a great book by a highly underated author

books:


	• The Brotherhood of the Grape John Fante Harper Perennial, 2002 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

a great book by a highly underated author

Fantes characters are rarely heroic. They are flawed and often slightly ridiculous, but he writes in such a way that one cant help warming to them no matter what. In fantes world man is confused and irrational, struggling with catholic guilt and trying to make sense of an absurd world. Life is a tragic comedy in which the last laugh is very definitely on you. Although at times hilarious, at its core there is a lot of sadness, but what comes across most strongly is a warmth and compassion for his characters despite and maybee even because of their faults. His style overflows with energy and passion. There is a tremedous appetite for life. The book catches you up in its plot from page one and sweeps you along. This is an extremely enjoyable book, a strange and beautifully told story, profoundly moving and funny.

for more information click here

A passionate novel

The brotherhood of the grape consists of a group of men gathering at the Angelo Masso winery in San Elmo. There is Angelo himself, Cavallero, Zarlingo, Benedetti, Antrilli, Mascarini and Nicholas. During their meetings, they gamble, brawl and of course drink heavily. Nicholas Molise and his wife Maria brought up four children now in their fifties, Mario, Virgil, Stella and Henry, the latter being the narrator in Mr Fante's both tragic and funny tale. Nicholas is now 76 and he used to work as a contractor and he built many imposing buildings in San Elmo. A passionate man of Italian origin, the head of the family is described by Henry as "a judge, jury and executioner, Jehovah himself". He scorns his sons because, to his bitter disappointment, none of them became a stonemason. And now Nick pesters Henry to join him in an absurd project of building of a smokehouse up in the Sierra mountains...
It is both the funny and sad tale of a son watching his father age, wait, mark time and become increasingly lonelier. But there is anger too in Henry's memories when he remembers his father's ignorance, he who kept books out of Henry's range, despised them, ignored them. His ranting, threats, greed, bullying and gambling are hard to forget. Henry can't but despise his father's old bones and skin, his wine-soaked oldness, his sinful and sodden friends. He can barely contain his anger at being trapped on an absurd safari into the mountains because of his father's vanity, to prove himself he is still "a hotshot stonemason". Yet Henry is finally the only son who stands by his father's side as his final moment approaches...
The novel is brimming with love, violence, death, religion and also plenty of humour because the author's prose is honest, evocative and intimate.

for more information click here

First Impressions of Fante and This Book.

Well, so far, this was the first book I have read of John Fante's and I absolutely loved it. I finished it only a week ago and the images still stick with me pretty well. My first thought after finishing the book, was that I liked the fact that he used a simplistic style in his writing. There wasn't anything fancy or over-elaborate about it. It just comes from the gut. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, so I'll avoid any heavy plot details, however the book hit a few emotional nerves in me that related to the story.
The characters are very likeable. The father in the story especially stood out to me. He is a drunkard (who is sometimes unfaithful and abusive to his wife). He's the kind of guy you'd like to punch in the face, and then hug him afterwards. You just can't hate the guy, regardless of how imperfect and angry he is.

A highly recommended read.

for more information click here

Maybe His Best

In retrospect, now that I'm ten years removed from the reading of Fante's novels, I view this one as the best. Much has been said of ASK THE DUST--some of it true, some of it blown ridiculously out of proportion--but this novel, slipping in under the radar and coming much later in his life, is darker, funnier, and less self-absorbed. It makes you wonder what he could have produced outside of the Hollywood screenwriting grind, during decades of literary inactivity. It's a melancholic work, and one can't help but sense the author's own discomfort with being cognizant of his own compromises.

for more information click here

Superb Storytelling

Fante's book about a Catholic Italian family and their relationships with each other is a beautifully crafted book. It reads like Bukowski only not as funny. There are some funny moments and some poignant ones as well. Fante has a great ear for dialogue and his narrator's role as the dutiful son is very well executed. I could picture these people as people I have known. The relationships between the father and his children and his wife are very complex, and each one is explored throughout the course of the novel. The bonding of the narrator with his father is a very original "coming of age" story, because the narrator is in his fifties. This is a highly recommended book.

I came across the hardcover first edition of this book at the library, which said that the writer of Chinatown had written the screenplay version for Francis Ford Coppola which was supposed to be his followup to The Godfather. Evidentally the movie was never made, but it does turn out that the same screenwriter has adapted Fante's other book, Dago Red, and is currently directing the film. That will be one to look out for.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Loners, Outcasts, and Losers ...
a buck-fifty-nine an hour
Books, books, books!
BORN L-O-S-E-R-S
fante's best

search for books
brotherhood, grape

Impressum / about us