Ricci, Nino

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Judas in a new light
An extremely demeaning, dismissive view of Jesus
Four Testaments
New slant on a very old story
So good I didn't want it to end

Testament: A Novel
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Book of Saints

ASIN: 0618446672

Book Description

A stunning fictional biography, Testament presents the earthly life of Jesus from the perspectives of four fascinating figures. In powerful accounts colored by their own beliefs and desires, the following men and women tell the captivating story:<BR><BR>Yihuda of Qiryat (Judas Iscariot), a freedom fighter working for Rome's overthrow who is drawn to the charismatic teacher; Miryam of Migdal (Mary Magdalene), a disciple who finds in Jesus' presence the intellectual stimulation that society has denied her; Miryam (Mary), the mother of Jesus, who has a complex relationship with her precocious son; Simon of Gergesa, a plainspoken shepherd who travels to Jerusalem and witnesses the last days of the Jewish preacher.<BR><BR>With exquisite detail, Nino Ricci offers a vivid and provocative portrait of the historical Jesus, an ordinary man living in a time of political turmoil and spiritual uncertainty.

Customer Reviews:

Judas in a new light.......2006-04-14

I read Testament a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. Now, with renewed interest in the Gospels of Judas, I was reminded of Ricci's historical fiction. I especially liked the different points of view for the story of Jesus. No doubt some devout readers will see this book as blasphemy and view it on that basis. (Even my sister, who is only an occassional Catholic, at first couldn't get past the idea of the rape of Mary by a Roman soldier- although eventually she did read the whole thing.) Overall it is Ricci's talent as a writer that brings this story of the Holy Land 2,000 years ago to life. In my view, the major idea that Jesus was a charasmatic yet troubled person does not diminish the impact of his good ideas. How can you go wrong with: love each other, help those who need help, be generous and don't be afraid? What's not to like?

An extremely demeaning, dismissive view of Jesus.......2005-07-24

Nino Ricci is a skilled writer, and his description of scenery and of some of the characters is excellent. However, sooner or later, each of the narrators begins to talk like a Greek philosopher -- even the non-Jewish peasant. At times, Ricci thinks he is Charles Dickens. His description of the 10 year old Jesus running around the streets of Alexandria with his "gang" makes him sound like the Artful Dodger. I laughed out loud. All in all, Jesus doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would inspire his followers to invent a new religion, or at least a cult. He is, more or less, a nobody, who has no real mission, no plan and little purpose. I have read many versions of the life of Jesus, fictional and non-fictional, and in none of them does he seem so insignificant. Any stature that Jesus has must come from one's own knowledge of the gospels and history of the times. Without such knowledge, this Jesus is something of a bore.

Four Testaments.......2005-01-13

It is well known to most of the readers of the New Testament that each of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John had different views of Jesus. Nino Ricci has chosen four other narrators, people who interacted with Jesus to tell their stories. In his stunning historical novel, he has Judas, Mary Magdalene, Mary, Jesus mother and Simon, a follower tell us how they saw and experienced Jesus. This work of imagination puts the reader in the time and place of Jesus in Galilee, Alexandria,Nazareth, Jerusalem with story lines for each that are plausible and compelling. The prose is simple because the people speak simply of their deep feelings and their relationships with Yeshua. I was fascinated by the alternate narrative, the interweaving of the events we take for granted, and the clear fact that no one person understood the whole of Jesus' mission. I finished the book only to reread it. The second reading was even more enjoyable. This is a masterful work and well worth every minute spent with it.

New slant on a very old story.......2004-12-22

It is certain that devout Christians will not be happy with this portrayal of the life of Jesus. Jesus is not a god, Mary is not a virgin and there is no resurrection in this story which is told in four books narrated by Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene, Simon of Gergesa and Mary the mother of Jesus.

I enjoyed the book as a stunning piece of historical fiction - through the character of Judas we get a view of life under the Roman occupation along with the usual toadies ready to sell out their own people. Vivid descriptions of the lakes, the fishermen and wharf areas make the countryside come to life, and most unforgettable is the magnificent temple of the Jews with the smells of blood and smoke from the animal sacrifices and tables of money changers. While I was reading "Testament" it was easy to slide into the past and imagine life in ancient times.

That anyone would be able to take the story of Jesus and put such an new slant on it is a testament to the writing skills and imagination of Nino Ricci, and to be able to make the story suspenseful is very impressive. By the same author I have also The Book of the Saints with its poetic and beautiful style of writing, then "In a Glass House" so emotional penetrating it was almost too painful to read - Mr. Ricci is one of those writers that always surprises, continuing to get better and better.

So good I didn't want it to end.......2004-01-08

I was fascinated by the book. Each of the four characters was such an individual with a different relationship to Jesus. Jesus was seen as messianic, petulant, noncommunicative, loving, distant....all these things. The core of his true teachings came through too, such as the idea that heaven is right here in front of us but we do not open our eyes to see it. I am not a Christian and I agree with other reviewers here that some Christians may find this a difficult read, but if they are open-minded, they should find it a valuable addition to the stories of Jesus. Most of all, to me, I was so sorry when it ended. 450 pages, and then I said, "is that all?" I wanted even more! I did not, as one reviewer did, find the writing simplistic, I found it echoed the voices of the people of the time...there was almost a sense of it being translated from their own language - Aramaic or Greek. The historical aspect was excellent as well. Overall a very interesting novel.

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The best book I've read in years!!!

Lives Of The Saints
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: Cormorant Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1896951058

Customer Reviews:

The best book I've read in years!!!.......1997-05-02

A book about family, passion, life, and death. About a woman who has no one left who loves her, except for her 10 year old son and the child she carries in her belly. All are agianst her and although she is about to breakdown, she stands tall and does what she believes is right for her to do. She portrays strenth, power, and braveness all in one. She is someone we would all like to be. A book that shows the cruelness of society and the cold-heartedness of family.

Not Paved with Gold: Italian-Canadian Immigrants in the 1970s

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Not Paved with Gold: Italian-Canadian Immigrants in the 1970s
Nino (FWD) Ricci
Manufacturer: Between the Lines Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Emigration & Immigration | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1897071086

Book Description

This collection of stunning photographs and inspired commentary documents the lives of Italian immigrants to Toronto. Award-winning photographer and cultural historian Vincenzo Pietropaolo has spent much of his life taking pictures inside the tightly knit Italian-Canadian community. While the images in this book are part of the fabric of life in Toronto, they transcend the specificity of place to evoke the lives of immigrants in cities around the world. With a foreword by novelist Nino Ricci, and context provided by the photographer, Not Paved with Gold pays tribute to the broad spectrum of the immigrant experience.

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Lives Of The Saints
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: Cormorant Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Where She Has Gone: A Novel

ASIN: 1896951430

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Ricci produces nothing but MASTERPIECES
Left me thinking about family ties.
Excellent coming of age novel.

In a Glass House
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Where She Has Gone: A Novel
The Book of Saints
Lives Of The Saints
Testament: A Novel

ASIN: 0312186916

Book Description

This is the second novel in Nino Ricci's Vittorio Innocente trilogy, following the award-winning The Book of Saints. As the young Italian boy Vittorio Innocente arrives in the New World, leaving the arms of his dying mother for the troubled haven of his father, he and his half-sister Rita must make their way in a farming community whose ways are both magical and forbidding.

Customer Reviews:

Ricci produces nothing but MASTERPIECES.......1999-09-05

Unlike Lives of the Saints and Where She Has Gone, a longer period of Vittorio's life is portrayed in this book. He's 7 in the begginning and in his mid-twenties in the end. I can't think of another book that exposes the importance of family ties as much as this one. Everyone must read it! It's a masterpiece! There may be better trilogies than that of Ricci's, but I'm afraid I haven't read them.

Left me thinking about family ties........1999-08-09

More than with "The Book of Saints," this book has gotten me thinking about the ties of family and their importance. Perhaps because I found it to be a sadder book, I didn't enjoy reading it as much as "Saints," but feel it will stay with me longer.

Excellent coming of age novel........1998-08-05

Ricci continues to draw us into the life of young Vittorio Innocente through his colorful descriptions. The novel is not as riveting as The Lives of The Saints, but Ricci does paint an excellent picture of the italian immigrant mentality. An excellent novel, it touches on the importance of family as well as the pains and pleasures of adolescence and self-discovery.

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SAMPLING THE THOUGHTS OF MOLISE (ITALY) TO CANADA IMMIGRANTS
insightful.....................
Melancholy beauty
Good Fiction
Wow!

Where She Has Gone: A Novel
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Family Saga | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

The Book of Saints
Lives Of The Saints
Testament: A Novel

ASIN: 031220681X

Book Description

In the final installment of Nino Ricci's acclaimed Vittorio Innocente trilogy, we find Ricci's hero Vittorio strangely drawn to his half-sister Rita. After a disturbing moment between them, he realizes that what he's been searching for is not just his sister—it's their shared history and secret burdens. At once a resolution of previous tensions and a luminous portrayal of discovery and absolution, Where She Has Gone completes a haunting trilogy of the immigrant experience.

Customer Reviews:

SAMPLING THE THOUGHTS OF MOLISE (ITALY) TO CANADA IMMIGRANTS.......2004-04-17

Overall, it is possible to categorize Ricci's novel as an account of a young Italian-Canadian undergoing a severe identity crisis. The main protagonist of Ricci's novel, Victor, has returned to Toronto from a tour of duty as a teacher in a country in Africa, and is quite unsure of how to structure his future..
Ricci deftly introduces Victor and two other main characters in the novel: his half sister, Rita, and a young woman, Elena, with whom Rita has shared a major portion of her life.
Rita was born to Victor's mother, who had become pregnant while her husband, Victor's father, had been in Canada working to accumulate the funds that would allow him to bring his wife to Canada. Their mother had delivered Rita while on the ship, in passage to Canada. Following the delivery, their mother died as a result of complications of the birth.
An early paragraph gathers together many of the strands that provide the thrust of the narrative:
"There was also the codicil to his [their father, who had committed suicide] will that I hadn't told her about, his wish that I use my inheritance to help provide for her if she should need me to. He had neither fathered Rita nor been a father to her, had never really forgiven her for the betrayal she was the product of; but he'd carried the guilt of her to the grave. I ought to have brought the matter up now and made an end of it" (p. 4).
Though their father could not completely abrogate responsibility for the daughter of his wife, his treatment of the girl led to the intercession of a social service agency that placed Rita into the home of a family that also had adopted Elena. Their father's guilt apparently led to his having laid a heavy charge on Victor. His father had,. essentially, asked Victor to act as a channel through which some fatherly obligations to Rita might be honored. Victor's breech of the charge, then, added a deep dimension to Victor's efforts to develop a mature self identity.
Eventually, Victor's efforts to develop a mature and satisfying identity led him to return to Italy, after an interval of twenty years since he had departed, with his then-pregnant mother, from the small town in Molise. He seems to have been driven by a vague desire to reveal the identity of the person with whom his mother had violated the traditional role of Southern Italian wife by having engaged in the ill-fated tryst.
The venture proved unsatisfactory. Among other revelations, Victor determined that he could not build an identity on the base of his family's history of connections to the people of the small town where he had spent his first years with his mother. Indeed, reactions to his mother's long ago failure to meet traditional expectations still played a part in his relationships with remnants of his family.
At the end of the novel, Victor's efforts to put an end to the turmoil of his search for an identity allow him to reach a half reasonable resolution, despite his having failed to develop a clear version of a satisfying life narrative.
The core of the novel, of course, centers on a set of constructions that were crucial to the lives of many of the participants in l'avventura. The husband of a family travels to the place, in Canada, to which the family is to emigrate, leaving behind a wife and, in many cases, children. If the marriage bond does not forestall extra-marital intimacy, how is the breech to be construed and repaired by the principals? The seriousness with which the principals must approach the Southern Italian views of the meaning of marriage permeates all of Ricci's novel. Victor, struggling with his own breech of trust, relative to his half sister, travels to Italy, haphazardly pursuing the possibility that if he understands his mother's breech, he will somehow find surcease from his own guilt.
However one might react to Ricci's entire work, he/she must appreciate the skill with which Ricci interjects descriptions of the ways that his Italian-Canadians (and the people in Molise) use their personal constructions to react to objects and events in their daily round of activities.
As one reads this text he/she regularly comes across neat analyses of the perceptions of his cast of characters, such as that given in the following passage:
"On our final approach [to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport], the plan swung around to follow the shoreline. The beach there was doted with bits of colour, red, and yellow and blue, from hundreds of beach umbrellas lined up in orderly rows in the still of early morning like mock soldiers awaiting some humorous war with the sea. The umbrellas made it seem like we were arriving in a permanent holiday country, a place that had never known hardship or work, as if those of us who had fled there years before had been fooled somehow, had been packed off on our grim ocean voyages while behind us the bands played and the streamers waved in the wind." (pp. 165-166).
To fulfill a reader's expectations to be entertained, Ricci uses variations of the mystery writer's "hook." Will Victor discover the identity of the biological father of his half-sister, Rita? Will that discovery help him to understand his mother's breech of Southern Italian conventions regarding marriage bonds? Will Victor discover a positive value in his relationship to the attractive young woman who occupies one of the houses that neighbors on to the property that his grandfather had willed to him?
If a reader intends to use a literary work as a vehicle toward achieving the goal of exploring the perspectives concerning Italian emigrants and their offspring he/she would be well rewarded by reading Ricci's Where she has gone .

insightful............................2002-06-04

i had originally that that this book would have contained much of the same essence that "live of the saints" had, but i was blown away by the way nino ricci ended Victor's story in "WSHG".
the bizarre fascination with his sister, and longing for a relation with her was ill mannered/nasty , but yet i still continued to finish the novel. the only tick i had about this novel was the ending. it seemed to much of an easy way out, and nino ricci should have thought of sumthing drastic happening to Victor?Vittorio

Melancholy beauty.......2001-08-11

The atmosphere Ricci creates in WHERE SHE HAS GONE is enveloped in sorrow. As the story of Victor and Rita unfolds, the deep melancholy grows.

Victor and Rita are half-siblings; Rita the product of their mother's affair in her small Italian town while her husband (Victor's father) was in Canada setting the foundation for a new life for his family Over the course of the first two books in the trilogy, their mother dies after giving birth to Rita on the ocean liner bringing them to Canada, and Victor and Rita are raised together for a few years on his father's farm, until Rita is adopted by a nearby couple.

The siblings grow up and grow apart, until the opening of WHERE SHE HAS GONE, where they meet again in Toronto-Victor as a grad student/writer and Rita just starting university. The relationship they develop as adults is complicated and sad, but compelling. Ricci's language is distilled to a very simple, effective style, that suits the mood he creates beautifully.

All three books in the trilogy are highly recommended, but it's not necessary to have read the first two to be moved by the last (though I'm sure after reading WHERE SHE HAS GONE you'll want to).

Good Fiction.......2000-11-22

This is a good fictional story, well written but I like his earlier work 'Lives of the Saints' much better, from story development and plot prspectives.

Wow!.......2000-04-07

I was not prepared for this book. I was totally side-swiped for days after its conclusion. Mr. Ricci is a fabulous writer, and I was quite unprepared for the emotions I am feeling still.

Mr. Ricci has definitely replaced Graham Greene as my favorite author of fiction, and I am now reading the first two books in this trilogy. Hopefully there will be many more!

Book Description

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Canadian Governor General's Award for Fiction

Set in a small, golden village nestled in folds of the Italian Apennines, The Book of Saints is a deceptively simple novel of startling power and mythic dimension. Young Vittorio Innocente is the pampered son of Cristina, a women whose husband has left Italy for work in North America. Beneath her placid surface, Cristina yearns to escape the restrictive village; and, one day, Vittorio is startled to find her in the family's stable, her ankle swelling from a snakebite. But what really happened to Cristina that day becomes the center of this tale—a story of passion and superstition beneath pastoral calm, a mother's secret life witnessed by a child. The first novel in a trilogy that follows Vittorio to adulthood, The Book of Saints is Ricci's acclaimed debut.

Customer Reviews:

Good read.......2004-05-25

i had to read this book for an english assignement. once i got through the book i couldn't belive how good it was.

Book of Saints brings a small Italian town to life.......1999-11-09

On my recent trip to Italy I decided to bring one reading book...I chose Book of Saints. Relaxing on a hot afternoon in my parents'hometown in southern Italy with Book of Saints in my lap, the story simply came to life; the small town, the people, the traditions, the gossip. It's the story of a woman who's husband left for Canada to seek employment. Left at home with their son and her father, she tries to stay happy. But certain situations put her in a bad light and soon the townspeople begin to avoid her and gossip about her. Subborn and proud, she refuses to make amends with the townspeople, which only serves to isolate her even more. Her choices affect her father and son as they too suffer the wrath of the townspeople. The choices that she will finally make will surprise you. Let's just say that she's a very strong and independent woman. I'm looking forward to the rest of Ricci's trilogy.

Definitely Immigrant Literature.......1999-09-15

The story is poetically written. It is an immigrant literature piece, outlining the realities of moving from your home country to the unknown. It does end abruptly, and is not a "fluffy" story. However, Ricci does reveal the truths of his own life in the novel, serious and sad. Not for the faint of heart, but very well done.

Definitely Immigrant Literature.......1999-09-15

Wonderful!.......1999-08-09

I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in a matter of days. A wonderful look at an Italian village, its people, their superstitions, alliances and lifestyles. It was particularly interesting for the way it was told, through the eyes of a young, naive boy. Looking forward to new titles from this author.

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Lives Of The Saints
Nino Ricci
Manufacturer: CORMORANT
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GS61ZO

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Tremendous fiction

A Time for Judas
Morley Callaghan
Manufacturer: Exile Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1550966375

Book Description

This audacious and intriguing new version of the story of Christ’s trial, crucifixion, and resurrection is based on the writings of Philo of Crete, a secretary to Pontius Pilate. Throughout his time as Pilate’s scribe, he attended Christ’s trial, mingled with city prostitutes and desert bandits, and became acquainted with Judas Iscariot. It was through Judas that he learned the real story of the betrayal and what actually happened to Christ’s body. His convincing account is a radical and dramatic version of the commonly accepted story.

Customer Reviews:

Tremendous fiction.......2000-07-24

Morley Callaghan is one of the finest Canadian writers I have come across. His themes may not always appeal to a broad readership, since they are sometimes fairly parochial in nature, giving him a wide claim to being a genuine "Canadian" author (rather than North-American). However, he is a truly international writer as well, of a calibre I've not often encountered. Perhaps his career didn't quite have the impact of Ernest Hemingway's (with whom he was quite friendly in the thirties) or Graham Greene's, but the quality of his work puts him very much in their class. "A Time for Judas" is a good example of this. Callaghan takes us, in a Gore Vidal-like fashion, back to the time of Christ and recounts a marvellous tale set in and around Jerusalem. It is not only well-written and exciting, but as a purported account of the "true" events of the time (left to be discovered on papyrus centuries later), it falls into a sort of mystery tradition which is very hard to pull off, from a writing point of view. With complete confidence, Callaghan tells a tale which will thrill and perhaps even enlighten you, and have you seeking out more of his work. Fortunately, there is a relative abundance so find this one if you can.

Crossing the Sea: Poems in Exile/Poems in China

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Cover versions?
Cover versions?

Crossing the Sea: Poems in Exile/Poems in China

Manufacturer: House Of Anansi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Asian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0887845622

Book Description

On June 4, 1989, the day of the Tiananmen Square massacre, DuoDuo left China for England, and bore witness to the atrocities he had seen. Since then, he has lived in exile. Crossing the Sea shows the development of his work from the first days of the Cultural Revolution to the clamping down that led to the events of June 1989 and to his exile. It is, without a doubt, the best selection of this important poet's work to appear to date, in any translation.

Customer Reviews:

Cover versions?.......2002-10-02

Any amateur of Duo Duo's poetry will notice at first glance that many of the titles and and even more of the lines of this collection of Duo Duo's poems betray a remarkable resemblance to those in a previous anthology translated by Gregory Lee and John Cayley, "Looking Out From Death" published by Bloomsbury in 1989. A number of translations, in particular that of "I've always delighted in a shaft of light in the depth of night", also resemble Lee's tranlations in The Manhattan Review, translations which antedate Robinson's book. The provenance of translations into English are notoriously difficult to police. However, this book fulfilled the function of making available Duo Duo's poetry in English translation once the Bloomsbury book was out of print. Happily, a new collection of Duoduo's poems translated by Gregory Lee, including most of the poems appearing in Robinson's book, but also many of those written by the poet subsequently, has now been published by Zephyr Press under the title "The Boy Who Catches Wasps". Lee's translations have once again given us an immediacy of access to what Kazim Ali in the Electronic Poetry Review (issue number 4 ...) calls Duo's Duo's "brilliant work".

Cover versions?.......2002-10-02

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