Sicily in 1863, just after it became part of the Kingdom of Italy; the book is really a social portrait of poverty. Exceptionally good characterizations, great storytelling. ( )

Read for Reading 1001 February BOTM. This story set in Sicily by Giovanni Verga tells the story of three generations of Sicilian fishermen family. First published in 1881 it is a novel that is considered a “realism” novel, though Verga did not want to be considered any certain type of author. He is considered to be a contributor to the development of the novel. Verga was influenced by Flaubert and Zola and this book most reminded me of Germinal by Zola. The family has many setbacks, loses everything to slowly work there way back. It is a story of hard work and poverty set in Sicily. ( )

DNF at page 67

Let's say that I'll save this one for when I am old and wise :P

Soffocante l'arrendevolezza al destino,purtroppo ancora socialmente presente. ( )

Giovanni Verga's novel "The House by the Medlar Tree" was a really interesting story once it got going. I liked the book overall but it was a very slow read for me.

The book is the story of the Malavoglia family, who are poor fishermen in Sicily. A tragic accident sends their fortunes spiraling downward and the family tries repeatedly to climb out of poverty, to return to the place where they started.

It was difficult to get into this book at first-- there were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep everyone straight. I ultimately decided to read it without focusing on characters and just letting the story unfold. About midway through the book, the story really got going and the importance of the characters really sorted itself out. Glad to have continued on, as the book was worth the effort. ( )