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I'll Steal You Away

by Niccolò Ammaniti, Jonathan Hunt (Translator)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 1,806 ratings · 125 reviews

Italian literary superstar Niccolò Ammaniti’s debut novel, I’m Not Scared, prompted gushing praise, hit international best-seller lists, and was made into a smash indie film. With his highly anticipated follow-up, Ammaniti takes his unparalleled empathy for children, his scythe-sharp observations, and his knack for building tension to a whole new level. In a tiny Italian v...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published May 10th 2007 by Canongate U.S. (first published 1999)

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May 27, 2012 Chiara Pagliochini rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: narrativa-contemporanea

« Tu sei come me. Tu non vali niente. Io non ti posso salvare. Non ti voglio salvare. A me non mi ha salvato nessuno. »

La storia di come questo libro è arrivato nelle mie mani è piuttosto carina e, se vorrete concedermi un momentino, ve la racconterò. Innanzitutto questo libro è un regalo di mia sorella dalla Fiera di Torino (alla quale, per Somma Ingiustizia del Fato, lei è andata e io no). Fin qui, a dir la verità, non ci sarebbe niente di carino. La parte carina comincia quando questo libro a...more « Tu sei come me. Tu non vali niente. Io non ti posso salvare. Non ti voglio salvare. A me non mi ha salvato nessuno. »

La storia di come questo libro è arrivato nelle mie mani è piuttosto carina e, se vorrete concedermi un momentino, ve la racconterò. Innanzitutto questo libro è un regalo di mia sorella dalla Fiera di Torino (alla quale, per Somma Ingiustizia del Fato, lei è andata e io no). Fin qui, a dir la verità, non ci sarebbe niente di carino. La parte carina comincia quando questo libro arriva da Torino a me ed io, la settimana seguente, lo riporto con me a Torino. Non c’è un libro della mia collezione che abbia compiuto un viaggio più circolare di questo, che abbia percorso tanti chilometri in treno, che abbia guardato tanto a lungo fuori da un finestrino. È un libro viaggiatore, un libro avventuriero.
E, se vogliamo, questo spunto può dare avvio a una riflessione più ampia, che non coinvolge soltanto l’oggetto-libro ma il contenuto stesso del romanzo. Perché anche il romanzo parla di un viaggio, anzi, più d’uno, e sono viaggi circolari anche questi.
Fin dal titolo, Ammaniti ci immette nel vivo di una fuga, un rapimento che ha qualcosa di salvifico e che sembra l’unico modo per evadere da una realtà scomoda. La realtà scomoda è quella di Ischiano Scalo, un paesino come ce ne sono tanti dalle mie parti: una grigia zona residenziale, due bar in croce, un supermarket, una pompa di benzina, la superstrada vicino, la campagna e il mare che si perdono a raggiera intorno. Una realtà di gente semplice e abitudinaria, ma nascostamente gretta, meschina, dai bassi appetiti. Una realtà che soffoca le ambizioni di chiunque voglia uscire un po’ fuori dal coro e inventarsi un sogno. Una realtà che premia i mediocri con una manciata di caramelle, per chi la sbronza al circolo Acli, per chi le nigeriane che battono sull’Aurelia. Una realtà da cui, se sei una persona anche solo un tantino differente, è consigliato darsela a gambe.
Se l’è data a gambe Graziano Biglia, che dopo tanti anni da consumato playboy vorrebbe mettere la testa a posto e decide di far ritorno al ‘nido’. Vuole darsela a gambe Pietro Moroni, che fa ancora le scuole medie, ma vorrebbe diventare biologo, e sa che suo padre non lo manderà mai all’università. Vorrebbe battersela anche suo fratello Mimmo, che sogna di arricchirsi confezionando bastoncini Findus in Alaska. Ci si è rifugiata Flora Palmieri, giovane insegnante che, tra tutti i posti al mondo, ha scelto di seppellirsi proprio a Ischiano Scalo, ma si ritrova costretta in una vita senza amore, segnata a dito dagli abitanti del posto come la Lupa del Verga. Un po’ verghiani sono anche i rapporti di forza tra i personaggi, divisi tra aiutanti e oppositori, ma tutti fondamentalmente in lotta l’uno contro l’altro per realizzare, anche a scapito del prossimo, le proprie aspirazioni o per sfogare la violenza che si accumula con l’essersi repressi troppo a lungo.
A partire da queste premesse, Ammaniti confeziona un libro schietto, crudamente realistico, volutamente volgare, impregnato di un umorismo amaro, caricaturale, grottesco. Il linguaggio è semplice, prevalentemente paratattico, ma il ritmo è incalzante, vivace, le pagine si sfogliano da sole.
Qualche difettuccio c’è certamente, qualcosa al lettore moderno suona male, per esempio la presenza massiccia del narratore onnisciente o la caratterizzazione deboluccia dei personaggi, molto tipizzati, picareschi ma poco ‘interiorizzati’. Tuttavia, il godimento del lettore non ne è toccato molto: non c’è da annoiarsi, si fa qualche risata, si gongola nelle parti di pornografia. Insomma, un lecca-lecca. Fino a quando, a trenta pagine dalla fine, Ammaniti decide che « Adesso basta e, via, torniamo a fare i seri e stavolta ti stronchiamo le gambe. » Il lettore si sbalordisce, illividisce, si scandalizza: « Cavolo, Ammaniti, non togliermi il mio lecca-lecca! » Ma Ammaniti ridacchia sornione e orchestra una bella tragi-commedia finale.
Una commedia tragica, ecco la definizione conclusiva. E, invece del lecca-lecca, tanto amaro in bocca da mandar via.
(less)

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Jan 31, 2013 Ginny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzi, italia

Ci riprovo dopo averlo accantonato per intolleranza un paio di anni fa e miracolosamente finisco il libro in pochi giorni.
Lungi da me l’intento di polemizzare con quelli che lo hanno amato, ma a me questo romanzo è sembrato una fiera di ovvietà e luoghi comuni, dalla contestualizzazione dei fatti narrati, alla caratterizzazione dei vari personaggi.
La prosa colloquiale, forzosamente leggera (nonché povera ed elementare sia a livello lessicale che sintattico), corrisponderà senz’altro alla scelt...more

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Sep 22, 2007 Pamela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-best

I'LL STEAL YOU AWAY is the captivating and endearing tale of Ischiano Scalo's small-town residents, a kind of comic-tragic WINESBURG, OHIO. All of the characters in this novel demand your empathy: Once you start in on their troubles, their small victories, and their life-destroying defeats, the book is impossible to put down. And because this is Ammaniti, you can be sure that the children encounter something so disfiguring, yet so heartbreakingly human, that they can't help but be thrust into ad...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Trivia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that contemporary Italian literature somewhat scares me; I've been permanently scarred by some of the novels I've read. Ammaniti's Io non ho paura (I'm not afraid) was one of those; it left me with a strange intense feeling of discomfort I'm not really able to describe. But this one turned my whole view on Ammaniti and Italian prose upside down: it's a brilliant story with an unpredictable chain of events and it's packed with quirky colourful characters. Sure, the ending w...more

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Dec 01, 2008 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

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Jul 17, 2010 El rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-centurylit, wanderlust

Pietro Moroni finds at the end of the school year that he's the only student in his class not to pass. The crushing blow sets the tone for the rest of the story and we're taken back six months to learn the events leading up to the failing. Additionally we meet Graziano Biglia, the small Italian town's prodigal son, who returns under his own set of extenuating circumstances. There are other characters as well, from Gloria, Pietro's best friend, to Flora Palmieri, Pietro's favorite teacher. Each o...more

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Feb 20, 2013 vorbore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: other

I actually finished this two days ago, but I did not feel able to compose a comprehensive review (not that I feel able now) and I think that this is not a book that deserves to be closed without a word.
The feeling I had while reading this book was as if I was a bystander to a disaster, so similar to the feeling I had in the beginning of "Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold Pamćenje. The helpless frozen feeling, when you see someone going backwards ever closer to the brink of a cliff, but you can't...more I actually finished this two days ago, but I did not feel able to compose a comprehensive review (not that I feel able now) and I think that this is not a book that deserves to be closed without a word.
The feeling I had while reading this book was as if I was a bystander to a disaster, so similar to the feeling I had in the beginning of "Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold Pamćenje. The helpless frozen feeling, when you see someone going backwards ever closer to the brink of a cliff, but you can't even yell "Stop!". The helpless anger that makes me want to reach into the book, grab the protagonist, shake them and yell "NO!!! WRONG!!!" in their ear. So many small wrong turns that lead to catastrophes. So many blunt, self-absorbed, aimless, puerile persons, regardless of their actual age. So many squandered lives. And yet the book ends with hope. That is a sort of comforting, at the first glance. But that is hope just for one of many, then I remember all the others in this book whose chance for hope is irretrievably lost. What a horrible view, but sadly also one that feels so believable.

I am amazed by the way this book is written (yay to the translator as well). The writing kept me with this book all the way, however the actual pattern of events and the atmosphere repelled me. And, with all the predominating feeling of doom, still this book managed to make me lough out loud at times.

This feeling of oncoming disaster would probably be less strong if I would have read this book when I was younger. I should have read this book when I was younger, less sensitive to wrong decisions that seem so right at the time they are made, then it would not crush me so much. Then I would read it as a study of a small isolated backwards community that offers little to none opportunities to it's inhabitants, reducing them to lesser people, and I would conclude that it does not actually concern me.

This book beats you to the head with a large hammer that has written all over it: if you chose an action, you definitely chose the consequence of that action as well.(less)

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Feb 20, 2011 Janny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dutch-reading, read-2011

Deze maand stond dit boek op de leeslijst van de boekgrrls. Judith was degene die het boek nomineerde. Zij vond het boek zowel grappig als serieus en ook nog eens lekker weglezen.

Van de achterflap: Een klein fictief dorp, Ischiano Scalo, aan de Italiaanse Rivièra, is het toneel voor twee adembenemende liefdesverhalen. Graziano Biglio is een veertigjarige playboy - met geblondeerd haar, zonnebankteint en strakke leren broek - die het buitengewoon met zichzelf heeft getroffen. Hij speelt gitaar en...more Deze maand stond dit boek op de leeslijst van de boekgrrls. Judith was degene die het boek nomineerde. Zij vond het boek zowel grappig als serieus en ook nog eens lekker weglezen.

Van de achterflap: Een klein fictief dorp, Ischiano Scalo, aan de Italiaanse Rivièra, is het toneel voor twee adembenemende liefdesverhalen. Graziano Biglio is een veertigjarige playboy - met geblondeerd haar, zonnebankteint en strakke leren broek - die het buitengewoon met zichzelf heeft getroffen. Hij speelt gitaar en is een groot fan van de Gipsy Kings. Na veel gereis en talloze affaires is hij naar Ischiano teruggekeerd om zich te settelen met zijn 'geliefde' Erica, die alleen maar op zijn geld uit is. Gloria en Pietro zitten in dezelfde klas: zij is van goede komaf, woont in een villa in de heuvels, is mooi en zelfbewust. Hij is een schuchtere, onzekere en dromerige jongen, die lijdt onder het explosieve karakter van zijn vader - een verknipte herder - en is het mikpunt van treiterijen van andere jongens uit zijn klas. Wanneer Pietro door drie van zijn kwelgeesten gedwongen wordt in te breken in de school, en later, onder andere omstandigheden, ook thuis bij zijn lerares Flora - die een geheime verhouding heeft met Graziano - raken alle hoofdpersonen op dramatische wijze met elkaar verbonden.

Het was wel even doorbijten aan het begin. Het kon me allemaal nog niet zo boeien. Graziano komt over als een wat lachwekkende en zielige playboy die vooral zichzelf heel fantastisch vindt. Pietro Moroni is een wat eenzame jongen die op school wordt gepest, het thuis niet erg gemakkelijk heeft maar zich wel gelukkig prijst met zijn vriendinnetje Gloria. Aan alle personages in het boek mankeert wel iets. De familie van Pietro: een vader met losse handen, een moeder die de moed heeft opgegeven en een niet al te slimme broer. Erica, de vriendin van Graziano, die alles doet om een rol in de showbizz-wereld te krijgen. De Lerares Flora die het grootste deel voor haar zieke moeder zorgt en last but not least de drie kwelgeesten van Pietro, Pierini, Bacci en Ronca.

Het boek ging mij pas echt boeien op het moment dat Pietro gedwongen wordt in te breken in de school. De gevolgen die de inbraak heeft zijn groot. Niet alleen voor de vier jongens. Dan het vertrek van Erica, waardoor Graziano uiteindelijk het geluk lijkt te vinden. De levens van de verschillende personen vervlechten zich in elkaar. Het is een onwerkelijk verhaal maar zo geschreven dat de gebeurtenissen toch volstrekt logisch lijken. Op de achterflap wordt gesproken van twee adembenemende liefdesverhalen. Zo zou ik het niet willen omschrijven. In mijn ogen zijn het meer dramatische liefdesverhalen. Meer drama dan liefde. En vooral ook het verhaal van het egoïsme in de mensen, het ongeluk dat ze elkaar daarmee aandoen, de verstoorde relaties, de slechte kant van de mens.

Na de moeizame start heb ik het boek met veel plezier gelezen. Het leest lekker weg, het boeit, vooral serieus, mooie verhaallijnen. Daarom een vier sterren waardering. Een aanrader, wat mij betreft.(less)

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Oct 18, 2009 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I devoured this book, just like the other two Ammaniti books i've recently read. And for good reason....this author knows how to tell a compelling and heart pulling story like very few other authors know how to do. Ammaniti takes the lives of ordinary people and tells it just how it is. In this book...the dreams and desires and fantasies of the characters take hold of you. I understand the multiple dreams and wishes that Graziano flits to and from like a butterfly from flower to flower. I know w...more

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May 22, 2013 Lidija rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nakon oduševljenja prvom pročitanom knjigom Niccola Ammanitija ("Ja se ne bojim"), ovu sam uzela u ruke s velikim očekivanjima. I nije me razočarao, naprotiv. Ovo je još jedna sjajna priča - zapravo, nekoliko njih, izvrsno uklopljenih i povezanih u jednu, svima zajedničku. Prijevod je također izvanredan (Snježana Husić) i, iako mi je na samom početku malo zasmetao oštar, rekla bih i prostački izričaj (napokon, knjige sam se primila nakon romana Lise See, čije je izražavanje sasvim drukčije), brz...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Vrinda Pendred rated it 2 of 5 stars

I much preferred 'I'm Not Scared' - this book jumped around so much there was no real focus and I found it hard to care much about any of the characters and despite Pietro being the 'hero' of the book, and despite the ending all relating to his situation at home, his parents and home life were actually shown so little, in fact probably no more than about 20 out of the total 400 pages of the book, that I just couldn't bring myself to understand/forgive/care and just thought Pietro started out lov...more

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May 16, 2010 Mitchell Bombard rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Would not

Im so confused by this book. There are too many charactors with unintersting comments. Firstly, the book was translated poorly. The hardcopy was on sale for $1.00 and I figured it would be moderatly interesting. But I am wrong. I get confused with each paragraph. The American book has terrible translations and comments. Several typographical errors and spelling mistakes. And the translations are, in my opinion, are English. Not American.

I am a full blooded italian who has visited the country. I...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Like the critically acclaimed I'm Not Scared, I'll Steal You Away juxtaposes the joys and pains of childhood and adolescence with the struggles of adulthood. In his portrayal of an ordinary, introspective bullied boy and a middle-aged man experiencing a ludicrous midlife crisis, Niccol_

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Oct 02, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bello l'intreccio, efficace la tecnica di raccontare per brevi spezzoni, in modo discontinuo, passando da una vicenda all'altra, lasciandole tutte in sospeso per poi riallacciare i fili del racconto verso la fine. Inoltre Ammaniti sovverte la sequenza temporale degli eventi, raccontandoli come gli fa più comodo per suscitare tensione, mantenendo lucidamente in pugno la trama.
Personaggi un po' caricaturali ed estremi, ma tutto sommato abbastanza di spessore.
Però la sensazione che si ha durante l...more

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Jul 01, 2007 Jillian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WHEW. cosi intenso ed un po inquietante (INTENSE and a little disturbing). i could not put this book down, and when i read the last line, i almost started crying. ammaniti can tell a story.
of course i cannot speak to the translation, but i encourage anyone to give it a shot in english and let me know how is.

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Apr 27, 2013 M M rated it 4 of 5 stars

The funny Steal You Away by Niccolò Ammaniti is set in Ischiano Scalo, a dusty corner of Tuscany criss-crossed by motorways that serve to remind the villagers that life, really, is elsewhere. Its heroes are a middle-aged Lothario, Graziano Biglia, who, after decades of seduction and alcoholism, decide to retire to married life with a young wannabe actress; and the sensitive and artistic Pietro Moroni, the son of an abusive father and a beaten-down mother, who tends to be the fall-guy for the loc...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Antonia Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

It makes me so happy to read novels like this in translation: big, rich, beautiful novels that remind me that people all over the world want to be more than they are, find love, be praised, make some kind of sense of their lives. I haven't been to Italy in over twenty years, but with Ammaniti's characters, I felt I was right there, eating tagliatelle with cream sauce in the village of Ischiano Scalo.

This book was cinematic in its richness-- Ammaniti doesn't just tell you the baths smell like sul...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Elsje rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, maandboek-boekgrrls

Pietro Moroni is een 12-jarig jochie in een klein dorpje aan de Italiaanse Noordkust, Ischiano Scalo. Het is een stil kind dat uit een gezin komt met een vader die nogal losse handjes heeft, een murw-geslagen moeder en zijn tien jaar oudere broer die in leren jack de schapen van het gezin hoedt terwijl hij droomt van emigreren. Het is een stil en teruggetrokken jochie in wiens leven het niet gaat om gelijk krijgen maar om het direct toegeven dat hij degene is die schuldig is (of dat nou waar is...more Pietro Moroni is een 12-jarig jochie in een klein dorpje aan de Italiaanse Noordkust, Ischiano Scalo. Het is een stil kind dat uit een gezin komt met een vader die nogal losse handjes heeft, een murw-geslagen moeder en zijn tien jaar oudere broer die in leren jack de schapen van het gezin hoedt terwijl hij droomt van emigreren. Het is een stil en teruggetrokken jochie in wiens leven het niet gaat om gelijk krijgen maar om het direct toegeven dat hij degene is die schuldig is (of dat nou waar is of niet) want dan is de ellende sneller voorbij. Het enige kind dat vrienden met hem is is Gloria, het mooiste en slimste meisje uit de klas. Zij komt uit een rijk en liefhebbend gezin. Op school gaat het niet goed met Pietro, hij is het pispaaltje van de drie grote en sterke klasgenoten Pierini, Bacci en Ronca. Je kent het type wel, van die domme krachtpatsers.

Graziano Biglia is de andere hoofdpersoon uit het boek. Hij is een flierefluitende veertiger, die met zijn gitaar en lekkere lijf in vakantieplaatsen over de wereld de vrouwelijke toeristen het hoofd en de portemonnee op hol brengt. Tot hij in een discotheek de twintigjarige naaktdanseres Erica Tettel ontmoet, aan wie hij zijn hart verpandt, al wil zij het niet hebben. Graziano heeft grootse plannen om met haar te trouwen en zich vervolgens in zijn geboortedorp Ischiano Scalo te vestigen. As hij daar aankomt, vertelt hij iedereen vol gloed dat hij gaat trouwen. Maar Erica laat hem zitten en wanhopig gaat Graziano op zoek naar een waardig vervangster. Die vindt hij in de teruggetrokken levende schooljuf Flora Palmieri. Deze juf wordt, niet geheel toevallig, ook belaagd door de drie pestkoppen.

Als Pierini, Bacci en Ronca Pietro dwingen om in de school in te breken, zetten zij daarmee een reeks gebeurtenissen in gang die de levens van de personages voorgoed veranderen.

Ik snapte tijdens het lezen van de eerste helft van dit boek niet waarom er zo'n ophef over wordt gemaakt over deze schrijver en dan natuurlijk met name over dit boek. Ik vond de personages oninteressant, de taal die Ammaniti bezigt niet bijzonder, en het verhaal maar zo-zo. Maar het einde is bijzonder, heel bijzonder. Al met al toch blij dat ik het las. Daarom: drie sterren.(less)

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Sep 24, 2011 Sophiene rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

After I finished this book it stayed with me a long time. I had trouble getting into it, but when I finally did I finished it in one go. It is not a feel good book. All the characters are flawed and do awful things and still that's what life is for a lot of people. This book puts you on top of all the awful things that happen and so it's not an easy book to read, but in the end I found it worthwhile.
Several people in our book club didn't think so, they didn't read it to the end, because they fou...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Christopher Walker rated it 1 of 5 stars

So awful that I couldn't put it down. Cover to cover with cliches. The young outsider protagonist plays with snakes (thus is 'different') and idolises the older manly protagonist who, if memory serves, has a barrel chest and long-flowing lion-like hair, plays guitar, once had his heart broken and consequently became something of a local Don Juan, drives a motorcycle (or a convertible sports car), has a mum who can cook the 'best Italian', and who pulls the mousey and virginal local schoolteacher...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Biogeek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me begin by saying I am a prude, I know I am a prude, and some kinds of writing will always rub me the wrong way. And Ammaniti peppers his writing liberally with the kinds of scenes that will make prudish readers like me uncomfortable. Having said that, I enjoyed this book of interweaving plots that led to a climactic collision.

Eleven-year old Pietro, his best friend Gloria, their teacher Flora, and the town prodigal son/casanova all have their own stories, and yet Ammaniti manages to creat...more

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May 28, 2012 Marco rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un intreccio di storie amare, tutte senza lieto fine.
Scritto bene e ti prende anche ma non c'era nessuna ragione per leggerlo ( grazie al cielo �� una edizione economica). Che la vita non sia tutta rose e fiori, che i prepotenti abbiano sovente la meglio, che la vita sia anche fatta di piccinerie lo si sapeva non era quindi il caso di fare una lunga collezione di sfigati e di ammanircela.
Un tre stelle ci st�� sia perch��, come detto, �� scritto bene e perch�� la storia scorre bene.
E' ben certo p...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Zazou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gelezen-in-2010

Het boek is zeer beeldend geschreven. Je ziet het stoffige dorpje, je voelt de warmte en je hoort Zagor blaffen. Je krijgt het benauwd als je leest hoe Pietro belaagd wordt en je kan alleen maar het hele boek door hopen dat het allemaal wel goed zal komen.
Aanvankelijk moest ik wel even wennen aan al die Italiaanse namen die voorbij komen, maar die vormen ook wel weer de charme van dit boek.
Ook was ik benieuwd hoe de verhaallijn van Graziano en Pietro samen zouden komen.
De rode draad die door dit...more

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May 02, 2011 La Stamberga dei Lettori added it · review of another edition

"Ti prendo e ti porto via" è imperfettamente bello. Leggendolo, salta subito all'occhio cosa c'è che non và: manca l'equilibrio. Ci sono storie secondarie che, pur essendo narrazione di ottima fattura, appesantiscono la trama e non portano da nessuna parte ai fini della trama principale. Alcuni personaggi marginali sono fin troppo caratterizzati mentre altri di una certa rilevanza non sono approfonditi abbastanza. Poi tocca così tanti argomenti (bullismo, la scuola, malattie terminali, amore ado...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: narrativa, favorites

Ammaniti è un grande. Scrittore. Fabulatore. Intrattenitore. Romanziere. Letto durante le vacanze estive, ho fatto in modo che mi scivolasse addosso molto lentamente in modo di gustarmelo appieno. Scopro tardi gli autori italiani, a parte Eco e i grandi classici immancabili, gran rammarico a questo punto perchè mi sono reso conto che la mia anglofilia mi ha privato di perle rare come queste. Prima ho scoperto Baricco, poi Benni e adesso Ammaniti, contrariamente ai più ho apprezzato moltissimo an...more Ammaniti è un grande. Scrittore. Fabulatore. Intrattenitore. Romanziere. Letto durante le vacanze estive, ho fatto in modo che mi scivolasse addosso molto lentamente in modo di gustarmelo appieno. Scopro tardi gli autori italiani, a parte Eco e i grandi classici immancabili, gran rammarico a questo punto perchè mi sono reso conto che la mia anglofilia mi ha privato di perle rare come queste. Prima ho scoperto Baricco, poi Benni e adesso Ammaniti, contrariamente ai più ho apprezzato moltissimo anche “Come Dio Comanda”, ma questo libro mi ha davvero entusiasmato per molti aspetti: I personaggi, nella loro disperata e tragica comicità, sono presentati al lettore con realismo. La prosa non stanca in nessun punto della storia, anzi avvince e trascina il lettore. Situazioni spesso comiche, rivelano invece una profonda amarezza e disperazione, si iscrivono del contesto più ampio di una vicenda profondamente drammatica. L’ambientazione: Ischiano Scalo è il luogo perfetto e ideale per raccontare un Italia quanto mai vera. Il finale amarissimo, sconvolge e fa pensare a lungo, ma come si ripete spesso nel libri davanti alle grandi tragedie ma anche a quelle piccole, di tutti i giorni, si va avanti e si superano. E anche le cose peggiori vengono lasciate alle spalle.. Questo libro fa battere il cuore, racconta e avvolge gli occhi tra le spire della storie per incantarci e non lasciarci più andare.Tutte le situazioni sono perfette nella loro bolla di vita letteraria (ma quanto c’è di vero in questa storia). Mi ha preso e portato via, a Ischiano dove c’è il mare ma è come se fosse sempre troppo lontano da raggiungere, come la felicità che è sempre lì bene in vista ma facciamo fatica a prenderla e raggiungerla e quando ci riusciamo, la teniamo stretta per poco tempo. Ti lascia pensieroso per qualche giorno. Possiamo dire che è uno strano libro. E’ironico, ma con una spiccata vena sarcastica, ma probabilmente è triste, molto triste perchè nella sua ironia mette a nudo tutte le debolezze e le tragedie di ogni giorno. Non esiste un personaggio che non sia alla fine un perdente, come, forse, lo siamo un po’ tutti. Un libro realista, ma romanzato e scritto benissimo. Comunque, senza dubbio, da leggere.

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May 23, 2012 Neil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-to-z-project

A to Z Project, Book 13
Ammaniti's novel starts like an Italian village movie (Amarcord or Cinema Paradiso, for example) but one set in the contemporary era. Three characters get the majority of his attention. Pietro Moroni is a small boy, friendless except for Gloria, a wealthy, beautiful tomboy whose parents have always liked his calming influence. They're close friends, but he's in love with her. Pietro is having trouble with a trio of local bullies.

Graziano Biglia is a singer who does contemp...more A to Z Project, Book 13
Ammaniti's novel starts like an Italian village movie (Amarcord or Cinema Paradiso, for example) but one set in the contemporary era. Three characters get the majority of his attention. Pietro Moroni is a small boy, friendless except for Gloria, a wealthy, beautiful tomboy whose parents have always liked his calming influence. They're close friends, but he's in love with her. Pietro is having trouble with a trio of local bullies.

Graziano Biglia is a singer who does contemporary gypsy music and flamenco (like the Gipsy Kings). But he's tired of the road and a desire to return to his hometown (where he is a legendary lothario) and open a jeans shop is growing. At first, he dreams that it will be with his vapid television spokesmodel girlfriend, but when she dumps him, Graziano suddenly decides to make a play for a local schoolteacher.

Flora Palmieri is Pietro's teacher, the target of Graziano's sudden attentions, and also the target of the same bullies (her students) that are bothering Pietro. She's a quiet woman who secretly tends her disabled mother at home. She's beautiful, but completely inexperienced with men.

The novel documents life in the village and the converging stories of the three lead characters. It takes an unexpectedly ugly turn in the last fifty pages that shocked me a bit. Looking back, I think it is reasonably well motivated, but this is the kind of story that one expects to turn out differently.

Ammaniti is a great storyteller. I was caught up in the story quickly and never lost interest for a moment. In addition to the very believable leads, he builds at least twenty other characters, sometimes even telling his tale from their point of view for a few pages. Some are hilarious, some pathetic, some frightening, but none of them fail to capture attention.

This isn't a perfect book, but it's very strong and will definitely stay with me. In a world full of books that often feel very similar to other stories, this is a true original.(less)

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Feb 07, 2011 Madelon Kooijmans rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ik had veel gehoord over deze schrijver, daarom stond dit boek op mijn verlanglijstje voor kerst. Helaas heeft het boek bij mij niet voldaan aan mijn verwachtingen. Ik heb het wel uitgelezen, maar ik stoorde me aan de structuur van het verhaal. Dit heb ik niet vaak bij een boek. Ik vond het op sommige momenten zelfs zeer irritant dat er zovaak gewisseld werd in verhaallijnen. Dit is geen boek dat me bij zal blijven. Ik zal door deze ervaring ook geen ander boek van deze schrijver gaan lezen.

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Sep 12, 2011 Caroline Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned, abuse, coming-of-age, family, friendship, sept2011

this isn't too bad. if you took Ammaniti's name off and you've read another book by him, you'd know it was him. polished this one off in one day. i'd suggest you try to finish this in a day or two. it starts at the end then rewinds to the beginning. if it mentions a new character, it'll stop in the middle of the story to give an extensive background on a person. so you can get lost in the timeline and with all the names quickly (they go by first name or only last name, or both)

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Jan 11, 2011 Ans Luiken rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Een prachtige schildering van jongeren in hun puberteit, liefdes, verraad en vriendschap.
Een fictief dorpje aan de Italiaanse Rivièra, gelegen in de buurt van de via Aurelia (ik heb de streek opgezocht met Google Earth) is het toneel voor twee adembenemende liefdesverhalen.
Ik heb het boek in een adem uitgelezen. Niccolo Ammaniti is een rasverteller.
Het verscheen al in 1999 maar de schrijver, Niccolo Ammaniti, begint in Nederland nu pas bekend te worden.

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Aug 16, 2012 BlueBilly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: letteratura-italiana, 2000

Ho divorato questo libro. Non riuscivo letteralmente a staccarmi. Prima di questo, di Ammaniti avevo letto solo "Che la festa cominci" e sinceramente non mi aveva granché impressionato. Ma qui la musica cambia. Lo stile è indubbiamente lo stesso, però tutto calza a pennello. Le parolacce, le descrizioni, la crudezza, l'ironia, niente è mai per caso o gratuito. Non si ha mai l'impressione che l'autore voglia fare il simpatico o lo spaccone. La storia è al tempo stesso semplice e imprevedibile. I...more

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About Niccolò Ammaniti

Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome in 1966. He has written three novels and a collection of short stories. He won the prestigious Italian Viareggio-Repaci Prize for Fiction with his bestselling novel I'm Not Scared, which has been translated into thirty-five languages.

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“Even the most difficult things which you think you'll never get over you do get over, and in a trice you find they're behind you and you have to go on. New things await you.” — 5 people liked it

“Questo ti volevo dire. Ho rotto il nostro patto ma forse é stato meglio così. Ora basta però, non ti voglio rattristare. Mia madre mi ha detto che sei bellissima e io lo sapevo. Quando eravamo piccoli ero sicuro che saresti diventata miss Italia. P.s. Preparati, che quando passo da Bologna ti prendo e ti porto via.” — 2 people liked it

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