Purchased, used, from Powells.
I had to read the first few pages three time before I knew what was happening. The author's use of sentences with two asides in them left me in the dust several times. A haunting read.

I also watched the movie. It follows the book fairly closely, leaving out some things, adding a few and emphasizing some. For me this was one of the rare exceptions where a good book and a good movie re-enforced and complemented each other.

This is going as a RABCK to Christina82 in Denmark.

Got it in the mail today. Look forward to reading it.

Thanks a lot itpdx...

Started reading: April 7th 2010
Finished reading: May 4th 2010

This took me quite a while to get into, which is also the reason it took me so long to finish it. The story reminds me of the Great Gatsby - but even though I liked that one, I thought this was a bit boring. This is definitly not a book I will read again...But it's another one of the 1001-list!

From the cover:
Giorgio Bassani's most famous novel is at last available to American readers in a new translation that does justice to the superb style and subtlety of the original Italian.
Know to audiences the world over through its film version, Bassani's haunting story portrays a rich, insular Jewish family in the northern Italian city Ferrara just before the outbreak of World War II. The narrator, a young, middle-class Jew, has been intrigued by the Finzi-Continis from boyhood and especially by the two children, Alberto and Micòl. Not until he is twenty-two, in the autumn of 1938, is he invited to enter their private world, seemingly immune from racial laws of Fascist Italy and the gathering war. The story traces his intricate relationship with the beautiful Micòl and at the same time depicts the predicament of the Farrarese Jews on the eve of their destruction.

Paperback from 1977, 197 pages.

I've added a protective cover to make the book last longer.

Reserved for the European Book Relay in the RABCK forum.

EDIT: Claimed by Annimanni

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This will be mailed some time this week!

Received with thanks! And a special thank you for all the extra goodies - postcards, bookmarks, pencils and what all :) A lovely surprise indeed.

Not being a fan of long and winding sentences, I, too, struggled in the beginning, but once I got going, I grew quite fond of Ferrara and some of the characters. The narrator wasn't one of them, though. (More about this later.)

The book is not about plot, but about mood and atmosphere, and Bassani's writing is extremely detailed. The undertone is, of course, melancholic, given that we are told at the very beginning what will eventually happen to the Finzi-Continis. This makes everything that much more poignant.

Now, about the narrator. I think the way he tries to get it on with Micol is totally inappropriate and makes me deeply dislike him. I was also taken aback by the narrator's visit to a brothel and how it is described as quite a natural thing to do. These aspects leave a nasty stain on an otherwise enjoyable reading experience.

On its way to jeniwren as part of the wishlist tag game. Enjoy!

Received yesterday in the mail from Finland ( not received a book from this country before so an extra special treat) and plan on reading and releasing once more. Thanks so much *Annimanni* for the tag and granting my wish of this book.

Thank you for granting this wish. I will choose a good time to read this book. Judging from everyone's journal entry, it seems like a hard one to get into in the beginning.

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Updated Oct 27, 2018

I enjoyed the book. It took a while to get into the book and then it grew on.

A belated birthday gift to a bookcrosser who has this on her wishlist. Happy birthday!

Thank you for this wishlist book. I hope I can stick with reading it once I start. I don't do well with boring books and it looks like several people didn't like it much...but I'll do my best to read all of it.