I'm not going to pretend that I get all the allusions and layers of this allegorical post-war Italian novel, but I definitely enjoyed it and understood at least some of the metaphors woven into the story. This has the feeling to me of post-war Italian movies, lit by stark sunlight and framed with half-fallen walls and women pushing wheelbarrows. The author shows an obvious love for his country and his Communist ideals here, as well as some harsh criticism of the fallen Facist government and encroaching capitalism. While the themes and the metaphors are pretty dated and temporal, there is also an affection and interest in humanity and the ways we reach out to and interact with each other that gives this novel a freshness and universality that it might not otherwise have. It's also often very funny! A somewhat challenging read, but absolutely worth it.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2015/03/women-of-messina-by-elio-vittorni-1949.htm... ] ( )