper appreciation. I would recommend the book to anyone, but especially to those who are planning a trip to Northern Italy.