Tutta La Famigla

A romance between a peasant farmer and the landowner’s daughter takes some unexpected turns in this tragedy that examines the conditions of tenant farmers on Italian wine-growing estates around the turn of the 20th century.

Using family stories, Gaglio makes use of Spartan prose to construct this cautionary tale for prospective Juliets. In this case, though, Giulietta Anna Busa’s Romeo—Giovanni Battista Ambrogliano—is more of a conniving Lothario. From birth, Giovanni was different from his family and other tenant farmers on the Busa estate. Smarter, with more ambition, he asks the questions no peasant should: “Why don’t landowners work in the fields?” “Why don’t we have meat every day?” “Why can’t we live in a big house?” His parents are frightened, however, when he announces plans to impregnate the Busas’ daughter and marry into the padrone’s family; in fact, Giovanni’s father and uncles attempt to beat the crazy idea out of him. But the beating only steels his resolve, and he secretly proceeds with his plan anyway. Handsome, charming and intelligent, Giovanni works hard to become a foreman, thus positioning himself in the vicinity of the house and crossing paths with Giulietta, finally seducing the inexperienced girl. When Giulietta becomes pregnant, however, things don’t go quite the way Giovanni expected. Her father banishes his entire family, hires thugs to kill him and makes arrangements for Giulietta to enter a convent. Eventually, with the aid of Giulietta’s mother, things cool down, and Giulietta and Giovanni become successful in Milan. Driven by his dream of being a wealthy landowner, Giovanni convinces Giulietta to leave Italy and take the family to America, where more troubles await. Gaglio’s spare writing is deceptively simple, as it conveys not only the main storyline and a great deal of background, but also the emotional and psychological states of various characters. In this multifaceted tale of love, deception and ambition, the motivations behind those well-developed characters help create a first-rate read.

A complex story about where ambitions and love meet.