Calabrian Tales

by Peter Chiarella

Calabrian Tales is a unique story of inexplicable injustice and poverty, avarice and survival based on true family incidents that were revealed to the author in his youth. The book's chief character is the author's great aunt, Marianna, who became the mistress of a wealthy noble. The lifestyle she adopted repeatedly shamed her relatives until living in Italy became unbearable for them. Eventually, the author's father, Raffaele, fled his beloved Italy in the face of constant shame, and settled in the U.S. His son, author Peter Chiarella, grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. There he heard the stories about life in Calabria from his grandmother, a principal character in the book. After her death, the stories kept coming, both from his father, also a character in Calabrian Tales , and from his mother, who had listened in on Nonna's recollections over a period of fifteen years. The stories of people who lived in what may have been Italy's poorest region, blend with the historical struggles of the times in a combination reminiscent of certain aspects of The Godfather and the ignoble humanity of Angela's Ashes. "Twenty-two unforgettable personalities interplay in this picaresque page turner. Each one will fascinate you uniquely." -- Anthony Kilgallin, author of Napa Valley Picture Perfect "Calabrian Tales evokes the memory of stories I heard growing up among elder Italian immigrants." -- James L. D'Adamo, author of The D'Adamo Diet "A most intriguing and compelling read." -- Joseph D. Sabella, MD

412 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jennifer Pletcher]

This is the story of the author's family from the late 1800s in Calabria, Italy. The story involves his great aunt - who was a mistress to a very rich man, his father - who fled Italy for the US when he was young, and several other family members who were very poor in Italy. It talks of the hardships they faced at that time in Italy, and what happened when some of them left for the United States. Most of the book was written from stories his grandmother told him.



It was a pretty good book. Not very well written, but I enjoyed the stories and how all the people intertwined in the book. Many of his family members were farmers who worked from dawn to dusk every day of the week and still didn't have enough food to make it through the winter. They had to give olive oil to the Dons in order to "pay rent". Their lives were very hard and not rewarding at all. I wish I would have asked my grandmother to tell me more stories while she was still alive, so that I would know what it was like for her parents and grandparents growing up in such a place.

[Emma]

Ver interesting material, about a rather unknown but stunningly beautiful part of Southern Italy. A must for people who want to make a study of the region and also for people who just like good stories about ordinary people.

[Patricia]

The kind of book that leaves you with a lot to process in your mind when you are done. Do definitely have to remind yourself that they were true stories.

[Jen]

Started it, then started something else...I have to pick it back up!