THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA

The Italian hill town of Santa Vittoria cannot be said to have been untouched by the twentieth century, but it has made its own terms. It functions at a pace, and in a perspective, that reduces the German occupation during WWII to a temporary inconvenience. This is comedy in the classical manner, with echoes all the way back to Don Quixote. For a leisurely novel about a slow-paced community, Christopher Hurt is perhaps a bit too brisk and businesslike. But he’s sympathetic to his material and projects an appreciation of its subtleties. His character voices aren’t masterful, but competent and consistent. All in all, he succeeds in laying the novel before the listener to be enjoyed without effort or distraction. J.N. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 98]