Catherine Banner

This wasn't a fast moving book but it was a beautifully written piece of literature. This wasn't an earthshaking story but a story that pulls you in and envelops you. The author has picked the perfect location in Castellamare to bring this novel to life. It is a place and a time where the inhabitants look askance at newcomers. It is a place that honors tradition regardless of the inequities of social status. The characters are so well defined that you would recognize their traits in those show more you love and respect and those you dislike and fear. There are many subtexts which I found to be perfectly interwoven into this multi generational story.

I found myself slowing my normal reading pace in order to savor each chapter. I closed the book after each section so I had time to totally absorb the writing. Treat yourself to a perfectly paced, rich and rewarding book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy. show less

All through the first half of the book, I was thinking this probably deserved three stars. But by the end, it was clearly four. So if you feel tempted to give up mid-way, don't.

At the heart of the book is a family-run cafe on a small, remote island called Castellamare, near Sicily. The book traces the history of this family through four generations, beginning with the family patriarch, Amedeo. A physician by training, he come to the island to be the only local doctor but, because of a few show more bad decisions coupled with much local prejudice, he winds up taking over the cafe. He falls in love with both the island and a local woman and his family takes root.

As much as this is a story of Amedeo's and his descendants, it's also a story of the small island, which operates like any small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business. There is a lot of gossiping and people are quick to make and hold onto judgements about others. And everywhere, there are secrets. There is also deep love and commitment.

At the start of the novel, the island remains isolated, removed from the most of the trappings and advances of western civilization. Then, slowly, as years pass, more and more of the outside world begins to intrude on what was a simple, farming-based way of life, under the thumb of a wealthy but cruel count. As outside influences come into play, the residents of Castellamare begin to change, and they demand more. There are growing rivalries, new business competition, and a growing desire, especially among the young, to sample the world beyond the island.

The cast of characters is varied. From the wealthy count and his largely ignored wife, to a World War II prisoner-turned poet, to a wounded English soldier. Catherine Banner does an exceptional job of exploring the nature of all sorts of relationships -- among siblings, between former and current lovers, and even how unrelated people can sometimes form powerful bounds even stronger than those of family.

It's quite a lovely portrait of what is lost and what is gained when the modern world encroaches on a remote and isolated group of tightly-connected people. show less

I find this book hard to explain. If little action and a languid pace are not your cup of tea it's not for you, but you'll pass up dreamy writing and memorable characters. The feeling reminds me of [Beautiful Ruins] though I liked this more.

Amedeo Esposito, a young doctor needing a job in the early 20th century, leaves his home in northern Italy for a remote island off the coast of Sicily. So begins a saga that will cover almost 100 years because although Amedeo will live a long life, he show more will never leave Castellamare. He is so taken by the people and their history he begins to carry a red journal with him to record the stories he's told, so not only does he become the island's doctor, he also becomes its storyteller.

After a few years Amedeo marries the island's feisty teacher, Pina. They will encounter all the difficulties of life during that time. Recession, the threat of fascism, the loss of children, but they also experience the deep bonds of family and life long friendships. The later part of their lives will be spent at The House at the Edge of Night. Amedeo was enchanted by the bougainvillea covered home that also served as a café, bar and island gathering place when he first arrived. So when he retires after decades of being the island's doctor and secret keeper, he and Pina restore the abandoned building and The House at the Edge of Night welcomes the islanders once again. show less

“Eragon” kohtub “Vendade Lõvisüdametega”
Tegemist on järjekordse lapsautori üllitatud teosega, mis tekitas lugemisel äärmiselt vastuolulisi tundeid. “Kuninga silmad” tegevus toimub riigis nimega Maloonia, mis asub kusagil meie paralleelilmas, ja on seotud Inglismaaga. Maloonia on sünge varauusaegne paik, kus hiljuti on kukutatud kuningas, prints pagendatud ning käib sõda. Raamatu peategelane, 15-aastane Leo ja tema väike vend, kelle eest hoolitseb vanaema, käivad show more mõlemad sõjakoolis. Lugu läheb käima kui Leo leiab tänavalt salapärase tühja raamatu, kuhu hakkab jupikaupa ilmuma lugu nende maa ja tema perekonna omavahel kokku põimunud ajaloost.
Lugu on kirjutud kogunisti kolmekihilisena, mis on keerukas ettevõtmine isegi kogenud autori jaoks. ja käib Catherine Bannerile ilmselgelt üle jõu. Süžeeliinid on segased, venivaks ja raskesti jälgitavad, eriti alguses. Alates raamatu teisest poolest muutub lugu veidi tempokamaks. Probleemiks läbi raamatu jäävad siiski ka tegelased, kes on pinnapealsed, isikupäratud ja räägivad kõik täpselt ühtemoodi. Veidi rohkem on välja arendatud peategelane, kelle mõttekäigud on kohati täiesti nauditavad.
Väga huvitav on raamatu maagiakäsitlus – Maloonias on maagia olemas, kuid see on mitte eriline anne, vaid pigem tahtejõupingutus, mida mõned suudavad paremini kui teised ja mida on püsivalt tööd vaeva nähes võimalik endas arendada – nagu iga teist oskust. Siiski ei ole maagial raamatus väga suurt rolli.
Sisuliselt ilmselt rohkem nooremale lugejale (8-13) sobiv raamat suudab endas siiski väga hästi ühendada huvitava seiklusloo ning keerulised igapäevaprobleemid, millega peategelane Leo kokku puutub – vägivald koolis, venna surm, elu sõjaolukorras, nälg, kohustuste üleküllus ja piiratud vabadused. Võrdluse “Lõvisüdamete” raamatuga tõin just sellepärast, et autor on oma nooruse kohta erakordselt hästi suutnud edasi anda Leo leina, kui sureb ta vend – sündmus, mis heidab loo niigi süngele õhustikule veel täiendavalt masendava varjundi –, ning tema hakkamasaamist hulluse piiril kõikuva vanaema, teismelisest emast kena naabritüdruku ja kooliprobleemidega. show less