What a beautiful book! Thank you, Michael, for making it available for us non-Italian speakers. I, too, have mixed feelings about the ending. Incredibly happy for Lucia, Agnese and Renzo. And, sad to be ending our time together.
Both the characters in the book and the amazing people in this book club have reminded me of the joy and power of human connection. Thank you all for a beautiful six weeks ❤️
The religion in this novel is the religion of humanism. In the end, Renzo and Lucia even discover that they still love and they forgive cowardly Don Abbondio. He is like family.
Thanks again to APS and Michael Moore. One thing I love about these events is reading books that otherwise I may never have read or even thought of, and discover I love.
Lucia's reticence and reserve is brought out first by her restrained greeting on meeting Renzo, and her gladness of heart is revealed by the gentle teasing of the widow.
Renzo's having to move to another village occasions my favorite paragraph in the chapter. Manzoni compares mankind to invalids, who thinking they will be happier in another bed, change beds, but still feel uncomfortable. I was reminded of a piece from one of Baudelaire's prose poems when he wrote:
"Cette vie est un hôpital où chaque malade est possédé du désir de changer de lit. Celui-ci voudrait souffrir en face du poêle, et celui-là croit qu’il guérirait à côté de la fenêtre."
All the virtues Manzoni esteemed are shown in this final chapter; goodwill, kindness, forgiveness and friendship. All qualities espoused by another great novel, Joyce's Ulysses.
Introducing the Marquis, Don Rodrigo’s legal heir, was a charming way to help tie up the story. British lit might find a long-lost relative (eg Oliver Twist), many cultures would use Magical Realism or treat the adventure as a nostalgic flashback. But Manzoni is straight forward: Life goes on. Sometimes pretty good stuff happens!
Thank you Michael Moore and this wonderful group for your comments. I will be on a plane tonight to Amsterdam. Don’t know if I can Zoom, but I’ll try! One question, Michael. Maybe you addressed this already. Did experiencing our pandemic affect your translating the book?
Reached The End laughing out loud as I imagine the “anonymous author” intended, while offering life-lessons and a final moral to the story: “And when trouble does come calling, rightly or wrongly, faith in God softens the blow and turns it to a better purpose.”
I take away and will keep this final description of Renzo when finally reunited with Lucia: “Renzo was like a skittish horse that digs in its heels and rears first one hoof and then the other, always planting them back in the same place, and goes through a thousand motions before taking a step and then suddenly takes off at a gallop, as if driven by the wind.” This is Renzo. While Lucia remains the queen of “understatement.”
And favorite Renzo life-lesson: “After he realized that words have one effect on the tongue and another on the ear, he made it a habit to listen to his own words inside before uttering them.” Words to live by.
Thank you Michael Moore and fellow readers for this excellent reading experience.
What sweetness here at the end -- along with all the ironies and turns of humor -- starting with "The world isn't ready to end just yet." Don A's "sneaky Latin" -- the comedy around the use of "your illustrious Lordship" which he promptly uses on the Marquis -- and "the voice of the people is the voice of God" -- but how serious is Manzoni in giving him a line suggesting every generation or two should have a plague? (it seems Malthusian) -- the class division still present in the great celebration and personal generosity -- and finally the lessons Renzo still has to learn. We knew (almost) that they would end up in Bergamo with his cousin, and in Bergamo Lucia is said to be pretty because no one had unrealizable expectations of her, and up to the last minute Manzoni is giving us lessons in psychology.
Thank you #APS Together for another wonderful read. I'm sorry not to be able to join you all for discussion tonight.
Such surprising and uncloying choices made by Manzoni as the novel closes. He is in superb control of the final twists and turns as he stays one step ahead of the reader’s expectations. I began the chapter thinking Don Abbondio was going to be a weasel right through the end, but this isn’t so. He was looking out for himself, but also for Renzo, and in so doing, the Marquis arrived, sweetening the pot for everyone. I like not completely liking Lucia, and I still feel a remnant of her ambivalence; how quickly she took the vow, only to have it removed by . . . men? I like that no one ends up where or how I thought they’d end up. And the summary of a long long book was a welcome chance to replay events. Thank you, Michael, for how you deftly you modulated between irony and humor, heartbreak and horror. A feat. Were it not for your fresh eyes and ears on the text, I would never have read this book. And I’m half Italian! Grazie mille!
Thank you to #APSTogether and to all who provided such thoughtful comments along the way. And, as this story hasn't displeased me, I believe I am obliged to “think kindly of the man who wrote it and, also, a little, of the man who revised it“; and, sincerely, of the man who translated it and who led us on our journey for the last seven weeks. Thank you, Michael F. Moore.
I am so happy I had the chance to read this beautiful book. It's been wonderful. Thank you, APS and Michael. I'd hoped for the happy ending, but I love this "real" one even more. It reminds me of the things Tolstoy tells us about Pierre & Natasha and Nikolai & Marya at the end of War and Peace, and that George Eliot tells us about her couples at the end of Middlemarch. And beyond that, it's funny! Renzo's big life lesson is don't tie a bell to your ankle?! (Granted, I think he, not just Manzoni, is being tongue in cheek.) I'm melancholy too to relinquish this group reading, but I'm looking forward to this evening.
I laughed when I read Don Abbondio’s line about how it would be a shame to speak badly of the plague because “ You might almost say we need one every generation or so, and we could draw up an agreement to do just that. But with the possibility of recovery, of course.” It is his final Groucho Marx moment!
I read this book twice over 30 years ago and I remember feeling the last two chapters being somewhat redundant at the time (do we need to know that the Tramaglinos needed to move because Renzo got upset with all neighbors? That they received extra seed money from another donor? Etc..). This time I felt differently, I appreciated the closing of all threads, perhaps I'm getting old, does anyone feel like my younger self?
I couldn't wait and had to finish the book a few days ago. But just wanted to pop on again to say thank you - to APS for hosting, to all of you for your comments, and especially to Michael for this translation and all of the "inside baseball" comments over the last couple of months. Great fun!
Well the studio would likely ask to re-write the ending but I loved it. Insightful and surprising to the end. Thank you all for the read along and sharing your insights, and perspectives. A first for me. And Michael, a simple thank you seems woefully inadequate for the years of work gone into making this incredible work so accessible, enjoyable and something that'll stay with me. I've already had a few entertaining discussions with my Italian acquaintances!
What a beautiful book! Thank you, Michael, for making it available for us non-Italian speakers. I, too, have mixed feelings about the ending. Incredibly happy for Lucia, Agnese and Renzo. And, sad to be ending our time together.
Both the characters in the book and the amazing people in this book club have reminded me of the joy and power of human connection. Thank you all for a beautiful six weeks ❤️
The religion in this novel is the religion of humanism. In the end, Renzo and Lucia even discover that they still love and they forgive cowardly Don Abbondio. He is like family.
Thanks again to APS and Michael Moore. One thing I love about these events is reading books that otherwise I may never have read or even thought of, and discover I love.
And, look forward to one more convening tonight!
Lucia's reticence and reserve is brought out first by her restrained greeting on meeting Renzo, and her gladness of heart is revealed by the gentle teasing of the widow.
Renzo's having to move to another village occasions my favorite paragraph in the chapter. Manzoni compares mankind to invalids, who thinking they will be happier in another bed, change beds, but still feel uncomfortable. I was reminded of a piece from one of Baudelaire's prose poems when he wrote:
"Cette vie est un hôpital où chaque malade est possédé du désir de changer de lit. Celui-ci voudrait souffrir en face du poêle, et celui-là croit qu’il guérirait à côté de la fenêtre."
All the virtues Manzoni esteemed are shown in this final chapter; goodwill, kindness, forgiveness and friendship. All qualities espoused by another great novel, Joyce's Ulysses.
Introducing the Marquis, Don Rodrigo’s legal heir, was a charming way to help tie up the story. British lit might find a long-lost relative (eg Oliver Twist), many cultures would use Magical Realism or treat the adventure as a nostalgic flashback. But Manzoni is straight forward: Life goes on. Sometimes pretty good stuff happens!
Thank you Michael Moore and this wonderful group for your comments. I will be on a plane tonight to Amsterdam. Don’t know if I can Zoom, but I’ll try! One question, Michael. Maybe you addressed this already. Did experiencing our pandemic affect your translating the book?
Reached The End laughing out loud as I imagine the “anonymous author” intended, while offering life-lessons and a final moral to the story: “And when trouble does come calling, rightly or wrongly, faith in God softens the blow and turns it to a better purpose.”
I take away and will keep this final description of Renzo when finally reunited with Lucia: “Renzo was like a skittish horse that digs in its heels and rears first one hoof and then the other, always planting them back in the same place, and goes through a thousand motions before taking a step and then suddenly takes off at a gallop, as if driven by the wind.” This is Renzo. While Lucia remains the queen of “understatement.”
And favorite Renzo life-lesson: “After he realized that words have one effect on the tongue and another on the ear, he made it a habit to listen to his own words inside before uttering them.” Words to live by.
Thank you Michael Moore and fellow readers for this excellent reading experience.
What sweetness here at the end -- along with all the ironies and turns of humor -- starting with "The world isn't ready to end just yet." Don A's "sneaky Latin" -- the comedy around the use of "your illustrious Lordship" which he promptly uses on the Marquis -- and "the voice of the people is the voice of God" -- but how serious is Manzoni in giving him a line suggesting every generation or two should have a plague? (it seems Malthusian) -- the class division still present in the great celebration and personal generosity -- and finally the lessons Renzo still has to learn. We knew (almost) that they would end up in Bergamo with his cousin, and in Bergamo Lucia is said to be pretty because no one had unrealizable expectations of her, and up to the last minute Manzoni is giving us lessons in psychology.
Thank you #APS Together for another wonderful read. I'm sorry not to be able to join you all for discussion tonight.
Such surprising and uncloying choices made by Manzoni as the novel closes. He is in superb control of the final twists and turns as he stays one step ahead of the reader’s expectations. I began the chapter thinking Don Abbondio was going to be a weasel right through the end, but this isn’t so. He was looking out for himself, but also for Renzo, and in so doing, the Marquis arrived, sweetening the pot for everyone. I like not completely liking Lucia, and I still feel a remnant of her ambivalence; how quickly she took the vow, only to have it removed by . . . men? I like that no one ends up where or how I thought they’d end up. And the summary of a long long book was a welcome chance to replay events. Thank you, Michael, for how you deftly you modulated between irony and humor, heartbreak and horror. A feat. Were it not for your fresh eyes and ears on the text, I would never have read this book. And I’m half Italian! Grazie mille!
Beautiful … [deep breath; sigh.]
Thank you to #APSTogether and to all who provided such thoughtful comments along the way. And, as this story hasn't displeased me, I believe I am obliged to “think kindly of the man who wrote it and, also, a little, of the man who revised it“; and, sincerely, of the man who translated it and who led us on our journey for the last seven weeks. Thank you, Michael F. Moore.
I am so happy I had the chance to read this beautiful book. It's been wonderful. Thank you, APS and Michael. I'd hoped for the happy ending, but I love this "real" one even more. It reminds me of the things Tolstoy tells us about Pierre & Natasha and Nikolai & Marya at the end of War and Peace, and that George Eliot tells us about her couples at the end of Middlemarch. And beyond that, it's funny! Renzo's big life lesson is don't tie a bell to your ankle?! (Granted, I think he, not just Manzoni, is being tongue in cheek.) I'm melancholy too to relinquish this group reading, but I'm looking forward to this evening.
I laughed when I read Don Abbondio’s line about how it would be a shame to speak badly of the plague because “ You might almost say we need one every generation or so, and we could draw up an agreement to do just that. But with the possibility of recovery, of course.” It is his final Groucho Marx moment!
I read this book twice over 30 years ago and I remember feeling the last two chapters being somewhat redundant at the time (do we need to know that the Tramaglinos needed to move because Renzo got upset with all neighbors? That they received extra seed money from another donor? Etc..). This time I felt differently, I appreciated the closing of all threads, perhaps I'm getting old, does anyone feel like my younger self?
Thanks Mr. Moore for coordinating this reading, its been wonderful to read your insights
I couldn't wait and had to finish the book a few days ago. But just wanted to pop on again to say thank you - to APS for hosting, to all of you for your comments, and especially to Michael for this translation and all of the "inside baseball" comments over the last couple of months. Great fun!
Well the studio would likely ask to re-write the ending but I loved it. Insightful and surprising to the end. Thank you all for the read along and sharing your insights, and perspectives. A first for me. And Michael, a simple thank you seems woefully inadequate for the years of work gone into making this incredible work so accessible, enjoyable and something that'll stay with me. I've already had a few entertaining discussions with my Italian acquaintances!