by Tim Parks
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Product Description
In this deliciously seductive account of an Italian neighborhood with a statue of the Virgin at one end of the street, a derelict bottle factory at the other, and a wealth of exotic flora and fauna in between, acclaimed novelist Tim Parks celebrates ten years of living with his wife, Rita, in Verona, Italy. More than a travel book, Italian Neighbors is a sparkling, witty, beautifully observed tale of how the most curious people and places gradually assume the familiarity of home. Selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Italian Neighbors is a rare work that manages to be both a portrait and an invitation for everyone who has ever dreamed about Italy.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Italian experiences at its best, 2008-10-09
Here I was, taking Italian language classes and desperately searching for a book describing a slice of the real italian life. You may say: but what about "under the tuscan sun" As much as I wanted to like it, I couldn't really get into the book. I am not sure why. "Italian neighbors" is a spunky, honest book about life in a country that is so alluring and one would think so similar to what we are used to. However, reading about the struggles and very candid observations made me rethink my desire to move to a small italian town. Tim Parks has a gift to explain his surprises and adventures in a way that are far from boring. The follow up book (Italian Education)is equally good.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 A good read overall, but..., 2008-05-12
Overall I found this book an entertaining, smart, and engaging read. Parks has an excellent eye for detail, a great sense of low-key humor and wit, and his very readable style flows extremely well. Parks provides a vivid and intimate image of the tiny village of Montecchio (and its colorful inhabitants), where he lived with his wife.
But at times I couldn't help but be slightly put off by a certain smugness, or sense of superiority that emanates from Parks' voice as he writes in great detail about the wild eccentricities of the townsfolk, and of the ineffective, maddening, catch-22-like contradictions in Italy's mind-bending bureaucratic and political labyrinth. However, I don't think he should change a single word; what makes this tone of smugness apparent is the reader doesn't get a good sense of exactly why Parks *likes* Italy (assuming he does) and why he wants to stay there. Sure, apart from saying he was driven out of London by sky-high rent, he does throw out a few crumbs about things he appreciates or actually likes about the place, but those seem outweighed by an overall tone of subtle condescension, and abundant descriptions of how everyone around him is a total freak. (And oddly, we never learn about how/where he got together with his Italian wife, and if that factors in to his living there). Writing about the insanity and seemingly incomprehensible differences is great (and having been to Italy, I can certainly relate to some of it), it's just that there's not enough love there to balance it, and that's what really makes him come off a bit patronizing. Without more of that "love", it's more of a cheap laugh at the expense of his neighbors.
But overall, I'm getting longwinded here about a relatively small point. It's a recommended read not just for Italophiles or people considering a move to Italy, but for anyone in search of a readable, engaging, sociological study into a foreign town they've never been to.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Want to "live" Italy, pick this book up..., 2008-04-17
This is a non-fiction memoir by Tim Parks who wrote the book after spending 10 years with his wife Rita living in Verona, Italy. Parks, places you in this Italian neighborhood where you learn of quirks and lives of the neighbors. You learn about why the government is an inefficient as it is. You learn about the 3 distinct class structures in Italy and why government employees are considered to be at the top of the food chain. You learn why Italy never seems to dig out of corruption and inefficiency. Yet, family members yearn to live in the same neighborhood for all of their lives and don't really look for their lives to change. This is all interwoven into an interesting story with Parks' usual writing magnificence. I labored at times over the author's environment descriptions but was pulled along waiting in anticipation for his character descriptions and interactions. Here's a nugget of what to expect:
"...despite all the disillusionment, a very profound, heartfelt satisfaction with the way things are and a determination that they should remain so. I plump for it because it has the hallmark of that profound schizophrenia, which is also the charm, of all matters Italian: the Pope adored and ignored, the law admired and flouted, politicians despised and reelected. The gulf between officialdom's façade and private thought that façade is always supported. Nothing changes. Italy, one sometimes things, is as if frozen in the high noon of its postwar prosperity."
This NY Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year lives up to its billing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Good, easy reading book, 2006-08-23
I bought this book on the advice of my Italian language instructor and have enjoyed it. It seems to be an accurate description of what it's like to live in the northern area of Italy.
My daughter recently moved to the area and from what I have experienced while there this year Mr. Parks writes accurately of the local culture and special ways of the people. And he writes to include the humorous daily events and quirks of the inhabitants of his little condo building.
It's not a travel guide type of book but does provide an intersting look into the daily lives of the village and surrounding towns. I enjoyed the book and plan on sending it to my American daughter living above the village of Montecchio noted in the book.
2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
 Too similar to other books, 2006-06-09
I think I've over-dosed on the "Briton living abroad" sub-genre of the memoir. The flow of the text seemed to get stuck so often when Parks would go out of his way to point out how different he found Italian culture. I found it quite tiresome after awhile.
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