Rating: 
Summary: Could have been a masterpiece
Review: A beautifully written book with a breath of fresh Mediteranean air in the beginning and wonderful characters. Three-quarters of the way through the book, though, I felt like I had a touch of Minnesota cabin fever which left me gasping for spring and the tortuous ordeal to be over. Could have been a brillant piece of literature, if the same magic of the first chapters carried itself to the end. With that said, I am still picking it as our bookclub's July read, because it reminds us of the Italian-American experience in an insightful manner with touches of comedy and sadness which makes for a good discussion and a great Italian feast.
Rating: 
Summary: Using the Evil Eye to find happiness
Review: ChiChi Maggiordino's life begins to improve when her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye. And in the 50s in Minneapolis, Italian immigrants need all the help they can get, including the benefits of the Evil Eye, bribery, miracles, whatever to overcome obstacles that are tossed their way like pepperoni on top of a cheap pizza.
A story of the search for happiness amidst changing times. A good first novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I am flat-out awed by this wonderful book. I love it! I've shared it with others who share my opinion. My boyfriend wouldn't give my copy back to me, my mother read it and ordered copies for her friends. I gave a copy to my boss for his birthday and he (and his wife) loved it. I fell in love with ChiChi and her brother, Marco, and all the characters in the book. Marie Giordano writes with incredible passion and life. I was drawn into every moment. I especially was interested in the dwarves, and ChiChi's relationship to them. Poignant, moving, funny. This book tops my all-time favorite books and I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy. I've never felt so intimately involved with a family on the page before. The voice of ChiChi is hypnotic, mesmerizing.
Rating:
Summary: The tomatoes are ripe right now!
Review: I enjoyed this book's title, first of all -- it was why I picked it up in the first place. It held my attention throughout, entertained me, taught me, surprised me, and gave me a good laugh. There were some typos in the book, but other than that, was just a good and easy read.
Rating:
Summary: It's Alright
Review: I found the Italian immigrant parts interesting. Some of Letticia's parts are quite commical, but all in all I have to say I would NOT have read this normally. The title caught my eye.
Rating:
Summary: Well written first novel
Review: I found this novel both surprising and enchanting. Giordano weaves a wonderful tale full of odd characters that stick with you long after finishing, especially the main character ChiChi.Tomato is basically a coming-of-age story that revolves around ChiChi Maggiordino, a girl who has just relocated from Italy to Minnesota. What makes the story read so well is the narration of ChiChi, who tries to get the attention of God by completing bizarre rituals that she creates (walking backward for a mile, closing her eyes and saying "breathe" two thousand times, and so on.) The only down side to the novel is, as the story progresses, there is a delay in the coming-of-age process. It seems ChiChi never comes of age, or at least takes too long to get there. Despite that, it is very much a good read and worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: good stuff here!
Review: I picked up this book because the title caught my eye -- I had never heard of it nor the author before. The story is great --- Lettizia (known to all as "ChiChi") is the daughter of a woman in Italy, fathered by an American soldier who died in WWII. All they have left of him is a wooden leg. Her brother Marco -- father unknown -- is also born in Italy. The two siblings form an impenetrable bond as they and their mother and grandmother to Minnesota, where they briefly meet ChiChi's deceased father's family, who sponsored their passage to the USA, before being shunted out on their own. From then on, ChiChi invents rituals and bargains with God to save her mother from her abusive married boyfriends and her brother from his asthma and other illnesses. The author's writing is great, she gives ChiChi a voice that melds American teen angst with Old World phrases and beliefs i.e. ChiChi practices "The Evil Eye" (which is a load of trash)to protect Marco from bullies at school. The author also paints other characters very well --- like Nonna, their grandmother, yelling at the kids as they ride their scooters "You break your legs! You smash your head! You kill your face!" The book sees the two from kids through high school and beyond, and it is an interesting story indeed. Higly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Some Good Stuff
Review: I thought the first bit of the book was quite good, in an Angela's Ashes way, but it got less and less convincing as it went on and on (it's a bit too long). Giordano isn't very good with grown-ups except as comic grotesques, which is all right for the first half of the book but not the second. Also, the heroine, ChiChi, stays at roughly the same mental age (around eight or nine) for the first 200-odd pages, while she's supposed to be growing up. This turns out to be a good thing, because she's undersexed and unconvincing as an adolescent. Part I is mostly good. There's a little bit of Sicily, migrant ship, Ellis Island, early poverty etc., all described economically and quite evocatively. The Italian characters in this part are meant to be comic, and things go along quite well for a bit. Then the friendly Italian grandmother dies, and the book begins slowly to lose its comic elements. A lot of stuff happens, most of which would fit rather well in a soap opera. There's a procession of father-figures, who get less and less convincing; a lot of regulation teenager stuff; nightclubs, restaurants, ballet-dancing etc., which are described not at all or very sketchily; ... and after all of that we have an immensely corny close which has to be read to be believed. At its best, though, the book is lively, fun and touching. Not up to "Angela's Ashes" / "'Tis", the obvious comparison, because less richly descriptive, but quite good. And the writing is very good throughout (the author is also a poet). You should read it if you have the time.
Rating:
Summary: Bargin Read
Review: Like the other reviewers, I picked it up from the local bookstore bargin racks because of the title. My favorite book in the world is 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' and this follows the same kind of genre. In the 'About the Author' section it says this is the first of a trilogy about the Maggiordano family. I don't think the others have been written yet, but I'll keep an eye out for them. The last three pages have me curious.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprisingly Good Read
Review: really enjoyed this one. was hard to put down.
its a coming of age book via the immigrant experience.
a surprisingly good read!
|
