I Love You Like a Tomato

by Marie Giordano, Anna Genoese (Editor)

ChiChi Maggiordino will do anything to get God's attention. She will hold her breath, stand on tiptoe for an hour, walk a mile backward, climb all stairs on her knees... anything. When her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye, telling her it's how Jesus Christ made his miracles and how the Italians got rid of Mussolini, ChiChi realizes it's what her prayers have been missing. Now she can get started on the business of making her mother happier by helping her find love, and healing her brother's weak lungs.

But ChiChi's family lives in Minneapolis, and it's the 1950s. For an Italian immigrant family, sometimes it seems like nothing can make life easier. ChiChi's mother still pines for her husband, a long-dead American soldier; ChiChi's brother is disdainful of her sacrifices and penance-he doesn't understand what his older sister already knows, that sometimes God needs to be bribed.

When her grandmother passes away, ChiChi steps up her search for meaning and happiness, but it seems to be fruitless. And she struggles, the way so many women do, because her love for her family is suffocating, even while it fulfills her.

It's not until she meets two Italian dwarves, and they teach her of the ancient clown tradition, the commedia dell'arte, that she comes to understand that in order to make everyone else happy, she herself must be happy.

But first she must find her own way in the world... and learn to accept that not even the power of the Evil Eye can keep people from changing.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Family, Italy, Novels, The United States Of America

387 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Deary Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's taken me a while to even be able to write a review of this book. Masterpiece. Bloodletting. You see, its the first book ever to make me sob.

I was handed this book by my glowing 13 year old daughter on Mother's Day. The twinkle in her eyes spelled victory as soon as the smile broke out on my face because the moment she spotted it in the bargain bin at the used bookstore she knew that "I love you like a tomato" would be added to our secret language, collected from books throughout all her childhood. My "little nut brown hare". My "stinky face". "But Mama, but Mama..."

Nothing could have prepared me. From the first line I was in thrall and I didn't put the book down until I finished it at 3:30 in the morning the following day. Not even as I sobbed my eyes out. I wiped my nose and eyes on my sleeve and carried on. If Chichi could do it, so could I. For a second time, so could I.

I was the oldest of four and come from a background so bizarre its not possible to nutshell here. I won't do myself the disservice of trying. I will say that what saved my humanity was championing what little joy and protection I could bring to my siblings and I want to thank to author on behalf of all the children who have poured their little hearts out in an effort to get God's attention.

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best novel I've read in about a year. I just happened to pick it up in a BookCrossings basket and became interested on noticing in the acknowledgements that in 2000 the manuscript won the same literary contest my own won in 2008 -- and that the author received help from the same local editor who helped me. Since that editor specializes in personal narrative (i.e., memoir), I figured this was probably a fictionalized account of the author's early life and decided to read it for that reason.

Well, if much of what's depicted here really happened, Marie Giordano had one heck of an eventful childhood. I hope for her sake that it's mostly fiction. But true or false, it's gripping. It kept me up late at night, which few books succeed in doing any more. Add to that the occasional moments of delightful, if gritty, humor (It's an unfair world, ChiChi. You're born, you die. Anything in between is bad luck) and not-infrequent insights into life itself, and it becomes a winner.

One thing I particularly like is the way she handles dialog. She doesn't use quotation marks, and the effect sometimes is to paraphrase the exchange in such a way that it's not always clear what is actually said vs the unspoken subtext. Seems an economical way of conveying the scene without a lot of connective phrases. Here's an example:

Next thing I know I'm sitting in a taxi with an old man who hated art.

Who sez I don't like art? I happen to like art. Eddie's an artist, isn't he? And Marco? Another thing, never call an old person old.

This copy is not going back into the basket. I'm keeping it to read again. (I donate plenty of my own and figure that's fair.)

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I happened to stumble across this one at the library.

[Naomi Jayalaksana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to me, is like a soul mate. And this first witty novel from Marie Giordano has captured me, ever since I lied my eyes on it. I'm so grateful that it came across my path!

A down to earth story about common people, with not so common dreams, and an intriguing past. The story began with a break of infant cries and the strong smell of disinfectant came from a small house in rural Praiano, which lies on the outskirt of Italy, during post-world war II.

ChiChi Magiordano knew something big is going to happen the first time she heard the cry of her newborn brother. For she said that the world stood still, and nothing was really moving or stirring before the baby's cries. And she was right!

"ChiChi & Marco per sempre". Together the siblings walked on the hardship of life and out made their own fate. For both of ChiCHi & Marco, pain is only part of the great tapestry of life.

I've read this book for three times, and the charm still hook me and lingers for so long!

[AJ LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going in, I thought this was going to be a book about The Italian Immigrant Experience in America. In many ways it was, but mostly it's a book about growing up, understanding your family, and figuring out who you are.

The relationships in this book are complex and difficult. I found myself taking turns loving and wanting to smack each character. The heartbreaks are real, and yet you find yourself hoping for the best because the characters keep pushing on and working for more.

ChiChi is a great character and it's amazing to watch her grow from a two year old to being 18 and ready to leave home. Throughout this journey, she leaves Italy and has to learn what it means to be an American. Plus there's the hell of being a teenager and finding out that moms have secrets.

The relationship between ChiChi and her brother is beautiful and when the book ended, I wished there was one of those sections that tells you what happens to everyone in future.

[Kathryn Bashaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Beechview Library did a fun thing where they wrapped books in brown paper and put only the first line of the book on the wrapping. So you picked your book based on an intriguing first line, rather than title, author, blurb or picture on the cover. I couldn't resist this first line: "I was asleep when the world began." I did end up liking this book pretty well. It's a coming of age story about a poor Italian immigrant girl in the 1950s, with a train wreck of a mother and a sickly little brother whom she thinks its her job to care for. Her grandmother teaches ChiChi the "evil eye" and ChiChi develops other rituals of her own which she believes protect her brother. At the same time, she develops great internal strength, which helps her when she finally comes to realize that she and her brother are two separate people with separate destinies.

[Farrah Sczykutowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an oddly, surprising delight. Read it years and years ago (it was only available then in hardback) and that book has traveled across the United States with me and has always had a spot in my office shelving. Beautiful.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

ChiChi Maggiordano, the main character and heroine, narrates this story in first person prose like a memoir of her childhood from birth in Italy immigrating with her family to Minnasota,USA in the 1950's.
In my opinion it is truley a classic, coming of age, charming book about the struggles and heartbreaking disappointments of not only immigrants but growing up in general. ChiChi describes her veiw of life, family, friends, her feelings of love, joy, sadness and frustration in cartoonic 1950's slang, translating in Italian and broken italiano/americano phrasiology. Like" I love a you so much I'm a break you face, eh?"
What makes this book brilliant is Marie Giordano's ability to draw the the reader into ChiChi's experiences and laugh and cry with her. what makes it a classic is its timeless, universal appeal to all genre of readers.
I learned a little more of how cruel human nature can be and how we should all strive to be more tolerant and accepting of our differences, encouraging change in our world.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book! The narrator, Chi Chi, grows up with a secretive Italian mother and a sickly younger brother whom she feels responsible for. She does all kinds of bizarre things to insure their happiness, like standing on one foot while repeating 100 novenas, or almost cutting off her face. She's a strange, talented girl. Her particular reality is hard for me to understand. This is the first book in a trilogy. I haven't decided if I'll be reading the others.

[Christina Laflamme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was supposed to be the first in a trilogy. Every few years, I check to see if the second part of this trilogy has been published. Nope. This book was published in 2003. I think it is going to remain a stand-alone novel. I remember enjoying it, I remember ''The Evil Eye'' bit, but not much else. Another book I will look forward to re-reading!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just too relentlessly depressing and cliche-ridden to be enjoyable. And while there were some beautiful turns of phrase, much of this seemed to me like a creative writing exercise rather than an actual novel.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two quotes that stuck with me:

"I wanted to know why dying required quiet. You would think the dying would prefer a band, music, clowns, maybe a monkey."

"Everyone's good at acting, Manny. That's all anyone does in this life. Act. Perform. Some are just more aware of it than others."

I'm really glad I happened to pick this book up from our library. It was a really unique read, maybe even the best one for the rest of the year (and it's only February). ChiChi trying to cut off her face or stab her eye out in a desperate act of thinking she could save her family with these sacrifices and rituals and her mother beating her with a broom and forgetting all of her birthdays while alleging she'd be doing all of this in an act of love to her children really had an impact on me.

-1 star, because it was a bit too cliche Italian and wannabe poetic/artsy for my personal liking. ChiChis mother's English also didn't improve at all throughout the book even though she was constantly visiting English courses, that sort of bothered me.

Side note for myself: Love me like a potato.

[Brady Talley · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I was restless for a place that was safe with belonging—- a thereness.”

This book is coming of age novel that really feels original. I absolutely love how this book weaves together dialogue, descriptions, thoughts and memories in a coherent way. Quotation marks are for the weak.

Memorable characters that progress naturally over a (16 year?) span. Watching the children navigate a world that is often hostile to them, a family filled with secrets, grief, and all the other challenges of growing up.

“I had to get God’s attention. I’d make a personal sacrifice. Something to really impress God.”

“Memory has erratic visiting hours.”

“The way things happen. You could be in New York and somewhere else at the same time… you see a cigarette butt and you’re suddenly back in the train yard, you’re collecting rocks with your brother.”

[Jasmin Puente · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few interesting twists and turns concerning the US Army father of ChiChi. Her brother, Marco, is a very interesting character, one of the weakest, but one of the strongest as well. Their sibling relationship is something truly special that those who have a close relationship with their siblings can definitely relate. Also, I didn't like Mamma all that much in the beginning, but she becomes a pretty admirable character in the end. This book made me sad, it made me glad, it brought a whole bunch of emotions reading it. All in all, a pretty good read.

[Sharon Falduto]

A thick book (the beginning of a trilogy, apparently) about a family of Italian immigrants to Minnesota, told through the lens of a young girl who struggles with racism against Italians, poverty, and dealing with thinking she needs to hold the world together. It took me a little while to get the hang of the language--in the beginning it was written from a little girl perspective with a lot of Italian thrown in -but I did end up quite enjoying the characters and story. I didn't realize it was a trilogy until I got to the end, though, and realized that it was kind of a cliffhanger.

[Karissa Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

nostalgic read

This book has resonated with me since finding this paperback novel at 13 years old. I felt I was also ChiChi in many ways, feeling disconnected and displaced in my young years. Today, at 32 years old, this book has more meaning and a place in my heart forever and an understanding of many life lessons of what I couldn’t at 13 years old. Thank you Marie for sharing ChiChi, Marco, Nonna and Mama, I will remember them for a lifetime. ❤️

[Sally Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more because after all, the title is really funny. It was well-written, but just felt kind of off-kilter to me. I bet there are others who would just love it, though. So read it if you want, and follow Italian immigrant ChiChi as she bargains with God to make life work out the way she thinks it should.

[Tina Kaczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different book for me. This author has a different way to tell her story, little thoughts and tidbits of information. It was really interesting to me and I had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed this story and would look for more from this author.

[Roxie Gallinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute

[E. Frongi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This writing read exactly like it came out of an MFA program workshop (and I do not count that as a good thing). The historical aspect of the book was its only kernel of worth for me.

[Alynne Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, it’s like an indie movie where you enjoyed watching it but at the end you’re not entirely sure what the point was.

[M Rabin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d rate this book 3.5 if I could.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Leticcia Sapponata Maggiordino-"ChiChi" a young Sicilian girl. The tale starts with ChiChi as a two year old in Italy during WWII. ChiChi's chronically depressed mother gives birth to a baby boy and seems to just hand him over to ChiChi to take care of. From that time ChiChi feels responsible for her beloved brother and as if they are one person. At the age of five her family of little brother, mother and grandmother emigrate to Minnesota to be with ChiChi's father, an American GI who had met ChiChi's mother in an Italian hospital. This family seems cursed from the start though, and all does not go well. With a mother who seems to make one bad choice after another it's often up to ChiChi and Marco, as young as they are to steer the family in the right direction. They end up settling in Tar Town of Northeast Minneapolis joining the Italian American community there. I have to admit that I loved all the local history of Northeast Minneapolis because this is where I live, but even without that connection I would have loved this story of a quite dis-functional family with ChiChi and her little brother Marco doing everything they can to survive a difficult childhood. The book is set up as the first in a trilogy although no other books have yet been published. It can easily stand on it's own though so you won't feel like you're left with a cliff hanger at the end.

[Tonya Sh]

Some of the reviews position this book as a novel about immigrants, about those who left their land in search of better life. For me it's not just this. I wouldn't emphasize the "immigrant" aspect at all. It's America after all. Everyone is an immigrant there.

But the complexity of the personality of the main character - this is what makes this book absolutely charming and worth reading for me. The absolute devotion for family, the ideals that Chichi has on her mind since early childhood, and all the "flies" in her head, all those crazy things and ideas that the author turns inside out for you-look, that's what's going on in the head of this little girl, that you wouldn't even notice in the street - this is amazing. Her perception of the world that is so different from most of the people, artistic talent - as you reading through you get to see where and how it is born and developed....

And of course, affection for the family, the way you feel you share blood with someone else. The way ChiChi loves and protects her brother, as if she is his second skin - oh my....

The language is pretty terrific too. As if written by an adolescent, but so sophisticated at the same time.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book. The narrator, Chi Chi, tells us about her childhood and adolescence, starting with her earliest memories of life in Italy and then immigrating to St. Paul Minnesota with her brother, mother, and grandmother. Her memories are both clear and hazy, at the same time. As is true of all children many of the things she hears and sees are misconstrued or misunderstood. In addition she has a vivid imagination. Born at the end of WWII, Chi Chi is raised by women. Her father, an American soldier, is absent, and when Chi Chi is told he has died, she cherishes his wooden leg. Her family is poor and it takes them a very long time to acclimate both to Minnesotan winters and the new American culture. I liked this book although it was also at times, quite depressing. The writer is also a poet, and her prose leaves a lot of space for the reader to fill in. I did find myself wishing for a little less "work" sometimes; I'm not sure that I always made the intended inference!

[Oma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable tale of a family that immigrates to Minnesota from sunny southern Italy at the end of WWII. The mother, grandmother (Nonna) and two children are rejected by the American father's family. The father is dead. The family struggles to survive and move to an Italian American neighborhood. The children are exposed to prejudice. The young bot, Marco, has a serious type of asthma and is not expected to live long.ChiChi(Leticia), the older sister looks after her brother and their mother spends much of their childhood living in depression. Nonna lavishes the children with love and affection. The focus of the tale is ChiChi. The book is the first of a trilogy. Though the subject matter seems to be depressing, it is handled with humor. ChiChi's use of the "evil eye" and her penchant for self protection hold the story together and the children grow up and learn about their mother's past.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually give this book 3-1/2 stars if 1/2 stars were available. :) It was a book about one girl's awakening to who she truly is throughout the course of her lifetime. It begins with the birth of her brother, just one year younger than her, in the 1940's in her small village on the sea in Italy. It then follows her family's journey immigrating to America and all of the differences in their new culture. The book ultimately poignantly looks at the way families grow - together, and apart, over the course of many years -- and how some people change, and some never can, or never will. I did enjoy this book, although it was WAY too long. I felt it could have been half of the nearly 500 pages and still acheived the same purpose.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of Italian immigrants (post-WWII), told from the perspective of a girl, from her early childhood in Italy to their arrival in Minneapolis through her growing up years. In many respects it speaks poignantly to the immigrant experience, and the narrator's angst is compelling. Yet the tone and pacing is uneven, and the "surprise" about the truth of the parentage of the girl and her little brother was anti-climatic.

The ending clearly implies a continuing story, and the endnotes confirm that this title (published in 2003) is the first in an intended trilogy. Yet it appears the author hasn't published any others in the series. Too bad, because ChiChi was an intriguing character. I would have enjoyed knowing what lay ahead in her life.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading about Northeast Minneapolis's Italian immigrant community in the post-WWII era. I thought the close relationship between the narrator and her younger brother, and how it changed over time, was well drawn and convincing. The portrayal of her mother was somehow unflinching and yet sympathetic--very skillfully developed. My only disappointment is my typical one with any book published by Forge (an imprint of Tor): either they don't hire proofreaders, or they pay so badly they don't get good quality proofreading. Lots of typos and errors. Argh. Maybe Giordano can get a different publisher for her next book, even if it's part of the trilogy she's planning.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book! Having taught in Italian neighbourhoods for most of my career, the language and common phrases felt like coming home. I worked on construction as a labourer, on an Italian crew, for a couple of years before going back to school to become a teacher (in the 1960s), so again, these characters had life for me.
Chi-chi was so much like girls I taught, and even the author's name was almost the same as three different cousins I taught, although all of them were Marias. Her antics could have come out of many of my classes.
I found it refreshing, funny, tragic and, as Mamma said, "ChiChi, sei cosi pazza".