Marie Manilla

I bought this book for all the wrong reasons: it was on offer, I liked the title and I loved the cover.

Two chapters in, I was so taken aback by the style and the content that I thought, "Damn, I knew those were stupid reasons to buy a book" and almost stopped reading.

Then I examined my own reaction and realized that I was in a kind of reader's shock. The problem with reading something original and different is that the WTF reaction can produce complete disorientation. My imagination struggled for traction, not because the writing was difficult or obscure, but because the style and the content of the story were so different from what I'd expected. I was having difficulty figuring out what I was supposed to do with the book.

The answer, of course, was open up my imagination, relax my preconceptions, and listen to what the author had to say.

A third of the way through the book, I was in love: with the characters, with idea of a story told as a series of first person accounts on tape to a third-party, with the deft skill Marie Manilla showed in moving back and forth along the timeline in a way that enhanced my enjoyment and deepened my understanding and with the constant dance between magic and reality, belief and logic, love and hate, fate and choice, that was presented in a series of bravura performances, ranging in intensity from a broadway musical, through classical ballet to a passionate flamenco.

This book made me think, made me cry and made me hope. Two thirds of the way through, I wanted it to go on forever. I wanted to wrap myself up in this world and never leave.

Sadly, I found the ending week and disjointed. I got nothing at all from the last chapter, which, although it bookended the first chapter, seemed so disconnected from the action of the novel that I became irritated with it.

There are things about the book that people may find challenging: the plot and the narrative style walk a tightrope between the reality and myth, making it hard to know what I was meant to believe or not believe; forcing me make and re-make my own decisions on the truth of the tale. The language in the book is casually (but deliberately) offensive to modern-day ears (Poor Italians in America who live on DagoWop Hill - insult, humour, honesty, all of the above?). The attitude towards the Catholic Church, the clergy and the nature of miracles is antagonistic to the point of insult. Men are depicted, for the most part, as nasty, brutish and short-lived. The rich are shown as selfish, vain, and vicious. The poor are shown as superstious and ignorant.

What lifts the book above a rant or a semi-mystical piece of nonsense, is that it is powered by a deep understanding of the need for love: the love between father and daughter; mother and daughter, husband and wife. It shows families in different configurations and holds them to a single test of worth: do you love each other?

This book is bold and innovative and ambitious so it is inevitable that there were points were I found myself momentarily pitched out of the story when my ability to believe had been stretched too far, but the book as a whole is a joy I'm glad I didn't miss.… (mehr)

I really enjoyed this tale of sainthood, family, love and longing set in the south in the 60s and 70s. Garnet Ferrari is an Italian-American girl born covered in port wine stains who struggles for the love of her family, especially that of her mother. Her grandmother Nonna is her staunchest ally and promotes Garnet's "healing power" which make her a local celebrity. At its core this is a story about a young girl whose physical appearance makes her an outcast and the tragedy that colors her life. It reads quickly and will generate a lot of emotions-I'd call it a two-hanky read.… (mehr)

Written much like a folk tale, this was a very interesting read which makes for great discussion. The author spun a tale that almost every reader could find some part that would resonate within their life story while keeping it extreme enough to stay outside of everyday reality. The format of the story is a chronicle or retelling by the protagonist with injects from supporting characters to round out the story. At first this seemed a little disjointed, complicated further by the accents of the characters but worth persevering.

Manilla is able to capture the sights and customs of the setting bringing a touch of realism to this fictional account of a reluctant saint. This tale was a challenging and entertaining experience.… (mehr)