Portofino

by Frank Schaeffer

Book Overview

Some kids told lies to be special. Calvin told lies to be normal. The son of a missionary family, he looks forward all year to summer vacation in Portofino--especially since he'll once again have the chance to see his beloved Jennifer. But even in this seductive seaside town in Italy, the Beckers can't really relax. Calvin's father could slip into a Bad Mood and start hurling potted plants at any time. His mother has an embarrassing habit of trying...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425166945
• ISBN13: 9780425166949
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Uncomfortably close to reality.

I could say this about most of Frank's recent books. I have read everything Frank, or his father Francis, or his mother Edith have ever published. In addition I sold thousands of them; I am a former "Christian" bookseller. Reading Frank is like looking uncomfortably into a mirror of my life as a former evangelical. Fortunately this trilogy of novels helps me laugh in the midst of my tears. In fact, I do not recommend that you read these books in public (on a plane, in an airport or doctor's waiting room, for instance), for you might find yourself laughing uncontrollably and then pleading to the white coats as they pull you away. This is especially true of "Saving Grandma." Although Frank's unabated anger shows through somewhat in these novels (not to the extent as in his non-fiction), here it is subjugated to his creation of superior art. Do yourself a favor and read the entire trilogy.

Fabulous read!

I loved this book. It's extremely well-written and quite funny. The escapades of Calvin are both hilarious and touching. And anyone who says that his perspective of religious fervor is exaggerated apparently didn't live through the 50s and 60s. Schaeffer's writing style is enticingly superb.

Bravo for "Portofino"!

Frank Schaeffer proves his skill as a storyteller in the coming-of-age novel "Portofino." This often hilarious tale revolves around the son of fundamentalist missionaries to Switzerland on annual family vacation in Italy. There is a lot of humor here, with an undercurrent of fear (father's "moods") and even, in one instance, cruelty. The boy, Calvin, tries to be normal in the face of his family's evangelical quirkiness, proving that "correct doctrine" does not preclude dysfunctionality. Some conservative Christians (a group of which I consider myself a part) may be offended, but only if they take themselves too seriously. The sexual euphemisms, the excessive "Thees and Thous" used in prayer (especially by the long-winded, super-spiritual mother), the splitting and resplitting of a denomination due to doctrinal hair-splitting (do they follow Hodge or Warfield?), and especially the infamous "Gospel Walnut" I found very humorous, probably from recognition as much as anything else.With Schaeffer, it is fairly well known that he is the son of conservative Christian icons Francis and Edith Schaeffer, and that he has turned his back on his strict Calvinist upbringing and embraced Eastern Orthodoxy. Are Calvin's parents in the book Francis and Edith themselves, or just people based on them? I really don't know, but I'll give Francis and Edith the benefit of the doubt, and just say that Frank Schaeffer has given the world a terrific novel with excellent characterizations. Highly recommended.

A Must Read!!!

I loved this book! My only complaint is that it ends. I had recently spent some time in Portofino, and was given this book to read. I picked it up because of the title location, and discovered the same feeling the town in Italy gave me: Once I arrived I never wanted to leave. The story is so well written that it captures moods and feelings perfectly. The moods range from the embarrassment of sexual "reaction" in front of a girl, to the fear of a Father with a temper, to the warm breazes and lush smells of Italy. I laughed out loud at Calvin's interpretation of the fundamentalist Christian beliefs of his family. The often absurd and totally dogmatic views of the "us vs. them" fundamentalist Christian are depicted with amusing accuracy, right down to the "thees and thous". The strange melding of love and intolerance, accepting and rejecting of those who are different was wonderfully depicted. I do not know how it could be done better. A funny, warm story, and a wonderful experience.

The new Huck Finn is Calvin Becker!

Portofino was given to me by a friend. I missed a meeting because I stayed in my hotel room reading this book, unable to put it down. Portofino comes as close to being the most perfect novel I've read. It is ceryainly the funniest book I have read in years. I bought the sequal, Saving Grandma with a great sense of relief because the only thing I didn't like about Portofino was that it ended too soon. The two books taken together are not only a great comming of age saga but the best commentary on growing up in a religious family I've ever read. The women in our reading group all agree that these two books are the best we've read together. The generated the best discussions about life and the loudest laughs. I've gone broke giving out copies of Frank schaeffer's books.