Chewing Gum in Holy Water

A Childhood in the Heart of Italy

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Chewing Gum in Holy Water by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre, Skyhorse Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre ISBN: 9781628722017
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Publication: October 20, 2011
Imprint: Arcade Publishing Language: English
Author: Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
ISBN: 9781628722017
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Publication: October 20, 2011
Imprint: Arcade Publishing
Language: English

An actor and scriptwriter revisits his youth in the rural landscapes of Italy in this “charming childhood memoir” (Notebook Magazine).
 
In the tradition of Cinema Paradiso, Chewing Gum in Holy Water: A Childhood in the Heart of Italy presents a warm, tender, and richly nostalgic look at growing up in a remote village in a postwar Italy on the brink of modernity.
 
Mario Valentini was born in the rugged Abruzzo Mountains in the heart of Italy, but with money short at home and his father working in a foreign land, he was sent to live with his uncle—a traveling priest—at the age of four. Thus began a life of unexpected freedoms and marvelous adventures. For the mischievous boy, who loved nothing so much as swordplay and American chewing gum, every new town meant new friends, and getting into trouble was as easy as shooting his slingshot. From confronting a hungry wolf at dusk to drinking in the fumes in an empty wine barrel, every anecdote sparkles with his exuberance for life.
 
As he grows, Mario gleans lessons from unexpected sources: a curmudgeonly painter, a communist reputed to eat priests for dinner, even the caustic spinster aunt who keeps house for his uncle. Full of humor and affection, and infused with the scents and tastes of Abruzzo, Mario and his wife Cheryl Hardacre present a timeless memoir that indelibly captures a special time and place.
 
“Lively, sweetly humorous coming-of-age stories affectionately evoke a lost time and place.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A nostalgic look back into a golden childhood.” —New Oxford Review

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An actor and scriptwriter revisits his youth in the rural landscapes of Italy in this “charming childhood memoir” (Notebook Magazine).
 
In the tradition of Cinema Paradiso, Chewing Gum in Holy Water: A Childhood in the Heart of Italy presents a warm, tender, and richly nostalgic look at growing up in a remote village in a postwar Italy on the brink of modernity.
 
Mario Valentini was born in the rugged Abruzzo Mountains in the heart of Italy, but with money short at home and his father working in a foreign land, he was sent to live with his uncle—a traveling priest—at the age of four. Thus began a life of unexpected freedoms and marvelous adventures. For the mischievous boy, who loved nothing so much as swordplay and American chewing gum, every new town meant new friends, and getting into trouble was as easy as shooting his slingshot. From confronting a hungry wolf at dusk to drinking in the fumes in an empty wine barrel, every anecdote sparkles with his exuberance for life.
 
As he grows, Mario gleans lessons from unexpected sources: a curmudgeonly painter, a communist reputed to eat priests for dinner, even the caustic spinster aunt who keeps house for his uncle. Full of humor and affection, and infused with the scents and tastes of Abruzzo, Mario and his wife Cheryl Hardacre present a timeless memoir that indelibly captures a special time and place.
 
“Lively, sweetly humorous coming-of-age stories affectionately evoke a lost time and place.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A nostalgic look back into a golden childhood.” —New Oxford Review

More books from Skyhorse Publishing

Cover of the book When Strawberries Bloom by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The Best Adventure and Exploration Stories Ever Told by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Hitler's Gift by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Flypaper by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Cooper's Creek by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Gifts in Jars by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Restoring Valor by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Home and Away by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The King of Chicago by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The Tangled Web by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book Employees Gone Wild by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The Heirloom House by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The Tao and the Bard by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book The Canal Bridge by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
Cover of the book By Night Under the Stone Bridge by Mario Valentini, Cheryl Hardacre
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy