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I Love You Like a Tomato
ChiChi Maggiordino will do anything to get God's attention. She will hold her breath, stand on tiptoe for an hour, walk a mile backward, climb all stairs on her knees... anything. When her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye, telling her it's how Jesus Christ made his miracles and how the Italians got rid of Mussolini, ChiChi realizes it's what her prayers have...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
April 19th 2004
by Forge Books
(first published 2003)
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Mar 14, 2012
Naomi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who seek family comfort
Shelves:
bestrecommended
A book to me, is like a soul mate. And this first witty novel from Marie Giordano has captured me, ever since I lied my eyes on it. I'm so grateful that it came across my path!
A down to earth story about common people, with not so common dreams, and an intriguing past. The story began with a break of infant cries and the strong smell of disinfectant came from a small house in rural Praiano, which lies on the outskirt of Italy, during post-world war II.
ChiChi Magiordano knew something big is goin...more
A down to earth story about common people, with not so common dreams, and an intriguing past. The story began with a break of infant cries and the strong smell of disinfectant came from a small house in rural Praiano, which lies on the outskirt of Italy, during post-world war II.
ChiChi Magiordano knew something big is goin...more
Aug 11, 2011
Antonina Sh
added it
Some of the reviews position this book as a novel about immigrants, about those who left their land in search of better life. For me it's not just this. I wouldn't emphasize the "immigrant" aspect at all. It's America after all. Everyone is an immigrant there.
But the complexity of the personality of the main character - this is what makes this book absolutely charming and worth reading for me. The absolute devotion for family, the ideals that Chichi has on her mind since early childhood, and al...more
But the complexity of the personality of the main character - this is what makes this book absolutely charming and worth reading for me. The absolute devotion for family, the ideals that Chichi has on her mind since early childhood, and al...more
Going in, I thought this was going to be a book about The Italian Immigrant Experience in America. In many ways it was, but mostly it's a book about growing up, understanding your family, and figuring out who you are.
The relationships in this book are complex and difficult. I found myself taking turns loving and wanting to smack each character. The heartbreaks are real, and yet you find yourself hoping for the best because the characters keep pushing on and working for more.
ChiChi is a great ch...more
The relationships in this book are complex and difficult. I found myself taking turns loving and wanting to smack each character. The heartbreaks are real, and yet you find yourself hoping for the best because the characters keep pushing on and working for more.
ChiChi is a great ch...more
This is the best novel I've read in about a year. I just happened to pick it up in a BookCrossings basket and became interested on noticing in the acknowledgements that in 2000 the manuscript won the same literary contest my own won in 2008 -- and that the author received help from the same local editor who helped me. Since that editor specializes in personal narrative (i.e., memoir), I figured this was probably a fictionalized account of the author's early life and decided to read it for that r...more
This is an enjoyable tale of a family that immigrates to Minnesota from sunny southern Italy at the end of WWII. The mother, grandmother (Nonna) and two children are rejected by the American father's family. The father is dead. The family struggles to survive and move to an Italian American neighborhood. The children are exposed to prejudice. The young bot, Marco, has a serious type of asthma and is not expected to live long.ChiChi(Leticia), the older sister looks after her brother and their mot...more
The Beechview Library did a fun thing where they wrapped books in brown paper and put only the first line of the book on the wrapping. So you picked your book based on an intriguing first line, rather than title, author, blurb or picture on the cover. I couldn't resist this first line: "I was asleep when the world began." I did end up liking this book pretty well. It's a coming of age story about a poor Italian immigrant girl in the 1950s, with a train wreck of a mother and a sickly little broth...more
A story of Italian immigrants (post-WWII), told from the perspective of a girl, from her early childhood in Italy to their arrival in Minneapolis through her growing up years. In many respects it speaks poignantly to the immigrant experience, and the narrator's angst is compelling. Yet the tone and pacing is uneven, and the "surprise" about the truth of the parentage of the girl and her little brother was anti-climatic.
The ending clearly implies a continuing story, and the endnotes confirm that...more
The ending clearly implies a continuing story, and the endnotes confirm that...more
Jun 06, 2009
Beth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literary_fiction,
historical_fiction
I loved reading about Northeast Minneapolis's Italian immigrant community in the post-WWII era. I thought the close relationship between the narrator and her younger brother, and how it changed over time, was well drawn and convincing. The portrayal of her mother was somehow unflinching and yet sympathetic--very skillfully developed. My only disappointment is my typical one with any book published by Forge (an imprint of Tor): either they don't hire proofreaders, or they pay so badly they don't...more
this was the first book anna edited. i bet if she'd written it, it would've been way better.
This was a very good book. There were parts where I wanted to jump up and down and other parts where I wanted to just sob. I loved the books honesty about what was going on. The only thing that I was not wild about was the closeness of the brother and sister near the end.- She describes him in a way that you might describe someone you were attracted to and the people that she ended up with didn't even get that much fanfare. It was a bit creepy, when they were older, but overall this was an excel...more
ChiChi Maggiordano, the main character and heroine, narrates this story in first person prose like a memoir of her childhood from birth in Italy immigrating with her family to Minnasota,USA in the 1950's.
In my opinion it is truley a classic, coming of age, charming book about the struggles and heartbreaking disappointments of not only immigrants but growing up in general. ChiChi describes her veiw of life, family, friends, her feelings of love, joy, sadness and frustration in cartoonic 1950's s...more
In my opinion it is truley a classic, coming of age, charming book about the struggles and heartbreaking disappointments of not only immigrants but growing up in general. ChiChi describes her veiw of life, family, friends, her feelings of love, joy, sadness and frustration in cartoonic 1950's s...more
A strange book! The narrator, Chi Chi, grows up with a secretive Italian mother and a sickly younger brother whom she feels responsible for. She does all kinds of bizarre things to insure their happiness, like standing on one foot while repeating 100 novenas, or almost cutting off her face. She's a strange, talented girl. Her particular reality is hard for me to understand. This is the first book in a trilogy. I haven't decided if I'll be reading the others.
some of the best casual similes I've ever read. i prayed for this family to catch a break, but even when they did, you didn't really have time to sigh with relief before the next awful (realistic) thing happened. the best word here is 'unflinching.' the next best word is 'haunting,' then 'beautiful.' very well told, although it's hard to forget the author teaches creative writing. got those academic fingerprints all over it. still a great book.
A memoir-style novel about an immigrant Italian family moving to the Twin Cities following WWII. There's some powerful imagery and striking descriptions of people and places - but really only in the first half of the book. What could have been an amazing short story, or crafted into a successful series of vignettes, instead goes on too long and becomes luke-warm and redundant.
I loved this book. It's written from the point of view of a young girl immigrating from Italy in the 20th century. One reason I liked it was that it's set in Minneapolis - so cool! Also, it has a really strong first person voice that is really interesting. I really identified with the main character and all of her quirks and neuroses, which maybe should make me worried.
This was a bittersweet, coming of age story about an italian family who immigrated to the US after WWII. The main character whose nickname was ChiChi, was delightful, although weird at times. I wanted to know more about her at the end of the story. This is supposed to be the first book of a triology.
I enjoyed this coming of age book set in Minnesota in the 1950s. It's a story of love, sacrifice, desperation, hopes, and fears. The main character is ChiChi, an Italian immigrant growing up in America. She is devoted to her brother and searching for the love of her parents. A good read.
The main character in this one is a bit crazy but loveable. I liked the portrayal of a brother and sisters' connection through some tough times while their family adjusts to the United States. There are some unique twists and turns in their lives and their mother's.
I would actually give this book 3-1/2 stars if 1/2 stars were available. :) It was a book about one girl's awakening to who she truly is throughout the course of her lifetime. It begins with the birth of her brother, just one year younger than her, in the 1940's in her small village on the sea in Italy. It then follows her family's journey immigrating to America and all of the differences in their new culture. The book ultimately poignantly looks at the way families grow - together, and apart, o...more
Great, well-written characters. I was sad to see the book end, but the cover of the book said something about this being the first in a triology about the family so I'm going to do some researching to see if this is true. I hope it is, because I'd definitely like the story to keep going!
Jul 09, 2011
Andrea
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Andrea by:
library "summer reads" shelf
Shelves:
quirky
This was just too relentlessly depressing and cliche-ridden to be enjoyable. And while there were some beautiful turns of phrase, much of this seemed to me like a creative writing exercise rather than an actual novel.
Although it has you chewing your nails hoping nothing worse is going to happen to your main character, I really like this book. It leaves you wanting to know that everything will turn out well for ChiChi.
about an Italian family coming to US through Ellis Island and living in Minnesota. It's the story of a brother and sister surviving and the guilt trip of an Italian mother. I liked it.
It took a while for me to actually get into the book. Practically half of it. At first it was a really hard read for me but Chi Chi and her crazy rituals grow on you after a while and you really want things to work out for the best for the entire family. I genuinely enjoyed the book and coming of age stories always great reads.
I chose this book because it was about an italian immigrant family and had little bits of cultural info in it, but its too disjointed and scattered. I hear its a trilogy though, but I can't find the other books, oh well I should skip them.
I fell in love with Chi Chi and saw my family in her pain of growing up.
I wanted to love this book which is why I trudged through to the end. In the end, I was disappointed in the story which seemed too disjointed and confusing.
A really interesting story with a bit of a twist. Supposed to be part of a trilogy so I look forward to seeing more.
I loved this book. Interesting and funny look at being an immigrant.
I miss Chi Chi & am happy that this book is the 1st in a trilogy. Hurry up & finish the 2nd book, Giordano!
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“Suffering is just part of the great tapestry of life.”
—
5 people liked it
“The unexpected is the plight of innovation.”
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4 people liked it
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Apr 10, 2009 09:47am