Review
The story begins in modern day Sorrento (i.e. 1927) when a visiting artist spies an unusual boy dressed in goat skins. He is intrigued and wants to sketch the boy so he strikes up a conversation and walks home with him. Nino, as he is called, shows the artist some wooden figures he has carved and explains that they all represent important moments in Sorrento’s history. We learn later that each figure will feature in the stories that follow.
All of the stories, although they span a period of several thousand years, are connected thematically through both setting (Italy’s peninsula of Sorrento) and character (the eternally young boy named Nino). We learn early on how Nino received the gift of immortality from the Sirens and then played a role in the region’s major epochs – from ancient times up to the eve of Italian unification. We observe how he witnessed Odysseus’s voyage, saved a town from the wrath of its patron god, assisted a slave girl in her escape from Pompeii, aided a Goth warrior’s escape over the Alps, and much more.
Overall, an interesting collection of stories interestingly told with an appealing protagonist in the eternally young Nino. My only complaint would be that, although I enjoyed all of the stories, some of them took their time gaining momentum. I often found my mind wandering until about the mid-point in many of the stories. I would recommend this collection to readers (young and old) who would like to explore the history and legends of Italy told in a creative way.
*1929 Newbery Honor book. Stories contained in this collection include: Siren Songs ,The Song of Odysseus, Poseidon and the Greeks , The Romans and the Volcano, The Last of the Goths, The Normans and the Saracens, The Crusader, Students of Salerno, Red Beard and Saint Andrew, and The Bandits.
All of the stories, although they span a period of several thousand years, are connected thematically through both setting (Italy’s peninsula of Sorrento) and character (the eternally young boy named Nino). We learn early on how Nino received the gift of immortality from the Sirens and then played a role in the region’s major epochs – from ancient times up to the eve of Italian unification. We observe how he witnessed Odysseus’s voyage, saved a town from the wrath of its patron god, assisted a slave girl in her escape from Pompeii, aided a Goth warrior’s escape over the Alps, and much more.
Overall, an interesting collection of stories interestingly told with an appealing protagonist in the eternally young Nino. My only complaint would be that, although I enjoyed all of the stories, some of them took their time gaining momentum. I often found my mind wandering until about the mid-point in many of the stories. I would recommend this collection to readers (young and old) who would like to explore the history and legends of Italy told in a creative way.
*1929 Newbery Honor book. Stories contained in this collection include: Siren Songs ,The Song of Odysseus, Poseidon and the Greeks , The Romans and the Volcano, The Last of the Goths, The Normans and the Saracens, The Crusader, Students of Salerno, Red Beard and Saint Andrew, and The Bandits.
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