Rating: 
Summary: Pasquale's Nose
Review: The subtitle says it all, "Idle days in an Italian Town". In order to get through this, you would have to be very idle, with little to do. The opening to this book by Michael Rips is inviting, and he has good skills, but there is little story for the first 1/2 of the book. The pedantic descriptions of the town becoming boring as you wait for the story, ANY story, to unfold. I wanted a plot of some kind, or perhaps a little character development. If you are looking for a detailed description of Sutri, Italy, this is the book for you. If not, steer clear.
Rating: 
Summary: An outsider's perspective of life in a small Italian town
Review: When Michael Rips lived in the Italian town of Sutri, he had both the advantage and disadvantage of being an astute outside observer, hence he could see things that many locals could not see (or took for granted). I read this book while vacationing in a small town in Greece, a town that I had visited about a dozen times because it was my parents' hometown. Rips' perspective on life in Sutri inspired me to look at my own small town in Greece with an outsider's eyes. In so doing, I realized that there are quirky people EVERYWHERE. The town of Sutri is inhabitated by a fiercely "patriotic" group of people who have their own set of idiosyncracies (as we all do). Rips presents a group of "characters" that he encountered in Sutri in a series of eloquently-written vignettes. From the blind shoemaker, to the producer of the "strongest" beans, to the local historian, each person is introduced to the reader in the context of their interactions with the author. Some encounters were brief, yet Rips presents them with incredible detail that allows the reader to get the full "flavor" of the individuals involved. Overall, I found "Pasquale's Nose" interesting and well-written. Others have said that they found the book devoid of emotion, but I argue that that is the only way to approach a group of people when you are the outsider. In fact, you could tell that he enjoyed living in Sutri and came to like the people with whom he had the most interaction. I would certainly recommend this book if you are about to embark on a journey to a small town somewhere, or if you just want to read about some interesting people.
Rating: 
Summary: Feel Like You Spent A Year Living In Italy...
Review: Who wouldn't dream of picking up and leaving big city life with your wife and new baby and dropping down into a small Italian town? Michael Rips had the gumption to actually do it. Luckily for those of us less adventurous, Rips is able to convey his experience so vividly in Pasquale's Nose that we all have a wonderful opportunity to live it vicariously. Rips hilariously details his daily interaction with the townspeople of Sutri, an Etruscan village small enough that the postman can be illiterate (everyone knows each other so the letters can be exchanged later). Pasquale's Nose is filled with many colorful, well-drawn characters. My favorite is Philosopher who stunned Rips by correctly guessing that he only drank tomato juice on airplanes. (Maybe I just felt simpatico since I too only drink tomato juice on airplanes.) Anyone who would love to do what Rips did but probably never will should read this book.
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