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A New York Times Notable Book of the Year: A deliciously entertaining account of expatriate life in a small village just outside Verona, Italy.
Tim Parks is anything but a gentleman in Verona. So after ten years of living with his Italian wife, Rita, in a typical provincial Italian neighborhood, the novelist found that he had inadvertently collected a gallery full of splendid characters. In this wittily observed account, Parks introduces readers to his home town, 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.
Via Colombare, the village's main street, offers an exemplary hodgepodge of all that is new and old in the bel paese, a point of collision between invading suburbia and diehard peasant tradition. It is a world of creeping vines, stuccoed walls, shotguns, security cameras, hypochondria, and expensive sports cars. More than a mere travelogue, Italian Neighbors is a vivid portrait of the real Italy and a compelling story of how even the most foreign people and places gradually assume the familiarity of home.
"One of the most delightful travelogues imaginable . . . so vivid, so packed with delectable details." —Los Angeles Times Book Review
“One of the most delightful travelogues imaginable . . . So vivid, so packed with delectable details, that it serves . . . as a more than decent substitute for the real thing.” —The Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Most foreigners’ books about Italy fall into one of two categories–chronicles of infatuation or diaries of disillusionment. It’s rare to read one like Italian Neighbors that combines accuracy with affection, analysis with lyricism.” —The Washington Post Book World
“Delightful. . . . Mr. Parks splendidly characterizes his Italian neighbors and their hang-ups [and] has a keen ear for everyday speech.” —The New York Times
“Parks is a good novelist, which serves him well in weaving the knotty threads of his neighbors’ lives into a coherent narrative. . . . He has a particular knack for being sympathetic without becoming sentimental, which even extends to the landscape and climate.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
“What Peter Mayle did for Provence, Tim Parks may well do for his adopted home in Italy, the Veneto.” —Condé Nast Traveler
“Confiding, informative, bemused, and filled with incident. . . . If there really is such a thing as summer reading, Park’s droll, perceptive book is it.” —The Boston Globe
“Elegant. . . . It details with affection and dry wit [Parks’] initiation into the Byzantine complexities of Italian social life, a fascinating mix of conservatism and lawlessness. . . . Parks’ beautifully modulated account shows him and his wife gradually being incorporated into the town’s rituals and rhythms as the seasons change.” —The Chicago Sun-Times
“Proper pastry shop etiquette, attitudes toward gardening and pets, the ritual of sharing home-bottled wine, and the careful progress of conversation and confidence are all lovingly detailed. . . . His portrait of the village becomes a vibrant symbol of all the places we call home.” —Booklist
“Zestful.” —Kirkus Reviews
Tim Parks is the author of fifteen works of fiction and nonfiction including Europa, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Italian Education, and A Season with Verona.