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annamoss's review
4.0
Classic Ginzburg. Sparse and cutting language that quickly gets to the heart of the matter without losing humor. Intimate daily family life and relations during a difficult time. Although categorized as fiction, Ginzburg identifies it as true.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
Didn't enjoy this as much as her other work, but still a very good read.
kieracaspall's review against another edition
2.75
It’s a shame that this was, in essence, just a running commentary of her parents complaining about anything and everything.
A book that is almost entirely devoid of emotion and neglects to divulge any information about the author of whom this supposed autobiography is about. It’s a real shame as with a bit more feeling injected into it, this would have been an incredibly interesting and insightful read.
Furthermore, it doesn’t help that the translation is a bit shabby so the reading experience felt somewhat clunky (not a single chapter either didn’t help). Worth adding that this is probably through no fault of the translator since there is a lot of dialect, much of which I imagine was too complicated to convey concisely.
A book that is almost entirely devoid of emotion and neglects to divulge any information about the author of whom this supposed autobiography is about. It’s a real shame as with a bit more feeling injected into it, this would have been an incredibly interesting and insightful read.
Furthermore, it doesn’t help that the translation is a bit shabby so the reading experience felt somewhat clunky (not a single chapter either didn’t help). Worth adding that this is probably through no fault of the translator since there is a lot of dialect, much of which I imagine was too complicated to convey concisely.
dahramatic's review against another edition
5.0
Mi sono innamorata della mamma di Natalia così tanto che ho dato 5 stelle ad un libro che si apre con un numero di n-word mai visto prima
ethanarchipelago's review against another edition
5.0
Really interesting and immersive foray into Italian family life, only thing that bugged me is the near constant use of exclamation points in dialogue.
rabepx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
altheakicks's review against another edition
5.0
the first natalia ginzburg book i read was the same day my mother and sister got in a car accident and were admitted to hospital. i started her book on the train and it was to enchanting for me to put down, even though i had to study. by the time i found out about the accident, i was already 80% done with the book. in that moment it felt like if i didn’t finish it, i would never be complete again, the anxiety would overwhelm me and it would all be over so i kept reading and will continue to do so.