Lives of the Saints

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For the author of the Christian historical text, see Alban Butler.
Title Lives of the Saints

Cover of the 3rd edition of Lives of the Saints
Author Nino Ricci
Country Canada
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher Cormorant Books, 3rd edition (March 5, 2003).
Released September, 1990.
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 248 p. (Paperback edition)
ISBN ISBN 1-896-95143-0
Preceded by N/A. First work by the author.
Followed by 'In a Glass House'

Lives of the Saints is a novel by Nino Ricci. It is the first book by Nino Ricci, and the first part of a triology. The other two books are: In a Glass House and Where She Has Gone. The book was written in 1990 and was the winner of the 1990 Governor General's Awards for fiction.

Contents

[edit] Plot Summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Vittorio Innocente's father, Mario, has immigrated to Canada to pave the way for the rest of family to come. Little Vittorio doesn't understand why the neighbors disapprove of his mother, but suspects it has something to do with the man she was with in the stable on the morning she was bitten by the snake. But it becomes clear that it is Cristina’s independence of mind and rejection of superstition that offend the peasant values in this remote village in post-war Italy. Vittorio seeks comfort from his teacher aunt Teresa "La Maestra", who unlike the neighbors, sympathizes with Vittorio, and consoles him. Aunt Teresa, hides Cristina when she becomes visibly pregnant while her husband is away, and helps Vitorrio understand life through stories in a book she gave him called Lives of the Saints. Cristina and Vittorio depart to Canada to meet Mario, but the mother dies on the ship giving birth to Vittorio's sister Rita.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Main Characters

  • Vittorio Innocente
  • Cristina Innocente
  • Teresa Innocente

[edit] Television Adaptation

Lives of the Saints (2004) was made a television miniseries in an Italian-Canadian co-production starring Sophia Loren, Fabrizio Filippo, Jessica Paré, Sabrina Ferilli, Kris Kristofferson AND Nick Mancuso.

The miniseries has won 3 awards and 6 nominations.

[edit] See Also

[edit] External Links

Preceded by
Paul Quarrington, Whale Music
Governor General's Award for English language fiction recipient
1990
Succeeded by
Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey