In Revere, in Those Days

Revere Beach Trilogy #3

by Roland Merullo

In this richly evocative novel--the moving story of one boy's coming of age--acclaimed author Roland Merullo will make you nostalgic for a small Massachusetts city called Revere even if you've never been there. Providing a window into an unspoiled America of forty years ago, In Revere welcomes you to the fiercely loyal and devoted Italian-American family of the Benedettos.

Although he was orphaned as a child, young Anthony Benedetto was always surrounded by family, and the vibrant warmth of the Revere community. His Uncle Peter, a former Golden Gloves boxer whose days of glory were behind him, believed Tonio was bound for great things. So did his daughter Rosie, Tonio's favorite cousin, who would take many wrong turns--away from Tonio--through adolescence. His gentle grandparents, who took him in, encouraged him to claim a future outside of Revere, but the warm, unconditional love of his family, and the smells and sounds of Revere stay with him forever.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Book Club

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

ROLAND MERULLO is an awarding-winning author of 24 books including 17 works of fiction: Breakfast with Buddha, a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, now in its 20th printing; The Talk-Funny Girl, a 2012 ALEX Award Winner and named a "Must Read" by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts Center for the Book; Vatican Waltz named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly; Lunch with Buddha selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews; Revere Beach Boulevard named one of the "Top 100 Essential Books of New England" by the Boston Globe; A Little Love Story chosen as one of "Ten Wonderful Romance Novels" by Good Housekeeping, Revere Beach Elegy winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction, and Once Night Falls, selected as a "First Read" by Amazon Editors.

A former writer in residence at North Shore Community College and Miami Dade Colleges, and professor of Creative Writing at Bennington, Amherst and Lesley Colleges, Merullo has been a guest speaker at many literary events and venues and a faculty member at MFA programs and several writers’ conferences. His essays have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Outside Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Magazine, Reader's Digest, Good Housekeeping, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Merullo's books have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, German, Chinese, Turkish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Czech.

Reviews

[Cheryl Crotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great coming of age book. First of all I should disclose that I grew up in Salem, Mass which I’d about 20 minutes from Revere. When we were teenagers and young adults we spent a fair amount of time at Revere beach and the boulevard. Three cities, Salem, Revere and Lynn (the city of sin) shared boundaries and for the most part the same economic stays. Poor hardworking families. Having said that, this book grabbed my heart and took me back to a time in my life that although we struggled we had good times and loyalty amongst family and friend. Tragedies were not unusual either. The grandparents were the center of the family and this story got that right. How to stay for the family but then how to break away for a better life. The writing was suburb. Such a gifted talented writer. I was sorry when the book ended. It is not often that a book pulls you in and you feel like family. I’ll be reading more of his work. BTW, if you read this book you will learn a new language. It is called Bauston. Loved it.

[Amy Galaviz · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a coming-of-age story centered on Tonio, a young man growing up among an Italian-immigrant family in Revere in the 1960s. Revere is only a few towns away from me, so I read this book hoping to gain a historical perspective of the area, and how people from there came to become the way they are. However, this book turned out to be more of a memoir of Tonio's fictional life, with his feelings about himself, his family, and his life examined and discussed at length, and not so much of a portrait of the town. While it was sad and all how he was orphaned as a young boy, I found most of the book a little too preachy and Hallmark-cardy for my taste. I understand how it must be traumatizing to lose ones parents at such a young age, but there were things about Tonio that seemed unusual, unrealistic, and downright bizarre. The way in which he was able to cope with tragedy living in a rough neighborhood, with no moral shortcomings whatsoever, and go on to be so successful in life was inspirational, yes, but not very believable, and it is rare to meet people in real life who would be able to cope so well. Also, the book mentions that he is interested in girls as a teenager, but it seems he only admires them from a distance, and the only girl he ever really thinks about is his cousin Rosalie. As a star athlete and student wouldn't one expect him to be more aggressive with girls? Also, what is up with his relationship with Lydia, a woman more than twice his age? I could understand at first how they bonded because they both lost their closest family members, but when their relationship turned sexual and she took his virginity, I was like, 'whoa.' The whole situation made me a little squeamish. Overall, this book had potential, but unfortunately did not fulfill my expectations.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revere is a seashore town in Massachusetts, and the narrator of this story, Anthony Benedetto, tells the story of his life. Anthony’s family is a close-knit one. He and his parents share a two-family house with his grandparents, and when his parents are killed in a plane crash, Anthony simply moves downstairs and is raised by his grandparents. He is especially close to his Uncle Peter, and Peter’s daughter Rosalie is Anthony’s best friend, although they part ways as Rosalie runs with a bad crowd as they grow older. For me, the relationship between Anthony and his grandfather is the key to the story. He helps Anthony deal with the grief of losing his parents, but more importantly, Grandfather understands that Anthony is trying to reconcile his Italian ancestry and values with 20th century American life. Anthony is a good boy, smart in school, and Grandfather has plans for him. He teaches Anthony to ice skate and play hockey. He encourages Anthony in his education and Anthony wins a scholarship for high school at Phillips Exeter Academy in NH. From the blurb in the cover, “As the New World calls to him, Anthony gradually grows up and away from Revere but finds that it is as much a part of him as his eye color and the size of his hands. His eventual realizations – that geography is destiny, that suffering is universal, and that he is able to pass on, to his own children, the priceless Benedetto inheritance of warmth and caring – form the essence of who he becomes as a man.”

[Meichler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3 stars for this one. A nice, coming of age story that is beautifully written, which takes place North of Boston near where I lived for quite some time, this is the fictionalized story of a boy named Anthony who - grows up. Anthony loses his parents tragically and is raised by his grandparents, who are sweet old Italians. He adores his Uncle who seems like a shady character though his whereabouts are never quite confirmed. He goes to school. He makes friends. He is completely boring. Those individuals around him (such as his rebellion, gorgeous cousin and his black roommate - going to school in the '60's) are interesting, as is his uncle, his grandparents, even his parents who we only know for a short time. Anthony, however, has the most straight edge high school career I've ever heard of and I found myself, often, thinking, "why am I reading about this kid?". That said, it was a beautiful story in a lot of ways - his relationship with his grandparents made my heart swell, given that I, too, am very close with my grandparents; his loss of his parents brought tears to my eyes - those are genuine testaments to how well written the book was. I just - didn't care too much about our Anthony. I wish we would have gotten to know the other better and spent less time on a boy who barely leaves his room.

[Catherine Marenghi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Revere, In Those Days This lovely novel made me think I was reading a memoir -- it was so vivid and true to a time and place. Refreshingly, this story of an Italian-American family is NOT about the Mafia, but the kind of Italian-American family that will be immediately recognizable to all like me who were raised in one -- people deeply connected to each other and to their cultural roots.

As an extra treat, I live on the North Shore of Massachusetts, and the author's references to the local region are spot on. I have recommended this book to a number of friends who have loved it. It is an accessible, beautifully written and lovingly rendered portrait of a young man coming of age.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is my second book written by Merullo--a local author. My first encounter with his writing was through Breakfast with Buddha, a book I highly recommend. I connected with the narrator in this book, a young Italian American boy living in Revere. While I am neither a boy nor a resident of Revere, I was able to re-experience the richness of growing up Immersed in Italian culture. More than that, I really connected to the decisions the narrator wrestled with in making decisions to grow beyond his local community and family. It is a coming of age story that explores family ties, love, loss, prejudices of the 60s, and finding one's true self when straddling two worlds. I look forward to adding more from this author.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this close on the heels of All Souls, a memoir about South Boston -- so closely in fact, that I was several chapters in before I remembered that this was a novel, and not a memoir. Then, oddly, I found I liked it a lot less. It's said that one can be more truthful in a novel than in a memoir, and I believe there is truth in every word of this story. It took a long time for me to finish it; I kept leaving it about the house. In the end, I guess I liked it more than I didn't, but it seemed to be too many stories at a time, and those stories were The Departed, School Ties, Summer of 42, and everything Pat Conroy ever wrote. That's good company to be in, I suppose. I just wanted something new. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about it, but there it is.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The descriptions of Italian-American family life resonated so strongly with me that at times I forgot that this book a) isn't intended to be an autobiography, and b) isn't *my* autobiography! (ignoring the differences in location, decade, and gender of course...)

I became absolutely swept up in the richness and familiarity of the characters and the exploration of why they were the way they were (this is a level of detail that can drag in a book that isn't as well-written as this one). This book gave me a renewed appreciation for character-driven prose instead of plot-driven. I felt all of the emotions as raw as if they were my own.

Definitely looking forward to reading more by Roland Merullo.

[Eva Nickelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about the Italian-American immigrant experience. The protagonist is Anthony Benedetto, and the book follows him through middle school and high school. He loses his parents near the beginning of the story, and from then on, his grandparents and his godfather, Uncle Peter, take over, trying to give him something close to what his parents wanted for him. This leads to hockey and Exeter, and away from the closeness of his large Italian family.

The prose in the book is amazing. Murello has a beautiful way of stating both the horrific and the mundane. The pace of the book was well done, and the characters were all varied and multidimensional, very life-like.

[Bob Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in Revere, on a side street off of Park Avenue much like "Jupiter Street", the home base of this captivating novel. My adolescence was probably 15 years earlier than the action of this story, but it still rings true to me. Merullo captures the Revere I knew as well as the Italian families I grew up beside. But you don't have to have grown up to appreciate this novel. The struggles of adolescence and "fitting in" at school could well have been your as well. A very atmospheric and enthralling read. Highly recommended.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent most of my life wishing I had been born into an Italian family. One of my dearest friends in childhood (in the 60's) was Italian, and I remember hoping everyday that she would invite me to her house... to eat, to play, to feel the energy, to stay! This story, by Roland Merullo, takes you back to the late 60's, when the author is "coming of age". Maybe it was this author's style of writing, written with the main character as its narrator, or possibly it was the time-period piece, or maybe it was the whole Italian family "want-a-be" thing that hooked me. But I loved this book!

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. Roland Merullo has a beautiful gift for writing. You can "feel" everything he describes in this wonderful story. I took my time reading as I didn't want to miss anything...I didn't want the story to end. Had a few good cries during reading...any author who can do that is tops in my book. This is a must have for my library and I can't wait to read more of his work.

[Lynn Schuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this tender novel about growing up in a family of strong ethnic traditions and respecting those while wanting something more. While this family was of Italian American ancestry I see so many parallels to my German first generation German and Slovak paternal and maternal grandparents. They had so much love would do anything to support the grandchildren , made mistakes and blamed themselves , sadly self critical and humble.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one day. Having grown up in Revere, I could walk the streets with the protagonist and was so familiar with every place and thing he described: from the cookies at Russo's Bakery, to the altar at St. Anthony's Church... One of my favorite scenes is about encountering the young arsonist who torched the former incarnation of my elementary and junior high school.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Italian family?
North Shore Massachusetts?
1960s and 1970s?
Yup, I’m in.
If done well (which this was), I absolutely love this stuff.

I’m unsure what made this a novel instead of a memoir – it felt way too personal and real to be anything but autobiographical. Could have been a ‘A Million Little Pieces’ kind of thing. Regardless, I dug it.

[jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good; I read it one summah when we was down the cape for v'cation. I had a hahd time not saying 'Raveah' every time I read the title!! :) he he

[Amy Breckenridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful, introspective coming-of-age story taking place in the 1960s in revere, massachusetts. it’s not often i get to read a book that takes place where i live, so it was really cool to be able to exactly picture some of these scenes at locations i’ve been to myself, and where i have deep cultural understanding of what it was like to grow up in a place (i grew up hearing stories about revere from my grammy, who was born and raised here).

“Being a Revere person meant that above all else…you had an instinctive empathy for other people’s pain and embarrassment…. One of the peculiar aspects of being a Revere person…was that, since we shared so thoroughly in each others suffering, there was a certain amount of guilt associated with success and happiness, with getting out and away. It is, I think, to this day, the quality that keeps people from ever moving out of that place or places like it.”

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything but Kelly’s Roast Beef!
Enjoyed how characters were brought to life and the insights into how they played out the roles they were given in the small city of Revere. The stories were largely credible and the determination of the grandfather to get his grandson into a field that would propel him on a road out of the city and, perhaps a bit sadly, out of the family culture.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this a 5 because I loved all the characters and details... it really felt like you were reading this young man's autobiographical story of growing up working class Italian American ... why did the author have to throw in the affair with a much older woman ... it felt out of character and very unnecessary. Bummer.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

A gentle story about an Italian-American family, in the next town to mine, in the era in which I grew up.

Beautifully written. I'm going to order another of Mr. Merullo's books! Ot two!

[Noel Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a little while to read, but I liked this coming of age story. Loved the Lydia character towards the end. I loved the character Rosalie and the main character's grandmother. Felt like I was there when I read it.

[Payton Pelkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good some parts weren't necessary in my opinion. However the book really captures the esence of family.

[Will G · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent coming of age story about growing up in an Italian family in Revere, Massachusetts. The book moved me more than I thought it would and better than his first book about Revere. Will now read his third book in the series...

[Fairport Public Library]

October 2010, Gene B, Fiction

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book. felt like home. full of grit and heart.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt American novel

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish a movie adaption of this book existed

[N Hh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, well written novel with a credible plot and well developed characters. I can give it no higher praise.

[Liza Cody 📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful novel about humanity, family & growth.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to find and read more by Roland Merullo.