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Calvin and his missionary family travel to Portofino for a break, but they can't really relax. Calvin's father slips into bad moods, his mother tries to convert "pagans" on the beach, and his sister is prepared for a Russian invasion. So, Calvin has to adapt some plans of his own for the summer.
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Review:
" 'Eloquently captures the atmosphere of place and period... Schaeffer describes both the pleasures and the occasional torments of childhood with charm and humour...The warmth of characterisation is matched by the novel's rich evocation of Italian life, and the accuracy with which it captures the nuances of 1960s manners' - THE TIMES 'Evocative, funny and wonderfully observed, reading this book is a holiday in itself' - GUARDIAN 'Not since Huck Finn has American literature been graced with a character as irresistible as Calvin Dort Becker' - ANDRES DUBUS III 'Poignant and hilarious...by turns, sentimental, celebratory, evocative and very funny' - LOS ANGELES TIMES 'Beautifully written with great insight and unselfconscious humour' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY"
From the Back Cover:
‘Some kids I met told lies to be special. I told lies to be normal...’
It is the early 60s and for young Calvin Becker, the son of embarrassingly over-zealous American missionaries, the family holiday on the Italian Riviera resort of Portofino is the highlight of the year. But even under the seductive influence of a Mediterranean summer, the remaining members of Calvin’s family seem incapable of ever really relaxing. His father’s always slipping into one of his Bad Moods, his mother will insist on trying to convert the ‘pagans’ on the beach, while his big sister Janet keeps a ski sweater and a miniature bible in her suitcase because you never knew when the Russians might invade and pack you off to Siberia.
Calvin’s dad says everything is part of God’s Plan. Well, this particular summer, Calvin has a few plans of his own...plans that involve such exuberantly pagan locals as Gino the whisky-drinking painter, the Bagnino and his boats, the very sensible and very English Bazlintons and – above all – their very lovely daughter Jennifer.
It is the early 60s and for young Calvin Becker, the son of embarrassingly over-zealous American missionaries, the family holiday on the Italian Riviera resort of Portofino is the highlight of the year. But even under the seductive influence of a Mediterranean summer, the remaining members of Calvin’s family seem incapable of ever really relaxing. His father’s always slipping into one of his Bad Moods, his mother will insist on trying to convert the ‘pagans’ on the beach, while his big sister Janet keeps a ski sweater and a miniature bible in her suitcase because you never knew when the Russians might invade and pack you off to Siberia.
Calvin’s dad says everything is part of God’s Plan. Well, this particular summer, Calvin has a few plans of his own...plans that involve such exuberantly pagan locals as Gino the whisky-drinking painter, the Bagnino and his boats, the very sensible and very English Bazlintons and – above all – their very lovely daughter Jennifer.
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- PublisherBlack Swan
- Publication date1997
- ISBN 10 0552997498
- ISBN 13 9780552997492
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages304
- Rating
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PORTOFINO
Published by
Bantam Doubleday Dell
(1997)
ISBN 10: 0552997498
ISBN 13: 9780552997492
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Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.49. Seller Inventory # Q-0552997498
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