Montedidio

By Erri De Luca

Book Overview

This is a story told by a boy in his thirteenth year, recorded in his secret diary. His life is about to change; his world, about to open. He lives in Montedidio--God's Mountain--a cluster of alleys in the heart of Naples. He brings a paycheck home every Saturday from Mast'Errico's carpentry workshop where he sweeps the floor. He is on his way to becoming a man--his boy's voice is abandoning him. His wooden boomerang is neither toy nor tool, but something in between. Then there is Maria, the thirteen-year-old girl who lives above him and, like so many girls, is wiser than he. She carries the burden of a secret life herself. She'll speak to him for the first time this summer. There is also his friendship with a cobbler named Rafaniello, a Jewish refugee who has escaped the horrors of the Holocaust, who has no idea how long he's been on this earth, and who is said to sprout wings for a blessed few. It is 1963, a young man's summer of discovery. A time for a boy with innocent hands and a pure heart to look beyond the ordinary in everyday things to see the far-reaching landscape, and all of its possibilities, from a rooftop terrace on God's Mountain.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573229601
• ISBN13: 9781573229609
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

zenpoet

Outstanding. A simple, beautiful book. This is the only book that I have read in the past three years that I thought was good enough to recommend to everyone.

wonderful

this is one of those rare stories that is written with such simplistically elegant prose that it can't help but be beautiful. it is not the plot of the book that captivates the reader, but rather the almost plain and 'delicate' way in which the story is narrated. to anyone in search of a new "classic," i highly recommend this book.

wonderful

this is one of those rare stories that is written with such simplistically elegant prose that it can't help but be beautiful. it is not the plot of the book that captivates the reader, but rather the almost plain and 'delicate' way in which the story is narrated. to anyone in search of a new "classic," i highly recommend this book.

HOW CAN WORDS BE SO BEAUTIFUL...?

GOD?S MOUNTAIN is only the second book I?ve read by Erri De Luca (SEA OF MEMORY being the other) ? and I?m pretty sure these are the only works available in English by him. He?s a writer of amazing talent and sensitivity. GOD?S MOUNTAIN gets under the reader?s skin so easily ? his economy of language is perfect for this story of a boy?s passage into manhood.Montedidio (God?s mountain) is a poor sector of Naples. The story is set in 1960 ? there are still fresh memories of World War II among the inhabitants (a theme that also plays an important part in SEA OF MEMORY), but there is a new, young president in America and despite the political tensions between the East and the West, there is a palpable sense of freshness and hope even amidst the poverty in which these characters dwell. The young narrator has started to keep a diary ? and the observations he makes, the things that he sees as moving and important, are very telling. He is a special soul ? he aches to become a man, but can still look back with genuine affection on the days of his childhood. He honors his parents and the man who employs him ? as well as his other friends. He works hard and feels the glow of it in his soul. He sees the struggle in the wrinkles of older people, and he respects them for it ? and he hears the wisdom in the words they pass on to him.There is a young girl named Maria who lives in the same building as his family ? she is thirteen, and the depiction of their blossoming friendship and subsequent romance is rendered in such a lovely manner by De Luca?s prose. They are each reaching out to discover the nature of love ? out of curiosity, of course, but also out of a burning need that flames within each of them, a need to replace the ties of love they see shredding in their own lives. They are drawn to each other naturally and innocently ? every aspect of their romance is tender and new. Love that includes sensuality, without being driven by lust, is a beautiful thing ? it?s a joy to see it in such grace-filled writing.One of the young man?s friends is an old man ? a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust ? who is a cobbler. He has a workbench in the carpentry shop where the boy is employed. The cobbler?s generosity ? he repairs the shoes of the poor of Naples for free ? as well as his wisdom and stories touch the boy deeply. The old cobbler has a physical deformity ? a hunchback ? that he decides are angel wings waiting to burst forth, allowing him to fly to the Holy Land. His belief in this ? and the belief of the boy as well ? make it real.The boy?s father has given him a boomerang ? a gift from a sailor friend, brought back from Australia. The boomerang is mystical and mysterious to the boy ? he practices with it every night on the roof of his building. He practices throwing it up to the point of actually letting it go ? he rightfully sees the time when he will actually allow it to fly as a turning point in his life. He is both thrilled and frightened t

Simple but beautiful

though the story was nothing extraordinary the characters in this book are beautiful. I like how the relationships and the daily interactions between the characters were described. I especially love the use of the spirits and how the main character can feel thier presence.