Lyrical prose, but as slow as a sleepy Italian village

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

That's a tricky one. I enjoyed listening to the book as the prose had a lyrical 'sing song' quality to it, and the narrator handled the Italian words and phrases well. However there is very little plot and it is incredibly slow paced. I found myself listening to the tone and voice of the narration but not the actual words.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I most enjoyed the descriptions of village life in the past and hearing about rivalries and how family connections were of supreme importance. It gave me a very accurate visual impression of the place where the story was set. I least enjoyed the story itself as there wasn't much happening. The whole story can be summarised as 'boy hears about family history and tries to put things right by making a seemingly impossible bargain'.

What about Bob Neufeld’s performance did you like?

The narrator had a very flat tone initially and paused in odd places, but he handled the foreign language sections well and the whole story was clearly enunciated. I think he was the right person for the story.

Any additional comments?

A sleepy-paced story of a boy trying to put right the wrongs done by his grandfather. There is very little else to the story, but some lovely prose descriptions of village life in Italy make this an enjoyable listen. Please note that not all foreign language words / phrases are translated into English. I would describe this book as a sweet natured story.

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