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Summary: Answers my family couldn't give me
Review: If you are a second, third, or even fourth generation Southern Italian get your hands on this book. Mr. Paolcelli has done what I have wanted to do for the better part of my life, find out what made someone the way is and why he feels about family the way he does. For me Dances with Luigi grabbed my heart and soul and pulled tears from my eyes. Admittedly I have only read the first 100 pages but pages 78-86 were worth the price of a three hour course in Italian history. Again I only got the book 24 hours ago. If you enjoyed Talese's, Unto the Sons then you will for sure get a big time buzz from this work. I wish I could get in touch with the author and extend my heart felt thanks for writing this book. apierull@accd.edu
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Summary: From One Materani to Another.
Review: If you long to know your Italian roots especially if your family is from "the mezzogiorno" or if you are not even Italian-American, this book is wonderful. It celebrates the human need to know were we came from. It's a loving journey that I made myself and it brought back the joy of finding my ancestry. Mr.Paolicelli writes as if we were in the car with him as he went from town to town. I could taste the pasta, well almost. Read it, you will love it and then go call an aunt or uncle you have been meaning too.
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Summary: Nice story, although.....
Review: Nice story, sometimes too sloppy, the book could be cut down 70 or 90 pages, too redundant. I barely trust the find of Mr Paolicelli's grandfather birth record during his last days in Italy; too rushed the editing, many misspellings of Italian names. Needed a much better editor.
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Summary: A richly detailed, personal tour of Italy.
Review: Paul Paolicelli heads for Italy to find his roots, but along the way leads us on a great tour that sweeps in such disparate themes as Roman history, American jazz, the Catholic faith, and flavors of great food.He tells it all in wonderfully detailed antecdotes and conversations, often involving his Italian foil, Luigi. (And he manages to smoothly translate every Italian word, so he never leaves language-impaired Americans behind.) Ultimately, what makes "Dances" so musical is Paolicelli's obvious passion for life that gathers us up and carries us from start to finish.
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Summary: Well worth reading but flawed
Review: The themes and emotions of this book are instantly recognizable to the many Italian Americans involved in exactly this kind of search. It is wonderful to read first-hand about a man who follows his heart and spends 3 years in Italy looking for his family's stories and records. The secrets he uncovers, the cousins he meets, the frustrations of missing information, and long search for his grandfather's birth certificate are stories that resonate. And the fact that it takes 3 years but he finally finds the missing birth certificate is encouraging to those of us who are still searching. The big BUT is in the writing and editing. How many times can a writer use the word "obviously?" If it's so obvious, spare us the tired adverb. How many times can he wonder, with tears in his eyes? A simpler telling with fewer gushing epiphanies would be more effective. And did Paolicelli truly find the birth record on his last weekend in Italy? Guided by divine or extrasensory intervention? The ending does seem contrived. Yet the book is indeed a pleasure, one to send to friends and relatives, in spite of its flaws.
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Summary: Well worth reading but flawed
Review: The themes and emotions of this book are instantly recognizable to the many Italian Americans involved in exactly this kind of search. It is wonderful to read first-hand about a man who follows his heart and spends 3 years in Italy looking for his family's stories and records. The secrets he uncovers, the cousins he meets, the frustrations of missing information, and long search for his grandfather's birth certificate are stories that resonate. And the fact that it takes 3 years but he finally finds the missing birth certificate is encouraging to those of us who are still searching. The big BUT is in the writing and editing. How many times can a writer use the word "obviously?" If it's so obvious, spare us the tired adverb. How many times can he wonder, with tears in his eyes? A simpler telling with fewer gushing epiphanies would be more effective. And did Paolicelli truly find the birth record on his last weekend in Italy? Guided by divine or extrasensory intervention? The ending does seem contrived. Yet the book is indeed a pleasure, one to send to friends and relatives, in spite of its flaws.
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Summary: A promising story with too many loose ends
Review: This book was one I found hard to put down. An accurate story about what it is like to visit Italian villages and mix with the locals.
The author has a way of taking you along and making the scene come to life. I do wish he had included a family chart to help keep tract of the family members.
I'll remember this book for years to come!
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Summary: I can relate
Review: This book was one I found hard to put down. An accurate story about what it is like to visit Italian villages and mix with the locals.
The author has a way of taking you along and making the scene come to life. I do wish he had included a family chart to help keep tract of the family members.
I'll remember this book for years to come!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely moving, easy for anyone to relate to
Review: This is a great read! Mr. Paolicelli is a true "journalist" in every sense of the word: this is a very personal journal of the author's search for his family roots and the surprises it reveals, interwoven with incredibly sensitive observations of everyday life in modern Italy. A "Joy Luck Club" from the Italian-American perspective, reading this book makes you realize what all of our families have gone through in coming to America.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely moving, easy for anyone to relate to
Review: This is a great read! Mr. Paolicelli is a true "journalist" in every sense of the word: this is a very personal journal of the author's search for his family roots and the surprises it reveals, interwoven with incredibly sensitive observations of everyday life in modern Italy. A "Joy Luck Club" from the Italian-American perspective, reading this book makes you realize what all of our families have gone through in coming to America.
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