Adria Bernardi

The older I get, the more I favor a straightforward narrative over "artistic" story-telling. Too much of that stuff they must teach in MFA writing courses usually results in a good story spoiled. And yet...this often brilliant, occasionally bewildering multi-generational novel really drew me in, with its time shifts, narrator changes, POV swaps, and conversations without context, all of which you need to be paying veryclose attention to. It challenged me just right, and I loved it. It all begins in the mountains of Italy, in the early 20th century, where Imola Bertolai has agreed to transport an infant --a friend's third and unsupportable child--on a treacherous journey to an orphanage where a new set of parents await. Imola is gifted with a needle, and works elaborate openwork designs into wedding linens, tablecloths and other special items, supplementing her wandering husband's income to provide for her own three children. Her brothers have all left Italy in search of a better life---to France, to Africa, and to America where poverty can turn to affluence given time, perseverance and patience. In Colorado, New Mexico and Chicago, we meet Imola’s brother Egidio and his friend Antenore; follow their divergent paths as miners and stonemasons toward assimilation or destruction; meet their fully American descendants and watch the circle close as a fourth generation seeks to connect with the past immigrant ancestors strove to leave behind a century before. There is beautiful writing here, and not one bit of “telling” where there should be “showing”. The women are both strong and fragile; the men absorbed in pursuits outside the home, yet heart-shreddingly tender with their wives and children when life’s walls come tumbling down. This one has been languishing on my shelves for a decade since a good friend sent it to me; it will probably warrant another read one day. It’s an intricate tapestry whose individual threads create a picture that is a little hard to appreciate fully at close range.… (más)

An Amazon reviewer wrote, "If you are at all interested in art, or have any intrigue with Italy, you'll find this book completely captivating," but I had the complete opposite reaction to "The Day Laid on the Altar." I love fiction set in the world of art and artists, especially those set in Italy. Venice is my absolutely favorite city in the world. Nevertheless, I could barely make myself finish this book. The prose is beautiful and poetic, but that is not enough to propel a novel, even a very short novel such as this one (barely 200 pages). There is little to no plot. The section on Titian made me want to put down the book and find a non-fiction work about Titian and his family. However, as this was Bernardi's first work, I plan to try another book by her. Just not right away.… (más)