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Overview
In this deliciously seductive account of an Italian neighborhood with a statue of the Virgin at one end of the street, a derelict bottle factory at the other, and a wealth of exotic flora and fauna in between, acclaimed novelist Tim Parks celebrates ten years of living with his wife, Rita, in Verona, Italy. More than a travel book, Italian Neighbors is a sparkling, witty, beautifully observed tale of how the most curious people and places gradually assume the familiarity of home. Selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Italian Neighbors is a rare work that manages to be both a portrait and an invitation for everyone who has ever dreamed about Italy.
Synopsis
In this deliciously seductive account of an Italian neighborhood with a statue of the Virgin at one end of the street, a derelict bottle factory at the other, and a wealth of exotic flora and fauna in between, acclaimed novelist Tim Parks celebrates ten years of living with his wife, Rita, in Verona, Italy. More than a travel book, Italian Neighbors is a sparkling, witty, beautifully observed tale of how the most curious people and places gradually assume the familiarity of home. Selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Italian Neighbors is a rare work that manages to be both a portrait and an invitation for everyone who has ever dreamed about Italy.
Publishers Weekly
A 10-year resident, with his Italian-born wife, of a village close to Verona, British-born novelist Parks ( Family Planning ) here celebrates the endearing and exasperating traits of his adoptive home and the ``magical duplicity'' of its people. The Parks' respect for tradition and local ways, aided by the birth of a boy, helped allay their neighbors' suspicions and win them acceptance and friendship. Along with delightful evocations of sights, sounds and smells and wryly amusing portraits of Italians (including the national genius for circumventing regulations), the author records the rhythms and moods of the village and observes the increasing encroachment of industrialization and consumerism. However, not everything has changed. He notes that ``perhaps the moon has more influence in Italy than back home. This would explain so much.'' (July)