false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170240883m/43959.jpg 43959 3 <p> <br>"A master of political satire infused with a dose of the fantastical."-<em>World Literature Today</em></p> <em> </em> <p> <br>Stefano Benni's enormously popular and distinctive mix of the absurd and the satiri-cal has made him one of Italy's most important and best-loved novelists. This is his twelfth best-selling book of fiction. </p> <p> <br>Fifteen-year-old Margherita lives with her eccentric family on the outskirts of town, a semi-urban wilderness peopled by gypsies, illegal immigrants, and no end of bizarre characters: a reassuring and fertile playground for an imaginative little girl like Margherita. But one day, a gigantic, black cube shows up next door. Her new neighbors have arrived, and they're destined to ruin everything.</p> 43335 2005 Margherita Dolce Vita total:103|5:24|4:41|3:28|2:7|1:3| 103 385 154 24 3 1 false false Wed Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 28 10:42:07 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 14:32:44 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 06:05:27 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 14:55:09 -0700 2009 1
Margherita (dubbed Margherita Dolce Vita by her grandpa, is a 14-year-old girl living with her family in Italy. Her father Fausto ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 13 07:02:13 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 08:58:24 -0800 2008
Stefano Benni takes modern life and progress and puts it in the frame and tone of a fairy tale. I would use the term "magical realism".

Margherita and her family--parents, brothers Giacinto and Heraclitus, and grandfather--are all affec...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 22 10:56:10 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 07:16:35 -0700 2008
Things ar...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 29 12:03:32 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 12:07:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Dec 24 04:20:42 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 24 04:24:14 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 16:28:54 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 16:39:17 -0700 2007
I absolutely loved this book. It made me smile. The language, as Italian literature tends to be, was beautiful, yet ofte...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 14 08:48:32 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 21:33:33 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 18:52:42 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 18:54:58 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Mar 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 14:53:04 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 10 14:59:39 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 20:11:35 -0700 2009 Tue May 05 20:12:01 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Nov 30 17:02:14 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 17:02:35 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 06:46:35 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 06:46:35 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Sep 02 13:55:48 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 02 13:56:03 -0700 2007
It was intelligent, over-the-top quirky (which I adore), socially satirical and easy to read.

Basically everything I look for in a novel. ]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 06:05:32 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 05:21:50 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jun 12 20:56:18 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 02 20:36:06 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 08:05:19 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 08:06:12 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Sun Nov 30 13:40:07 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 13:47:28 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Tue Jun 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 16:00:03 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 16:00:03 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu Jul 24 00:21:09 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 24 00:26:49 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=43959