For the most part, this was a pretty unique and interesting love story of sorts. It takes place amidst Italy's shifting alliances at the end of World War II. The ending was weird, awkward and pretty horrible, but up until that last chapter or so, it was good. I'm not so sure I bought the insipidness of the main character, Maddalena, but I suppose families do often dictate their children's every move, especially the "favorite" girl (and especially during the 40s). I loved the depiction of Italy during the war though, the lives of the men left behind and how the families survived (or did not). Ultimately, kind of a so-so read with high points. (

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CarolynSchroeder | Mar 19, 2013 |

I was consumed with this bittersweet tale of sweet and passionate first love set in a tiny Italian village during World War II. Vito must somehow prove to Maddalena's parents that he is a worthy suitor for their youngest daughter and the war soon provides him the means. (

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avaland | Dec 4, 2006 |

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Series (with order)

The Grassos (1)

Canonical title

A Kiss from Maddalena

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

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Important events

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Awards and honors

Massachusetts Book Award (2004.1|Fiction, 2004)

Epigraph

When the evening fades in the fountains, my town has a bewildered color. I am far away, I recall its frogs, the moon, the sad chriping of the crickets, Rosario is playing, getting hoarse in the meadows: I am dead at the song of the bells. Stranger, when you see me slowly fly through the plain, don't be afraid: I am a spirit of love returning from far away to his town. -Pier Paolo Pasolini

Dedication

For my parents, Vincenzo Catellani and Lidia Marcelli Castellani, who lived in this world and inspired these stories. This book is my love letter to you.

First words

Dr. Fabiano pressed the buzzers three times, then let himself in.

Quotations

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa

Carcaterra, Lorenzo

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Book description

Some in Santa Cecilia think that a rich, beautiful girl like Maddalena Piccinelli wouldn't look at Vito Leone if he were the last boy on Earth. But Vito is nearly the last boy in this small Italian village in 1943-and in a few months after he turns eighteen, the soldiers may come for him too. For now, he is determined to win her. And his playful, romantic side is beginning to melt her stubborn, self-possessed heart. But as forces from the world outside-including foreign troops and an American stranger-begin to invade their quiet refuge. Vito will face challenges far more daunting than coaxing a kiss from Maddalena.

Haiku summary

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Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0425196429, Paperback)

In Santa Cecilia, Italy, in the spring of 1943, the war is closing in. Vito Leone, a scrawny, clownish boy, not quite 18, is still at home, while his slightly older contemporaries have already gone off to fight. He is filling the days until he leaves by courting the town beauty, 15-year-old Maddalena Piccinelli, daughter of the region's most successful merchant. The title of Christopher Castellani's debut novel, A Kiss from Maddalena, is only part of Vito's plan.

The road through Santa Cecilia is "one of the widest in Italy." When Italy joins the Allies, it becomes a conduit for German invasion, causing the Santa Ceciliese to leave for more remote places. Vito stays to care for his chronically ill mother. He and Maddalena share a poignant parting, amid tears and promises. During their two-year separation, they continue to believe that they will be reunited, with her family's approval. Vito sets out to ingratiate himself to the Piccinellis in their absence by refurbishing their house, which has been ravaged by soldiers. When they return, Maddalena's mother, Chiara, says, "I am grateful ... but it's too much ... I don't like when people do things for me; I don't like the obligation. I don't trust anyone anymore." She does find it in her heart to trust one man with her daughter, however, and it isn't Vito.

Castellani's debut carries echoes of other love and war stories, such as Chocolat, Birdsong, and Corelli's Mandolin. It is a tribute to his Italian-American roots, capturing time, place and circumstance in broad strokes, but also rendering the subtleties of hope and expectation, longing and despair. --Valerie Ryan

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:31:29 -0400)

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▾Library descriptions

One of the few remaining men in the village of Santa Cecilia during the Second World War, Vito Leone falls in love with the daughter of the town's most powerful family despite their disapproval and seeks to prove himself when Germany seizes control.

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