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jean86's review against another edition
5.0
Villa Fiorita is a story about marriage and children, and yet it begins with divorce. Fanny has left her husband and their three children to be with her lover, Rob. The couple have fled to the Villa to begin their new life together. The Novel begins with two of Fanny’s children: Hugh (14) and Caddie (12), describing the Villa Fiorita. I always find Godden’s portrayal of children to be refreshing and surprising. Godden gives them a certain amount of autonomy without making them simply little adults. Hugh and Caddie have sold their possessions, plotted their escape and traveled to Italy on their own to fetch their mother. They are waging war against the couple. Later on, Pia, Rob’s daughter from his late wife, joins the battle with a fierce child-like independence.
We keenly feel Hugh’s and Caddie’s intrusion as they observe and are shocked by the intimate details of their mother’s and her lover’s daily living habits. Godden is able to focus on the small details to show the depth of the problem of infidelity: their mother’s scarf, his driving gloves, his cigarettes by their bedside. Pia (a Catholic) is also appalled by the adult’s behavior. Her arrival ushers in ancient codes and the tension between Protestantism and Catholicism. In the novel children are at once the blessing and the safeguard of marriage.
The story is also a coming of age story for Hugh, Caddie and Pia. They are all faced with a loss of innocence; they must confront their own desires, their own sexuality. Divorce has prematurely thrown them into the adult world.
Godden successfully shows the absurdity of divorce while remaining sympathetic to the entangled characters. Regardless of Fanny’s wishes for remarriage, the marriage bond cannot be broken by mere desires; she knows that she and Rob are play acting.
This is not simply a cautionary tale, it is more a study than a lesson. Much like Henry James’ The Bostionans, Godden’s The Battle of Villa Fiorita is exploring the most salient and peculiar point in its society, in this case – divorce.
Towards the end of the novel we know that her marriage will never be the same, even if reconciliation takes place; so much harm has already been done and it is the children who suffer and who heal. As I read on and the pages diminished I began to think that reaching a satisfying ending would be impossible, but as one review stated so perfectly: “The ending is unimaginable until it arrives, and then appears inevitable. Splendid.”
We keenly feel Hugh’s and Caddie’s intrusion as they observe and are shocked by the intimate details of their mother’s and her lover’s daily living habits. Godden is able to focus on the small details to show the depth of the problem of infidelity: their mother’s scarf, his driving gloves, his cigarettes by their bedside. Pia (a Catholic) is also appalled by the adult’s behavior. Her arrival ushers in ancient codes and the tension between Protestantism and Catholicism. In the novel children are at once the blessing and the safeguard of marriage.
The story is also a coming of age story for Hugh, Caddie and Pia. They are all faced with a loss of innocence; they must confront their own desires, their own sexuality. Divorce has prematurely thrown them into the adult world.
Godden successfully shows the absurdity of divorce while remaining sympathetic to the entangled characters. Regardless of Fanny’s wishes for remarriage, the marriage bond cannot be broken by mere desires; she knows that she and Rob are play acting.
This is not simply a cautionary tale, it is more a study than a lesson. Much like Henry James’ The Bostionans, Godden’s The Battle of Villa Fiorita is exploring the most salient and peculiar point in its society, in this case – divorce.
Towards the end of the novel we know that her marriage will never be the same, even if reconciliation takes place; so much harm has already been done and it is the children who suffer and who heal. As I read on and the pages diminished I began to think that reaching a satisfying ending would be impossible, but as one review stated so perfectly: “The ending is unimaginable until it arrives, and then appears inevitable. Splendid.”
linneahedvig's review against another edition
4.0
No book has made me more sad about not traveling this year than this one. I'm not even that into Italian lakes, but I desperately need to stay in a villa on Lake Garda now.
I read [b:The Greengage Summer|897867|The Greengage Summer|Rumer Godden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348744223l/897867._SY75_.jpg|2641291] this spring, and this is another Rumer Godden book about British children experiencing another culture for the first time. But that book was about France and this one is set in Italy and they are very different. But there's so much good food in both! I love the way Rumer Godden tells a coming of age story. Her characters are introspective, even when they're being stubborn or petty, and it just saves the reader so much angst.
I read [b:The Greengage Summer|897867|The Greengage Summer|Rumer Godden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348744223l/897867._SY75_.jpg|2641291] this spring, and this is another Rumer Godden book about British children experiencing another culture for the first time. But that book was about France and this one is set in Italy and they are very different. But there's so much good food in both! I love the way Rumer Godden tells a coming of age story. Her characters are introspective, even when they're being stubborn or petty, and it just saves the reader so much angst.
juliaparktracey's review against another edition
3.0
Always a fan of Rumer Godden and her sister (name escapes me). This portrait of a modern (1950s) divorce in suburban England illustrates the effects, from the kids to the newly single-yet-involved mother -- what it means to leave it all behind, what it means to see your mother in a romance that doesn't involve you, what it's like to be in league with the enemy in order to combat a common foe. Coming of age for all the characters, from the 12-year-old Caddie to loves Rob and Fanny.
whoopsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
maiareads's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
appletonkelli's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nickelini's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5