Introduction
"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned. Even after her beloved mother's passing, 20-... read full description
reviews
Oct 29, 2011
Katy
rated it: 
Before I get started, I just wanted to point out that this is my favorite book of 2011 so far. What is sure to follow is a gushing fangirl review that cannot recommend this book enough and will probably not do the beauty of this book justice. But I will try.
When We Were Strangers transports the reader from the high and rural hills of Irma Vitale's family home in Opi, Italy, through her long journey to America and opportunity. She is a small town girl, going out into a world bigger th More...
When We Were Strangers transports the reader from the high and rural hills of Irma Vitale's family home in Opi, Italy, through her long journey to America and opportunity. She is a small town girl, going out into a world bigger th More...
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Dec 31, 2011
megan
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I remember moving across the country with the "luxuries" of modern communication to keep me in contact with my family and a companion I knew would be with me every step of the way. I was still pretty effing terrified--so its hard to even imagine being in a situation like the main character of When We Were Strangers, Irma, wherein she is truly in an impossible situation in her Italian hometown of Opi and must make the decision to travel to America by herself with a few scant resources.
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Aug 22, 2011
Rusty
rated it:
"If you leave Opi you'll die with strangers," said her mother to Irma Vitale. Yet she leaves Opi, not when her brother does, but later upon the advice of Father Anselmo and Zia Carmela, her aunt. Afraid to go and afraid to stay after her father made sexual advances, Irma takes the dowry her father gives her and gold from Zia and begins her trip to America.
For a naive peasant girl, the trip holds many experiences. She is robbed, losing the gold, and what little she has, More...
For a naive peasant girl, the trip holds many experiences. She is robbed, losing the gold, and what little she has, More...
Aug 21, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
Highly recommended. Beautifully written historical novel about an Italian immigrant woman who comes to America alone and makes her own future through experiences in Cleveland, then Chicago, and finally San Francisco.
This author has written short stories. This novel, her first, grew out of a short story about the main character. The writing is just wonderful! (A quote on the front cover of the paperback from another author reads: "I long for this kind of lovely prose. A cut a More...
This author has written short stories. This novel, her first, grew out of a short story about the main character. The writing is just wonderful! (A quote on the front cover of the paperback from another author reads: "I long for this kind of lovely prose. A cut a More...
Feb 20, 2011
Mirella
rated it:
If you love a good tale interwoven with both heart-break and dreams, loss and success, you will truly enjoy When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewald.
Irma Vitale is a poverty-stricken young woman of marriageable age who lives in the small village of Opi nestled in the Abruzzi mountains of Italy. Her brother and closest friend departs for America, hopeful to escape poverty. He tells her he is going to Cleveland and departs soon afterwards. As more and more youths from Opi and neighbour More...
Irma Vitale is a poverty-stricken young woman of marriageable age who lives in the small village of Opi nestled in the Abruzzi mountains of Italy. Her brother and closest friend departs for America, hopeful to escape poverty. He tells her he is going to Cleveland and departs soon afterwards. As more and more youths from Opi and neighbour More...
Jan 24, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
When We Were Strangers blew me away.
I mean, it's about time I read a b0ok in 2011 that gripped me as much as this book did and honestly, the binding I got for the Advanced Copy was rough to read, the words were half-faded and still, I didn't mind at all. Not a single bit. Because the story was that powerful.
Irma is a woman with strength, character, and resolve, yet also I found in her innocence, fear, and a sense of loneliness. This character in a story exhibited More...
I mean, it's about time I read a b0ok in 2011 that gripped me as much as this book did and honestly, the binding I got for the Advanced Copy was rough to read, the words were half-faded and still, I didn't mind at all. Not a single bit. Because the story was that powerful.
Irma is a woman with strength, character, and resolve, yet also I found in her innocence, fear, and a sense of loneliness. This character in a story exhibited More...
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Jan 21, 2011
Mary
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WHEN WE WERE STRANGERS written by Pamela Schonwewaldt
January 2011 - HarperCollins Publishers – Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Where we came from makes us who we are and what we become.
Irma Vitale started life out in the poor, desolate town of Opi, Italy. She dreamed of better things and a more advanced life than the one she was leading. He journey took her alone to America in the times of Lincoln’s reformation. Irma like the country she now lived in would venture forward a More...
January 2011 - HarperCollins Publishers – Trade Paperback, 336 pages
Where we came from makes us who we are and what we become.
Irma Vitale started life out in the poor, desolate town of Opi, Italy. She dreamed of better things and a more advanced life than the one she was leading. He journey took her alone to America in the times of Lincoln’s reformation. Irma like the country she now lived in would venture forward a More...
Dec 24, 2010
Nancy
rated it:
This is another difficult review to write. Irma's story, itself, is not particularly new. Italian immigrant in dying mountain village leaves for a better life in America, speaking not a word of English, creating a story to get her through customs. She is poorly educated and poorly skilled - sewing being the only skill she possessed.
Irma meets a copper salesman and he provides transportation to Naples. He is a kind man who also picks up an orphan in a Typhus ridden village to deli More...
Irma meets a copper salesman and he provides transportation to Naples. He is a kind man who also picks up an orphan in a Typhus ridden village to deli More...
Feb 20, 2012
MrsF
rated it: 
Ergh, just finished. In short summation, this was disingenuous, overtly derivative, horribly cliched, laughable, and all round just b-grade. Uh, so yeah, I wasn't a fan!?!! The idea of the story piqued my interest, and it was certainly an easy read which got me into it - but that ease soon became a case of 'let's state the bleeding obvious'. I prefer an author who presumes at least a hint of intelligence in her reader, sheesh!
The inconsistent pace of the story really bothered me. Ther More...
The inconsistent pace of the story really bothered me. Ther More...
Aug 29, 2011
Mmtimes4
rated it: 
"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned. Even after her beloved mother's passing, 20-year-old Irma longs to stay in her Abruzzo mountain village, plying her needle. But too poor and plain to marry and subject to growing danger in her own home, she risks rough passage to America and workhouse servitude to achieve her dream
...more"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned. Even after her belo More...
...more"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned. Even after her belo More...
Mar 20, 2011
Jan
rated it:
Whenever snow or rain storms keep me indoors, my favorite thing to do is snuggle up in front of the fire place with a good book. Yesterday, I picked up When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt, and was literally transported to the 1880’s. This beautifully written and remarkable story about a young Italian girl’s journey from her village in Opi, Italy to America, was both riveting and memorable. Schoenewaldt’s exquisite prose carves out a heartfelt tale about determination and the will to su
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Feb 14, 2011
Staci
rated it:
My heart goes pitter patter when I think of this book. So I guess it's pretty apt that my review posts on Valentine's Day then...love, hearts, endearment...that sort of stuff. My Valentine is this book. It's a treasure of love and if I could send the author a million Valentine's I would!!! O.K. so now after that little love fest I will proceed to try to put my thoughts down in a coherent fashion and explain to you why I absolutely adored this book.
* I loved reading the experienc More...
* I loved reading the experienc More...
Feb 11, 2012
Joy H.
rated it:
Added 1/30/12.
Edit added 2/1/12 - My comment at my group:
=================================
I'm currently reading a good book: When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt. It's a selection of our Sr Cit book club and is VERY interesting, almost compelling. It's about a young Italian girl who emigrates to America years ago from a small town in Italy. The descriptions of her experiences are so well-written, touching and informative as well.
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Edit added 2/1/12 - My comment at my group:
=================================
I'm currently reading a good book: When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt. It's a selection of our Sr Cit book club and is VERY interesting, almost compelling. It's about a young Italian girl who emigrates to America years ago from a small town in Italy. The descriptions of her experiences are so well-written, touching and informative as well.
================================= More...
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Sep 01, 2011
Cassandra
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Apr 03, 2011
Judie
rated it:
This is a book I could not put down. A twenty year old girl named Irma Vitale leaves her Italian mountain village to go to America. The year is 1883. Irma takes with her a piece of fabric, scissors, thread and a needle. That is how she survives the crossing and when she arrives in Cleveland her first city, she gets a job sewing. She has many miserable experiences, then leaves Cleveland and goes to Chicago, and then finally to San Francisco. She gets jobs sewing and then gets a good job in a
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Mar 19, 2011
Laura
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 17, 2011
Caren
rated it:
I just finished last night and I am tired today because of it...I couldn't put it down! Maybe because I like fashion and design and the dress making process and I am interested in my ancestors and immigrants and how/why they came to America--I really loved the storyline.
I loved the characters and I felt all of them were well thought and dimensional, even the minor ones. It wasn't too predictable. Even when I thought I was ready for a tragedy it ended up being something else entirely! More...
I loved the characters and I felt all of them were well thought and dimensional, even the minor ones. It wasn't too predictable. Even when I thought I was ready for a tragedy it ended up being something else entirely! More...
Mar 21, 2011
S.B.
rated it:
Set in the late 1800s the book opens with the plight of a young woman in a small town in Italy, with few prospects. It follows her journey to America, where she keeps starts again (and again and again) making new friends, overcoming the odds, etc. The details of time and place felt authentic, although the plot was a bit contrived, with things falling almost too neatly into place. Some of her experiences felt as though they were added to give texture to an otherwise meandering plot. I wasn't sor
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Dec 14, 2010
Suze
rated it:
Loved this book! I received it as an advance copy, and you never know how those will be. This is a keeper!
This is the late 19th century immigrant coming-of-age story of poor, plain Irma Vitale, a girl from a very small, rural Italian village. It's hard to imagine living as they did then - so isolated and ignorant of how the world works. For that reason, it must have taken great courage to leave and travel to the new world.
I enjoyed reading Irma's progress in America, and More...
This is the late 19th century immigrant coming-of-age story of poor, plain Irma Vitale, a girl from a very small, rural Italian village. It's hard to imagine living as they did then - so isolated and ignorant of how the world works. For that reason, it must have taken great courage to leave and travel to the new world.
I enjoyed reading Irma's progress in America, and More...
Feb 13, 2011
Keith
rated it:
This is not usually the type of book I would pick out to read. It was written by the wife of a coworker and so I decided to give it a try. It is definitely a well written book and was such a complelling story I couldn't put it down once I'd started reading it. I don't typically think about all the things people had to go through when they were immigrating to the US. This book shows how difficult the journey can be. I would highly recommend it to anyone for a better perspective of our history and
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Jun 15, 2011
Paula
rated it:
Enjoyable, well-written story that captures the immigrant experience. I liked that the main character, Irma, learned early on to depend on the kindness of strangers, and that she, in her own way, was very giving in return. The story moves from a remote mountain village in Italy to Cleveland, Chicago, and San Francisco, so readers really get the flavor of Irma's 19th century coming-of-age journey. There are some harsh circumstances in the book (rape, abortion) that may put off some readers, but I
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Jun 08, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
When Irma Vitale's mother dies and her father remarries, she realizes she has no future in her small mountain village. Too plain and poor to marry (not that there are many options in the town) she sets out on an odyssey that takes her across the sea to America--Cleveland, Chicago and more. Skilled in needlework, she finds a job in a dressmaker's shop. But this proves not to be the end of her journey.
This is a beautifully written story, and I would recommend it highly.
Note: I received t More...
This is a beautifully written story, and I would recommend it highly.
Note: I received t More...
Jan 09, 2012
Wordana
rated it:
This is a good book and a quick read. At some point, I was almost ready to beg to be "let up" because just as you think things might start to go right for Irma, something else happens to dash Irma's (and your) hopes to the ground. There are a few descriptions of events that will have you gritting your teeth and digging your fingers into your chair.
The book is well-written and appears to be well-researched. There were several events in the book that brought tears to my eyes, w More...
The book is well-written and appears to be well-researched. There were several events in the book that brought tears to my eyes, w More...
Dec 30, 2011
April
rated it:
"There is so much to be learned from being strangers together..."
A moving, inspiring tale of a young Italian immigrant and her journey to find a better life in America. Unwed, deemed too plain and too poor for a proper marriage in her small Italian village of Opi, Irma Vitale risks her life to pursue the dangerous, rough ship voyage to America. Irma quickly learns that the perilous ocean crossing was only the first of many challenges she would face as a young woman in a compl More...
A moving, inspiring tale of a young Italian immigrant and her journey to find a better life in America. Unwed, deemed too plain and too poor for a proper marriage in her small Italian village of Opi, Irma Vitale risks her life to pursue the dangerous, rough ship voyage to America. Irma quickly learns that the perilous ocean crossing was only the first of many challenges she would face as a young woman in a compl More...
Aug 28, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
This is one of those rare, captivating books that worked a perfect magic for me. Irma is a character with depth and heart I could relate to, and her story sparks and blazes to life on the pages. I loved every page - there's not a dull moment or unrelated babble thrown in for no good reason. It was fascinating to travel along from Opi, Italy, through all of Irma's long journey to America (arriving on the ship in New York and making the long trek first to Cleveland, where Irma gets sewing practic
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Aug 27, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
More like 4.5 stars...
When We Were Strangers is a compelling novel. I identified with how lost the main character, Irma, must have felt when she left her hometown to come to America. She suffered in a number of ways, and not knowing English for a period of time didn't help. While she was fortunate to have work, she was taken advantage of as so many women were in those days, especially immigrants. Her persistence, however, paid off and though she suffered other heartache and trauma, s More...
When We Were Strangers is a compelling novel. I identified with how lost the main character, Irma, must have felt when she left her hometown to come to America. She suffered in a number of ways, and not knowing English for a period of time didn't help. While she was fortunate to have work, she was taken advantage of as so many women were in those days, especially immigrants. Her persistence, however, paid off and though she suffered other heartache and trauma, s More...
Jan 19, 2012
Jackie
rated it:
Love reading books about immigrants. Irma comes to the US after having lived in Opi, Italy all her life. First she is a seamstress in Cleveland, then she moves to Chicago and works for a dressmaker. She gets raped and has an abortion by a self-taught woman who works hard to make her procedures sterile. Irma starts helping her but when the lady dies she moves to San Fransisco to go to school to be a nurse. She marries and when the story ends she is studying to become a doctor.
Aug 25, 2011
Robin
rated it:
When We Were Strangers, by Pamela Schoenewaldt, is the story of Irma Vitale, who travels from her small town in Italy, across the ocean, to New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and San Francisco. She makes friends with a series of remarkable women - and, indeed, proves to be rather remarkable herself. Schoenewaldt's descriptive narrative is spell-binding, pulling you into the good and bad of Irma's immigrant experience. I recommend this book highly; I couldn't put it down.
May 04, 2011
Cathy
rated it:
This is a well-written book with strong character development and engaging action. From the first page to the last, I found it to be engrossing, and I was never disappointed. The challenges of immigration are gracefully and thoughtfully presented through the main character, Irma, and her associations and experiences. Although the story itself is excellent, the skillful, lyrical writing and descriptions were equally satisfying. I'll watch for more from this author.
Dec 06, 2011
Danette
rated it:
I really liked this book and most likely because I am a new "immigrant" myself living in a new country in another language. Irma had such determination, as so many of the early immigrants had, that I admire in a whole new way as I go through my own ups and downs. Irma set out with high expectations of herself and succeeded, then realized she had another calling. It was one of those books that I really wasn't ready for it to end.
