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In this richly evocative novel--the moving story of one boy's coming of age--acclaimed author Roland Merullo will make you nostalgic for a small Massachusetts city called Revere even if you've never been there. Providing a window into an unspoiled America of forty years ago, In Revere welcomes you to the fiercely loyal and devoted Italian-American family of the Benedettos. Although he was orphaned as a child, young Anthony Benedetto was always surrounded by family, and the vibrant warmth of show more the Revere community. His Uncle Peter, a former Golden Gloves boxer whose days of glory were behind him, believed Tonio was bound for great things. So did his daughter Rosie, Tonio's favorite cousin, who would take many wrong turns--away from Tonio--through adolescence. His gentle grandparents, who took him in, encouraged him to claim a future outside of Revere, but the warm, unconditional love of his family, and the smells and sounds of Revere stay with him forever. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Anthony Benedetto is a sweet kid (almost too sweet) growing up in Revere, Massachusetts. His is a world where his extended Italian-American family is everything. When Benedetto loses both his parents in a plane crash his grandparents are quick to take him in. Recognizing Anthony's sweet nature his grandfather teaches him to play hockey to avoid street fights Anthony would inevitably lose. This love of hockey is the foundation for Anthony's young life and carries him through high school and college.
Anthony is also surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins; an army of people who support him in every possibly way. These characters are not without their flaws and Anthony must navigate his confusion surrounding their actions. An uncle who show more gambles too much. An aunt who commits infidelity. A cousin who insists on dating the wrong boys. He loves them all, but does not completely understand their self destructive ways.
Merullo's imagery is everything. An example: most people would take the easy route and describe a waning relationship as people "drifting apart." Merullo says "melt" instead. In Revere, In Those Days is beautiful and I cannot wait to read his other works. show less
Anthony is also surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins; an army of people who support him in every possibly way. These characters are not without their flaws and Anthony must navigate his confusion surrounding their actions. An uncle who show more gambles too much. An aunt who commits infidelity. A cousin who insists on dating the wrong boys. He loves them all, but does not completely understand their self destructive ways.
Merullo's imagery is everything. An example: most people would take the easy route and describe a waning relationship as people "drifting apart." Merullo says "melt" instead. In Revere, In Those Days is beautiful and I cannot wait to read his other works. show less
This book is a beautifully written, coming-of-age novel, and it gives an absolutely true vision of the extended family. My experience as a kid came flooding back as I read about the party at Anthony's grandparents' house.
I thought the affair with the older woman was hackneyed, though. It smacked of "The Graduate"!
I thought the affair with the older woman was hackneyed, though. It smacked of "The Graduate"!
Fabulous.
A rich, wonderful book! Rebecca Neas says it all in her review except, of course, for the book itself.
Rebecca Neas recommended this book, and I enjoyed it.
From Amazon.com
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Best novel I have read in years, December 30, 2003
By A Customer
"In Revere, In Those Days" is the best novel I have read in years...sensitive, dreamy, with all the love and rough edges of growing up, and all the hopes and sorrows of adulthood. Merullo just draws you in to the Benedetto family and Revere. The story is told through Anthony's eyes and the family emerges and developes as Anthony matures and understands his clan with more clarity. Despite the troubles that surround his Uncle Peter and his cousin Rosalie the love and care that root the Benedettos are evident. It's a tale of another time, another place, that show more any baby-boomer will recognize. show less
From Amazon.com
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Best novel I have read in years, December 30, 2003
By A Customer
"In Revere, In Those Days" is the best novel I have read in years...sensitive, dreamy, with all the love and rough edges of growing up, and all the hopes and sorrows of adulthood. Merullo just draws you in to the Benedetto family and Revere. The story is told through Anthony's eyes and the family emerges and developes as Anthony matures and understands his clan with more clarity. Despite the troubles that surround his Uncle Peter and his cousin Rosalie the love and care that root the Benedettos are evident. It's a tale of another time, another place, that show more any baby-boomer will recognize. show less
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Author Information
32 Works 2,830 Members
Roland Merullo is the author of Revere Beach Boulevard, A Russian Requiem, and Leaving Losapas. He lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and daughters
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2002-09
- Epigraph
- Tell me, which is the way I take; Out of what door do I go. Where and to whom?
- Theodore Roethke from The Lost Son - First words
- My name is Anthony Benedetto, and I live what might be called a secret life.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I hugged Uncle Peter when he finished, of course, and thanked him, and thanked my grandmother, but it took me years and years of not-thinking, two decades of living with a good woman, and your presence in my life, to relly understand the value of what was being passed on to me that night.
- Blurbers
- Russo, Richard; Stone, Robert
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 105
- Popularity
- 309,200
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.10)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 2
