Fante, John

Average customer rating:

The dust doesn't know
Good, but not Fante's Best
and the little dog laughed
A Pleasure to Read.
common man in an un-common surrounding.

Ask the Dust (P.S.)
John Fante
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Journey to the End of the Night (New Directions Paperbook)

ASIN: 0060822554
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Amazon.com

This book is another sterling recommendation from the Saltzman workshop. The under-appreciated Fante's second outing details the adventures of his alterego, Arturo Bandini, as the struggling young writer tackles Los Angeles in the late 1930s. And take it from personal experience, tackling L.A. as a destitute young scribe some decades later isn't much different. In other words: Fante gets it right and sets it down in his Chianti-steak-and-potatoes style, with prose both simple and rich. This Black Sparrow edition has a bonus: Charles Bukowski's great preface on how Fante stacks up against writers that were at once more famous--and far more anemic.

Book Description

Ask the Dust is a virtuoso performance by an influential master of the twentieth-century American novel. It is the story of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in 1930s Los Angeles who falls hard for the elusive, mocking, unstable Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress. Struggling to survive, he perseveres until, at last, his first novel is published. But the bright light of success is extinguished when Camilla has a nervous breakdown and disappears . . . and Bandini forever rejects the writer's life he fought so hard to attain.</p>

Customer Reviews:

The dust doesn't know.......2007-06-20

Beautiful, melodic language and a poignant character drive this novel, and I can see how those who might identify with Bandini and/or like the Hunter-S.-Thompson-style of story telling (seemingly aimless wanderings and interactions) would get something out of it. Not enough happened for me though, and I am not particularly driven to read any of the other Bandini stories.

Good, but not Fante's Best.......2007-06-07

"Ask The Dust" seems to be John Fante's most popular novel, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps its because it's the title mentioned most by Charles Bukowski. It started out strong up until the Earthquake bit, but from there on out it seems as if he was just trying to find ways to finish the book. Still, most of it is excellent writing (The conclusion to chapter 14 highlights what Fante is really capable of... truly profound powerful writing!.) However, both "Wait Until Spring..." and "Dreams from Bunker Hill" supercede "Ask..." by a substantial margin. The best aspect is how Fante, like Bukowski later did, paints a fantastically vivid picture of a bygone era in Los Angeles. Overall worth adding to your collection for any Fante, Bukowski, or Los Angeles history fan, but please read Fante's other books-- they are far superior. I sometimes think that "Ask..." gets most of its praise from Bukowski loyalists. Just remember: Blindly following what Bukowski thinks about something goes against everything he stood for! Happy reading!

and the little dog laughed .......2007-06-03

Ask the Dust didn't revolutionize writing. It didn't create a new genre. There are others like Hamsun, Bukowski and many more that have written in this genre or style, but for me Ask the Dust stands taller than all the rest.

This book is such an emotional roller coaster that from one minute to the next you will alternate being choked up and depressed, to laughing out loud, to reveling in the hero's triumph and then right back to choked up and sad ready to start the ride all over again.

I enjoy this genre immensely, but Fante's Ask the Dust is the only one that I find myself continually pulling out of my book case to peruse the pages for nth time. Just seeing the book conjures up those emotions I remember from my first reading. The only bad part about reading this book was the knowledge that I would never be able to read it again for the first time. That was my only disappointment with this book.

Ask the Dust is just a really good book. I have recommended it to all my friends and loaned it out numerous times (thankfully it has always found its way back to me, so far) and have found that it gets generally very good reviews from those that I know. Now I'm recommending it to you.

A Pleasure to Read........2007-05-14

This book had me laughing outloud so many times, I almost thought it was a comedy. I enjoyed reading it so much that I didn't want it to end.

common man in an un-common surrounding........2007-01-26

if this was 1939--u wold read this like it was a newspapeeer article--but its not--& we dopnt. but yet---i think u can " GET IT " if u get it.Just read it--and then tell me otherwise--i know u will agree!!!!!!!!111111

Average customer rating:

This guy is too much!!
WWBD?
They don't write like this anymore
Misogynist, Racist, and Dated
Well written but too male-oriented

Dreams from Bunker Hill
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0876855281

Customer Reviews:

This guy is too much!!.......2007-06-16

This story is absolutely hilarious. This guy Fante was nuts! I know I am not a shrink, but I think it's safe to say that his elevator didn't quite go up to the top floor. However, I challenge anyone out there to pick up one of his books and see if they can easily put it down. The guy knows how to write. He may be insane, but the man holds your interest and he makes it real hard to stop reading.

"Dreams from Bunker Hill" takes place in Los Angeles in the late 1930's where Fante's favorite protagonist Arturo Bandini is a struggling writer who is given a job as a Hollywood screenwriter. Obviously, the world of Hollywood is no place for our wacky anti-hero. To me, Bandini seems to be a cross between Howard Stern and Jerry Lewis (obviously not the real Jerry, but the comedic characters he played). Arturo never stops with his antics, each antic seemingly eclipsing the one before it with its stupidity and insanity. There are more than a half dozen scenes in the novel which had me actually keeling over with laughter. Of course, not everyone shares my strange sense of humor. If you are the self-effacing, not too serious type, then you will probably love this guy. This is my third book of his, and so far my favorite. I may not like him as much as Bukowski, but I am really enjoy the majority of his writing and will continue to read more of his work. Like Hank, Fante grows on you, like it or not.

Fante definitely isn't going to be everyone's favorite dish. However, love him or hate him there is definitely no denying this guy was a true original. He was Bukowski's hero (he actually referred to him as 'God') and it is overtly clear after reading one page of Fante where Buke drew his inspiration. If you are a true fan of Hank's, then you definitely must read this man. Most of his fans and critics agree that this is one of his better novels. I give it four and a half stars.

WWBD?.......2006-12-14

I have not read this work.

I have, however, read most of Fante's other works. I know Bandini well.

Look at them down there, this "Queequeg" and the little lady, slandering a work of art and conscience. Oh, it's racist! oh, I feel excluded! Tough, little lady. Go back to your happy literature. Or are you not satisfied? will you take from us every last refuge? Oh boo hoo for you, you felt excluded. Good literature is not universal; that is to say, good literature discriminates, chooses. You were chosen against by Arturo Bandini. So solly.

As for "Queequeg"....what can one say. These subhumans have title in the Leftist Inquisition. They're perpetual axe-grinders, defamers, petty resentful polecats....What would Bandini do?

They don't write like this anymore.......2006-04-04

This is the second Fante novel I've read and it was a beauty. I just recenlty discovered Fante, too, and all I can say is I'll be reading more of him.

The novel follows Arturo Bandini, a twenty-something from Colorado who's struggling to make it as a writer in Los Angeles. He meets all kinds of morons in the business, and his talent pretty much goes unrecognized.

Fante's writing is just awesome. It far surpases the trash that's written today. If you're into a good story, one that has depth, action and killer prose, you can't go wrong with Fante. It's too bad they don't write like this anymore.

Also recommended: The Gospel of Arnie

Misogynist, Racist, and Dated.......2006-03-16

Fante seems quaint and offensive by today's standards. Another wholly disappointing offering from a mediocre writer, like a second-rate Steinbeck best left to obscurity.

Well written but too male-oriented.......2005-09-09

It's certainly well written, and it's not that I hated it, but...It's just such a male book that it feels hard to connect to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some crazed feminist. More so, most of the books in my library were written by men. But most of them don't make me feel excluded. I think that a good book is universal. This isn't.

Average customer rating:

Wanted more from this
Man o man.
Sparse, Flat early work of Fante
Don't wait until spring, get it now.
Fante-stic!!!

Wait Until Spring, Bandini
John Fante
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Book Description

Fiction. John Fante recalls his first novel, recently republished by Black Sparrow Press: "Now that I am an old man I cannot look back upon WAIT UNTIL SPRING, BANDINI without losing its trail in the past. Sometimes, lying in bed at night, a phrase or a paragraph or a character from an early work will mesmerize me and in a half dream I will entwine it with phrases and draw from it a kind of melodious memory of an old bedroom in Colorado, or my mother, or my father, or my brothers and sister...of this I am sure: all of the people of my writing life, all of my characters are to be found in this early work. Nothing of myself is there any more, only the memory of old bedrooms, and the sound of my mother's slippers walking to the kitchen" (from the Preface). Other Fante works again available from Black Sparrow Press and SPD are ASK THE DUST and THE ROAD TO LOS ANGELES.

Customer Reviews:

Wanted more from this.......2007-01-23

I think I wanted more from this after reading ASK THE DUST. I didnt get the same feeling of desperation and despair as in the other novel. I was feeling Fante as being a tragic writer and this family story has some moments but I canno say that i recommend this book that much.

Man o man........2006-09-09

It's great that some inane person - let me speculate, a big fan of muffins, spring break, black eyed peas, Oprah Winfrey, and hegemonic feminism has decided to assail John Fante by posting the same negative review for each of his novels.

Its beyond my imagination how such a person picked up a Fante book in the first place, nevertheless they did and all the nuance, reflexivity, and self deprecation of Fante's literature went right over their head. Great you moron.

I'm glad that the media in this country both perpetuates public ire at political correctness in all its amorphous definitions and concomitantly stirs it into public consensus so that we may all feed at the trough of hypocisy, blessing our brethren, shedding crocodile tears over black folk dying in New Orleans whilst reading books about why Arabs really are inferior.

Anyway, Fante a racist? Hardly blooming pertinent when we could all be reading da the-vinci-code.

Sparse, Flat early work of Fante.......2005-07-29

Ask the Dust, a later novel, is a better representation of what Fante does well: 1st person honest narration that vacilllates between indifference and a consuming passion for the world. Not to say Wait 'till Spring is bad, it just never really comes together.

Don't wait until spring, get it now........2004-08-21

If you are into Bukowski, or Chuck Buk, as I like to call him, chances are you'll probably get into Fante very easily. Even if you don't like Bukowski, you should read this. Fante's style is incredibly descriptive yet not real "wordy" like for instance Pynchon, whom I also like, but rarely read. Wait Until Spring, Bandini is a look into the lives of Svevo Bandini, his wife, Maria and their three boys, Arturo, a hot-head in love, also the oldest, August, the "middle child", a devout Catholic aspiring to someday be a priest, and Federico, the token youngest brother. In every aspect this book is damn-near perfect. Emotions run wild, hearts are broken, feelings trampled, yet come the last page, you can't help but feel alive. I don't cry when I read books, and I didn't cry when I read Wait, but the important thing was I was totally comfortable with the fact that I might burst into tears at any moment. The rooster part is a perfect example, something otherwise mundane and almost useless in the long run, had me on the verge of tears. That's coming from someone who's been through war-torn Europe in The Painted Bird, by Kosinski, or as I call it, A Series of Horrifying Events, without batting an eyelash. This book really reminded me that I love the way a tale is told, not what it tells. Do yourself a favor and enjoy Wait Until Spring, Bandini, but don't wait until spring, get it now.

Fante-stic!!!.......2004-05-24

A poignant book, wonderfully written. In my opinion, this was his first and best novel. Even better than "Ask the dust", regarded as his masterpiece... A brilliant beginning for such a writer!

Average customer rating:

Not for everybody. JUST US CRAZY FOLK!
anything less than the highest rating is robbery
Misleading Reviews
Bandini rules
crazily, funnily, desperately wonderful

The Road to Los Angeles
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Not for everybody. JUST US CRAZY FOLK!.......2007-04-10

This is the first novel of Fante's that I have read and I am interested in reading some more of him. There were times I wanted to throw the whole book in the trash, yet I couldn't stop reading it no matter how terribly repugnant the main character Arturo Bandini was. Arturo is your quintessential megalomaniac and sociopath. At about a third of the way through the novel (page 63 to be exact, when our antihero began torturing flies) I was about to throw in the towel and give up completely. However, something kept me reading. As demented as Arturo was, you can't help but read on to see what in the hell he was going to do and say next. After all, just because you can't stand the main character doesn't necessarily mean that the prose isn't profound. On the contrary, I found Fante to be a very interesting, courageous, and an extremely unique writer. Remember folks, this was written before Bukowski (who thought of him as his 'God') and Toole's classic, Pulitzer prize winning "A Confederacy of Dunces". There is no doubt of the impact he had on both authors and God knows how many countless more. Those of you who love Bukowski and/or Toole's classic should really enjoy this novel by John Fante (his first book, by the way).

I think it is safe to say this novel will never make it in Oprah's book club. Most of the masses will probably not enjoy this at all. On top of being an ego-maniac and a sociopath, Arturo is also sexist, racist, violent, sex-starved, mean-spirited, friendless, indolent, obnoxious, arrogant, profane, completely self-absorbed, etc... ad infinitum. He also enjoys reading Hitler and considers himself a Communist. However, all that being said - he is extremely hilarious to say the least! I especially enjoyed his constant battles with his younger (albeit much more mature), religious, reserved sister Mona and his neurotic, over-bearing, ditsy mother. It's so dysfunctional it will either make you depressed or have you rolling on the floor with laughter (or like me, perhaps a little bit of both). Especially when you take into account this was written before WWII. That is what truly amazed me. It's no wonder Bukowski loved him so much!

anything less than the highest rating is robbery.......2006-11-18

This book, this study on the human character is one of the greatest I've ever experienced. To be offended, or misled through this text is ablsolutely ridiculous and unnecessary.

There is brilliance to be found in every word printed throughout this novel.

Go into this novel with an open mind and no expectations. Fante actually takes you into a person's mind as Dostoevsky does in most cases and you get to experience the brilliance of Arturo Bandini.

Misleading Reviews.......2006-08-21

I enjoyed this book in its own right, but my expectations for the book were not met because of the reasons that this book was recommended to me. I was told that this book would be very similar to "A Confederacy of Dunces," which frequently produced laugh-out-loud moments during my reading. I found this book to be much darker, and though the protagonists are probably equally outlandish, Ignatius' behavior often came across as light and humorous to me, whereas Arturo Bandini appeared tortured and to be pitied. Clearly, a book with a tortured protagonist does not limit its quality, but I suppose that the mindset that I had coming into this text [that of a lighter comedy] caused me to have mixed reactions towards it.

Bandini rules.......2005-05-03

This book contains several wonderfully memorable scenes, including the great battle against the crabs, the drowning of Bandini's women, Bandini's attempt to pile more than thirty boxes on a hand cart, and his sister's reaction to his silly novel. In addition, the book perfectly captures male lust and the delusions of grandeur that bites many male teenagers. All and all entertaining read.

crazily, funnily, desperately wonderful.......2005-03-03

it's wonderful little novel. there is a lot of confusion, of pain, of loneliness, but there is a lot of joy and of happiness and of hope. it's the story of a young arturo bandini losing jobs, working in the fish cannery, living with mother and sister, and trying to write a novel. it's a little masterpiece. it's one of those books that grab your attention and strike a chord inside you. it's a five stars to me.

Average customer rating:

Some decent short stories
Let Us Get To Know More Of The Fante
Reading this book is like drinking wine.
The Short Story died when John Fante stopped writing.
An excellent read. Very humorus and entertaining.

The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0876855826

Customer Reviews:

Some decent short stories.......2007-01-11

There are some decent stories here. Almost all of them end abruptly. John writes of the joy and tragedy of life. His bandini series of novels are better. This book is more of an appetizer.

Let Us Get To Know More Of The Fante.......2004-09-08

Crisp. Subversive. Rebellious. Singular in character....There are many terrific stories here. Stories of abuse, childhood revery, the pangs of despised love, an immigrants song, notions of patricide, old Denver, old LA....I enjoyed the youthful attitude Fante gave me of his Catholic schooling. I loved the heart break of 'A Wife for Dino Rossi', 'The Dreamer,' and the final story 'Helen,...' Did I write I liked the heart break? I was moved by it. There are awe-shucks nuns, brutal fathers, multi-cultural football teams, crazy death rites/funerals, in essence a harshness that never seems to disengage it's realtionship with beauty. I look forward to more Fante.

Reading this book is like drinking wine........1999-07-01

The first story goes slow but as you get used to it, you ask for more. Wonderful name for a wonderful book.

The Short Story died when John Fante stopped writing........1998-12-31

The Bell didn't Jar for Fante. He wrote like a man on fire, a fire of his own creation, a fire that lit up the sky and said 'Here I am! Take me or cover your eyes!' His stories are nearly flawless, all are great, and some are beyond great: they are burned into us and they are art. 'A Wife for Dino Rossi' is Everyman's Long Day's Journey. 'Home Sweet Home' and 'Hail Mary' drive the reader forward like a speeding locomotive - on Fire. Thank you, Black Sparrow Press for allowing us to warm our hearts and our minds. Thank you, Mr. Fante for never cooling; your sparks have lit a thousand flames.

An excellent read. Very humorus and entertaining........1998-03-21

The first time I've ever read Fante. I will be reading all his works from now on. He is reader freindly and makes you feel as if you're standing there with him as he tells his stories. If you're Catholic or been raised in that environment, you will cry laughing at some of his stories in this book. A fantastic writer that deserves more credit.

Average customer rating:

First Impressions of Fante and This Book.
Superb Storytelling
A passionate novel
a great book by a highly underated author
Pure father & son love

The Brotherhood of the Grape
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0876857268

Customer Reviews:

First Impressions of Fante and This Book........2007-02-06

Well, so far, this was the first book I have read of John Fante's and I absolutely loved it. I finished it only a week ago and the images still stick with me pretty well. My first thought after finishing the book, was that I liked the fact that he used a simplistic style in his writing. There wasn't anything fancy or over-elaborate about it. It just comes from the gut. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, so I'll avoid any heavy plot details, however the book hit a few emotional nerves in me that related to the story.
The characters are very likeable. The father in the story especially stood out to me. He is a drunkard (who is sometimes unfaithful and abusive to his wife). He's the kind of guy you'd like to punch in the face, and then hug him afterwards. You just can't hate the guy, regardless of how imperfect and angry he is.

A highly recommended read.

Superb Storytelling .......2006-10-25

Fante's book about a Catholic Italian family and their relationships with each other is a beautifully crafted book. It reads like Bukowski only not as funny. There are some funny moments and some poignant ones as well. Fante has a great ear for dialogue and his narrator's role as the dutiful son is very well executed. I could picture these people as people I have known. The relationships between the father and his children and his wife are very complex, and each one is explored throughout the course of the novel. The bonding of the narrator with his father is a very original "coming of age" story, because the narrator is in his fifties. This is a highly recommended book.

I came across the hardcover first edition of this book at the library, which said that the writer of Chinatown had written the screenplay version for Francis Ford Coppola which was supposed to be his followup to The Godfather. Evidentally the movie was never made, but it does turn out that the same screenwriter has adapted Fante's other book, Dago Red, and is currently directing the film. That will be one to look out for.

A passionate novel.......2005-08-24

The brotherhood of the grape consists of a group of men gathering at the Angelo Masso winery in San Elmo. There is Angelo himself, Cavallero, Zarlingo, Benedetti, Antrilli, Mascarini and Nicholas. During their meetings, they gamble, brawl and of course drink heavily. Nicholas Molise and his wife Maria brought up four children now in their fifties, Mario, Virgil, Stella and Henry, the latter being the narrator in Mr Fante's both tragic and funny tale. Nicholas is now 76 and he used to work as a contractor and he built many imposing buildings in San Elmo. A passionate man of Italian origin, the head of the family is described by Henry as "a judge, jury and executioner, Jehovah himself". He scorns his sons because, to his bitter disappointment, none of them became a stonemason. And now Nick pesters Henry to join him in an absurd project of building of a smokehouse up in the Sierra mountains...
It is both the funny and sad tale of a son watching his father age, wait, mark time and become increasingly lonelier. But there is anger too in Henry's memories when he remembers his father's ignorance, he who kept books out of Henry's range, despised them, ignored them. His ranting, threats, greed, bullying and gambling are hard to forget. Henry can't but despise his father's old bones and skin, his wine-soaked oldness, his sinful and sodden friends. He can barely contain his anger at being trapped on an absurd safari into the mountains because of his father's vanity, to prove himself he is still "a hotshot stonemason". Yet Henry is finally the only son who stands by his father's side as his final moment approaches...
The novel is brimming with love, violence, death, religion and also plenty of humour because the author's prose is honest, evocative and intimate.

a great book by a highly underated author.......2004-04-15

Fantes characters are rarely heroic. They are flawed and often slightly ridiculous, but he writes in such a way that one cant help warming to them no matter what. In fantes world man is confused and irrational, struggling with catholic guilt and trying to make sense of an absurd world. Life is a tragic comedy in which the last laugh is very definitely on you. Although at times hilarious, at its core there is a lot of sadness, but what comes across most strongly is a warmth and compassion for his characters despite and maybee even because of their faults. His style overflows with energy and passion. There is a tremedous appetite for life. The book catches you up in its plot from page one and sweeps you along. This is an extremely enjoyable book, a strange and beautifully told story, profoundly moving and funny.

Pure father & son love.......2003-09-14

This is a beautiful book. Like some other readers, I got turned on to John Fante through mentions in Bukowski. Fante is from a different world, a different era, a different culture. He's tough, tender, fragile, romantic, and he writes some beautiful stories. There are some duds - naive and pathetic - but he knew that and didn't try to hide the fact that those facets were parts of him too. Brotherhood of the grape is a beauty. Artwork, at least the copy I have, is by Black Sparrow Press, and sends shivers down my spine every time I get it off the bookshelf. Just hold it and admire. You can read in in an afternoon, and it contains some astonishingly simple and beautiful lines. But beautiful. Why do it all fancy when you can just tell it how it is? Father and son, and all that this entails. This book is love, and it makes me tingle and brings tears of joy every time I so much as touch it. I first read it about 7 years ago and its effect has not diminished yet. I find it impossible that anyone could regret buying this book. It is, quite simply, beautiful.

Average customer rating:

A terrific novella
the best
Excellent novel of the Italian-American experience
"1933. . ." was a good book
Fante rules, but not his best

1933 Was a Bad Year
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Road to Los Angeles
The Brotherhood of the Grape
Full of Life
Wait Until Spring, Bandini
Dreams from Bunker Hill

ASIN: 0876856555

Customer Reviews:

A terrific novella.......2005-12-30

This is the best short novel I have ever read. The story is about a seventeen year old during a few days in 1933 who dreams of being a professional baseball player. While this might not be a complicated or great storyline, the way Fante writes and describes scenes is just terrific. A perfect example of this is when Dominic is with his friend's sister and expresses his love for her. The idea for a scene where he ends up attacking her and being asked to leave isn't that original, but the way Dominic's fantasies and actions are described is an example of brilliant writing. I would highly reccomend it to anyone who would like to start reading John Fante's works.

the best.......2004-07-26

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's even better, and understandable, that Fante never published the book himself... but it is a treasure and I am eternally grateful to his widow for finding it (and "Road to Los Angeles" and having it published.

Excellent novel of the Italian-American experience.......2002-04-15

"1933 Was a Bad Year" is a posthumously published novel by John Fante, who died in 1983. "1933" tells the story of Dominic Molise, a 17-year old Italian-American living in Colorado. While his father, an out-of-work bricklayer, seeks to alleviate the family's poverty by earning money at the pool tables, Dominic dreams of becoming a successful baseball player.

"1933" is a superb slice of American life; both funny and sad, the book is full of vivid characters and memorable scenes. Probably may favorite character is Dominic's wrathful, acid-tongued grandmother, an Italian immigrant with a dislike for the United States.

"1933" offers a pungent taste of the Italian-American experience, and explores such issues as the gulf between immigrant parents and their American-born children. Baseball is a potent motif in the book, and I liked the way the left arm of pitcher Dominic is treated as a "character" with its own motivation. This is one of those novels that I wished would go on when I finished the last sentence; I will definitely be reading more of Fante's work.

"1933. . ." was a good book.......2001-02-19

I first picked up a Fante book because someone told me that Bukowski was a huge fan. "Ask the Dust" - that first book - introduced me to John Fante's alter ego, Arturo Bandini. It started to make sense to me, why Bukowski liked him. For Arturo Bandini read Henry Chinaski. I read around and learned one or two more things about Fante. Like how he was mainly a scriptwriter in Hollywood because his books didn't really sell. Like how he wrote four Bandini books. "Wait Until Spring, Bandini" and "The Road to Los Angeles" preceded "Ask the Dust". "Dreams from Bunker Hill" came last, written in 1978 after Fante had gone blind. He dictated the book to his wife, Joyce.

I read "Wait Until Spring, Bandini" after "Ask the Dust" and didn't like it quite as much. "Wait Until Spring, Bandini" is a mean book. Not that meanness per se is a bad thing. Just that the meanness in "Wait . . ." seemed real. The authenticity of the feeling sapped me somewhat. I felt winded by the relentless pain. "Wait . . ." is "Ham on Rye" without the ham or the rye. I didn't seek out anything else. I mean, I toyed with reading other Fante books but somehow, I don't know, something always came up. It wasn't that I didn't care. It's just . . . I'm making excuses, I know. Not being honest, somehow. I just felt we weren't suited, John Fante and I.

Time went by. I got over it. Didn't think of him as often as I had. Opened myself up to new experiences. Got back out there. Said here I am.

At which point, "1933 was a bad year" came my way. I thought that - with the distance involved (between 1933 and now) - it couldn't hurt just to look inside. I approached it the way you'd approach a box somebody told you had a snake inside. You know? You kind of lift the lid, peer into the shadows, tense yourself ready to slam the lid down at the first sign of a hiss or a rattle. Instead I got this:

"Wading home that night through flames of snow, my toes burning, my ears on fire, the snow swirling around me like a flock of angry nuns, I stopped dead in my tracks."

I stopped dead in my tracks too. Alright, I thought. All-right! The next 127 pages flew by in just over an hour and a half. It's the story of Dominic Molise - Bandini without the hard rock where his heart should be. It treads similar ground to "Wait . . . " (the wayward father, the flakey religious mother, the sweetheart who doesn't care, the poverty) but - for whatever reason - this just rang my bell far more than that.

Which is probably wrong. I know I've got things the wrong way up, that I should like the Bandini books more but - what are you gonna do?

Fante rules, but not his best.......2000-12-25

Where would I be without the twin barrels of the shotgun of literature for this century, John Fante and Charles Bukowski? In need of good literature, thats where! So let me say that any of Fante's work is worth a read. Yet this book is certainly not his best. Of course any fan of Fante can see that he has two main kinds of stories: childhood stories and struggling writer stories. His childhood stories are usually about his Catholic, Italian-American upbringing, and they are good if that is what you like. That is what this book is. I don't prefer this stuff. I vastly prefer, no, worship, his writer stories which are about a bright young artist living in a thoughtless and bizarre world. This stuff is straight from Knut Hamsen's work (especially Hunger, which inspired Fante and Buk to no end) and includes Dreams of Bunker Hill, Ask the Dust, and to a lesser degree The Road to Los Angeles. While 1933 shines, these other works are the sun.

Average customer rating:

The Bandini Quartet
John Fante
Manufacturer: Canongate Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Wine of Youth: Selected Stories
1933 Was a Bad Year
The Brotherhood of the Grape
Ask the Dust (P.S.)
Full of Life

ASIN: 1841954977

Average customer rating:

A GREAT "FEEL GOOD" BOOK
Overrated and Dated
How could there be so much beauty in the world?
Good Book if You Are A Fan of Fante
"Full of Life": full of good writing

Full of Life
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

1933 Was a Bad Year
The Road to Los Angeles
Wait Until Spring, Bandini
The Brotherhood of the Grape
West of Rome: Two Novellas

ASIN: 0876857187

Customer Reviews:

A GREAT "FEEL GOOD" BOOK.......2007-04-07

PROBABLY ONE OF THE MORE ENJOYABLE BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. THE MOVIE VERSION WITH JUDY HOLIDAY AND RICHARD CONTE WAS ALSO MEMORABLE. I WISH IT WAS ON DVD.

Overrated and Dated.......2006-03-16

Fante seems quaint and offensive by today's standards. Another wholly disappointing offering from a mediocre writer, like a second-rate Steinbeck best left to obscurity.

How could there be so much beauty in the world?.......2005-02-25

This is a beautiful book, in the fullest sense of the term. Practically autobiographical, Full of Life tells the tale of Fante and his pregnant wife, Joyce, as well as his father and mother. It is beyond anything, a message of beauty, joy, wonder, astonishment, blissfulness, impending fatherhood, family and love.

Written in a most direct and simple style, Fante expresses very succinctly the emotions of a soon-to-be father, and the rises and falls of being married to a woman who is pregnant for the first time. His trepidation, her alterations at the hands of hormonal shifts and their fluctuating connections to each other, make for a sweetness, pervasive throughout the book, that inspires the deepest of respect for marriage, coupling and home.

When a surprising home accident occurs, Fante decides to venture to his parents home in the Sacramento Valley, from Los Angeles where he and Joyce live in their newly purchased house. His father and mother, the very image of emotional, visceral, animated Italian immigrants, welcome and cajole him, as his appearance is unanticipated. Papa Fante was for many years a bricklayer, and John hopes to engage him in help for his own home, unsure of the high costs hiring out will bring. After some dramas, Papa and son return to L.A., where the coming child brings together Joyce and her father-in-law, leaving John to struggle with issues of marriage, son-hood, fatherhood, and Joyce's new found religion, as if alone.

In the end, Full of Life is an interesting, beautifully written, funny, sweet story of family, in the best sense. The emotions of everyone involved, the observances of scathing insecurity which Fante makes of himself and those around him, the sense of warmth and hope, make this a superb experience. Another terrific time with the Great John Fante.

Good Book if You Are A Fan of Fante.......2003-12-23

I think this is a great book if you are a fan of Fante. If you have never read Fante before, you should start out with his best like "Wait Until Spring, Bandini" or "1933 Was A Bad Year." Full of Life is tamer than most Fante novels. It revolved around the main character, his pregnant wife Joyce and Nick Fante. I found it to be a pretty moving book, especially near the end. Overall, I would say I enjoyed it yet, I found it to be somewhat different from the other Fante novels I had read.

"Full of Life": full of good writing.......2002-04-17

"Full of Life," the novel by John Fante, is told in the first person by a character named, curiously enough, John Fante. This is one of many details in which the character's life mirrors that of the author. But whatever the degree to which "Life" is autobiographical, this is a very engaging, well-written novel.

The narrator of "Life" is an Italian-American writer living in Los Angeles with his pregnant wife, Joyce. As the novel follows the course of Joyce's pregnancy, John deals with Joyce's shifting emotional moods, her growing interest in Roman Catholicism (from which John himself has fallen away), and termite infestation in the house. All of this is further complicated by John's problematic relationship with his father Nick, a retired bricklayer who isn't shy about sharing his own strong opinions about family life.

This book is truly full of life: it is a richly realized blend of comedy and drama, and is peopled by a vividly realized group of characters. I especially loved old Nick Fante: stubborn but loving, devoted to his family and to his craft, and a rich source of Abruzzian folk beliefs.

"Life" is also noteworthy as a novel which really takes religion seriously, acknowledging both the emotional power and problematic nature of Roman Catholicism for many Italian-Americans. "Full of Life" is ultimately a very moving story of family ties, and a noteworthy contribution to the multi-ethnic literary heritage of the United States.

Ask the Dust
Average customer rating:
Ask the Dust
John Fante
Manufacturer: Black sparrow press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000LZDUTC

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