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Family Lexicon

By Natalia Ginzburg
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg transports readers to mid-20th century Italy, capturing the vibrant and tumultuous life of the author's family. With a keen eye for detail and humour, Ginzburg portrays the dynamics and complexities of family relationships, set against a backdrop of cultural and historical change. The narrative is woven together through the family's unique expressions and phrases, offering an intimate glimpse into their world without revealing too much.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy heartwarming stories that explore the complexities of family life and relationships through a tapestry of memories and anecdotes. You'll appreciate the rich depiction of a unique family's dynamics, complete with humour and poignancy, set against the backdrop of mid-20th century Italy.

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Intimate, enchanting and comedic, Family Lexicon is an unforgettable novel about memory, language, and the lasting power that family holds over all of us.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'The places, events and people are all real. I have invented nothing.'

Natalia Ginzburg wrote her masterful, Strega Prize-winning novel Family Lexicon while living in London in the 1960s. Homesick for her big, noisy Italian family, she summoned them in this novel, which is a celebration of the routines and rituals, in-jokes and insults, and above all, the repeated sayings that make up every family.

The father, Giuseppe Levi, is a Jewish scientist, consumed by his work and a mania for hiking. Impatient and intractable, he is constantly at odds with his impressionable and wistful wife Lidia—yet he cannot be without her. Together, they preside over their five children in a house filled with argument and activity, books and politics, visitors, friends, and famous faces. But as their children grow up against the backdrop of Mussolini's Italy, the Levi household must become not only a home but a stronghold against fascism.

Intimate, enchanting, and comedic, Family Lexicon is an unforgettable novel about memory, language, and the lasting power that family holds over all of us.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg enjoys widespread acclaim for its captivating portrayal of Italian life through the lens of familial dynamics. The narrative, both humorous and poignant, captures the unique speech and quirks of the author's family, creating a vivid tapestry of personal and historical reflection. Readers praise the book for its insightful blend of memory and fiction, making it a compelling read that resonates on both an intimate and universal level.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781911547259

Publisher: Daunt Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 September 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Daunt Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 224

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Natalia Ginzburg

About the Author

Natalia Ginzburg (1916-1991) was born in Sicily and is regarded as one of the most important Italian writers of the twentieth century. She wrote dozens of essays, plays, and novels, including Voices in the Evening, All our Yesterdays, and Family Lexicon, which won the prestigious Strega Prize in 1963. She was involved in activism throughout her life, and served in the Italian parliament from 1983-1987.

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