Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I loved this book. I will admit that I'm a fan of the 1940s, both movies and books. However, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel transcends all that -- it's simply a fine story. Even though the theme is World War II, this is not a story of battle. Instead, it's about a compassionate major and his attempts to bring humanity to a war-torn town in Italy. The books is funny, charming and moving. It's a quick read and a worthwhile one. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous!
Review: I read this book because I was reading all of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels. This book certainly deserved the award and is better than most (or possibly all) of the novels that have been given that prestigious award. Anyone would enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: this is a truely great book
Review: I started out reading this book as just a "book review" for History...i guess getting into these teenage years you kinda loose interest. But a very odd thing happened that rarely happens now, i simply got hooked to this book..the way Joppolo commited himself to getting a new bell for Adano, that commitment and his freindlyness w/ the villagers. Although i must say that teh story line was a bit of a let down. I encourage everyone to read this book because it Truely is a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, worthwhile.
Review: I would have gladly given this book 5 stars except the storyline "let me down" in a couple of ways. I don't mean that harshly, it's just my personal feeling about it; I still gladly recommend the book to anyone looking for an enjoyable and worthwhile book.
Rating:
Summary: Still Worthwhile Fifty+ Years Later
Review: John Hersey would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize and become a prominent star in the pantheon of twentieth century writers. This book was written during World War II and was a best-seller when released in 1944. And it still resonates today. In short, it is the story of an American officer given civil responsibility for overseeing the coastal Italian town of Adano following its liberation by American forces. How Major Victor Joppolo goes about this task is interesting as are the variety of Italians-former fascists and anti-fascists alike--he meets and, eventually, wins over. More gripping, though, is the character of Jappolo himself who, in many ways, Hersey repressents as Everyman--or at least EveryAmercicanman. He is practical, yet sentimental. He wants to do good, but also wants to be loved. He has a strong sense of loyalty, yet hungers after an Italian woman despite loving his wife back home. He admires the Italians, but shapes them in our American mold. He is--in modern psychobabble--conflicted; imperfect, yet very admirable. The title refers to the city's most prominent--it has dozens of them--bell which for seven hundred years called the people to work, to eat, to love, to church, to life. It was shipped away by the retreating Germans to be made into bullets at some northern foundry. Its lack leaves a gaping wound in the civic fabric. Joppolo, of course, gets the town a replacement bell. How he does it fills you with pride. His first hearing of its strong voice can break your heart. This is a worthwhile book both as a story and as a still provocative look at the American character.
Rating:
Summary: Head: No way. Heart: Yes, yes!
Review: My head read this book and said: "If only Iraq were this easy. The Americans invade Sicily in World War II and Major Joppolo is put in charge of the small town of Adano. Despite the grisly casualties in the taking of the town, the whole place falls instantly in love with the American major. And what about those ethnic stereotypes? The Sicilians all seem like goodhearted but slightly retarded children, an impression reinforced by their comical dialogue, both when they speak English ("Okay, a boss, you're a not a kid Giuseppe") and in literal translation, when they speak their native language (so "Viva il Signor Capitano!" becomes "Live the Mr. Captain!"). Sicilians who were there during the war say it was not this way at all: the Americans installed members of the mafia as mayors to keep the Sicilians under control." My heart, who also read the book, replied: "You just don't understand. This is a beautiful tale about how a single individual can make a difference. Two vastly different worlds collide, but the result is pure magic because Major Joppolo throws the rule book away and reaches out to the town with his heart, inventing novel solutions to problems, trying to get a replacement for the bell that the Germans stole, and, above all, connecting with the people. The humor is marvelous: The scene in which the priest holds an interminable church service waiting for the major, who promised to attend but who has lost track of the time, will guarantee at least one chuckle. And Hersey choreographed the poignant scene when the Italian prisoners of war come home to their women as pure ballet." In the end my heart prevailed when my head remembered that Aristotle said that the purpose of drama was not to represent reality, but to effect "a catharsis of pity and fear." This book will do more than that: it will make you smile, and it will make you feel a little better about the human race.
Rating:
Summary: Head: ¿No way.¿ Heart: ¿Yes, yes!¿
Review: My head read this book and said: "If only Iraq were this easy. The Americans invade Sicily in World War II and Major Joppolo is put in charge of the small town of Adano. Despite the grisly casualties in the taking of the town, the whole place falls instantly in love with the American major. And what about those ethnic stereotypes? The Sicilians all seem like goodhearted but slightly retarded children, an impression reinforced by their comical dialogue, both when they speak English ("Okay, a boss, you're a not a kid Giuseppe") and in literal translation, when they speak their native language (so "Viva il Signor Capitano!" becomes "Live the Mr. Captain!"). Sicilians who were there during the war say it was not this way at all: the Americans installed members of the mafia as mayors to keep the Sicilians under control." My heart, who also read the book, replied: "You just don't understand. This is a beautiful tale about how a single individual can make a difference. Two vastly different worlds collide, but the result is pure magic because Major Joppolo throws the rule book away and reaches out to the town with his heart, inventing novel solutions to problems, trying to get a replacement for the bell that the Germans stole, and, above all, connecting with the people. The humor is marvelous: The scene in which the priest holds an interminable church service waiting for the major, who promised to attend but who has lost track of the time, will guarantee at least one chuckle. And Hersey choreographed the poignant scene when the Italian prisoners of war come home to their women as pure ballet." In the end my heart prevailed when my head remembered that Aristotle said that the purpose of drama was not to represent reality, but to effect "a catharsis of pity and fear." This book will do more than that: it will make you smile, and it will make you feel a little better about the human race.
Rating:
Summary: What a Story!
Review: The story started out slow and somewhat hard to follow. Soon after the story itself picked up and became more interesting. I soon grew to realize that this story had depth and a true storyline. I recommend this book to anyone from a high school level and up. I was made to read the book for school but for once, the teachers had picked a wonderful novel!
Rating:
Summary: Very thought-provoking and hard to forget.
Review: This book has been on my mind a lot since I read it. It is funny, sad, frustrating, and tragic at the same time. I admired, but hated the ending. The book was beautifully written, but, Oh, so sad! I wish things could have gone differently for Major Joccolo. He certainly deserved better. On the other hand, he takes everything well, even his final punishment. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: This book is wonderful in its clear language and soft touch. You will instantly feel a part of the town and its inhabitants. The book tells the story of a small town in Italy occupied by the Americans at the end of WW2. It relates how the occupied village interacts with its human, caring "occupier", an American army officer. Much like Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres, this book puts a massive event in world history into focus. I highly recommend the book.
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