so-so
A good collection of short-stories, written by the co-father of verismo, or Italian realism. Frequent breaks are needed, though, from the near-constant depictions of back-breaking poverty, onslaughts of cholera and tuberculosis, and familial health/wealth being made or broken by the capricious weather of the harsh Sicilian countryside. Lust and jealousy are major themes here: someone is either being called a "cuckold" or "tramp" every other page.
13 likes