The Sicily Papers

by Michelle Orange

Genres: Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

the object itself is beautiful. a perfect bound book to look like a passport that fits securely in your back pocket. even before i read it, i turned it over and looked at it in the light. i put it on an old oak table and watched as the sunlight illuminated the gold foil title before it slipped into darkness. i began reading beneath a garage sale lamp. and finished sometime two days later on a bench in a park. the thing that so strongly affected me is that she got it down. with a thoughtful and tender eye. it opens. and unfolds in the slightest of ways like a blade of grass. it slips in and you find yourself walking in sunlight remembering a curb you stepped off of from a city one thousand miles away. you are retracing and trying, trying, trying to remember. or you are laying in bed and thinking about your aging mother and how she is doing after her chemotherapy and you want to call her in the middle of the night and say write it down, what is your view. what do you feel, what are you thinking. you want every moment to be captured and put down in perfect sentences. documented. the sweetness of the ordinary. the remarkableness of the unremarkable. it's captured in this tiny book and it sits on my shelf squarely for some distant hand to pull it down and open it up.

[Kate S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is this what reading your early 20s journal as a 45 year old feels like? I can only hope the author cringes as much as I did on her behalf. Considering the infuriating misuse of “or” vs “nor”, and usage of “gay” and “retarded” as a pejorative, it is not a good look into the author’s writing or professional maturity at the time. It is nearly 20 years old, she was young, and times were different, but it was not reflective of an author I want to spend any amount of time with. This book, as all other efforts from this author, are a hard pass.

[Lydia Ivanovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passport indeed. Inclusive of the entertaining getaway.

[Bedouin Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book some time ago, mostly for its cover like a passport with gold leaf, officially textured, simple and corner-rounded. A handsome book. I also bought it because, from time to time I like to go back to Sicily. While reading Orange's long series of letters to "B", I noted the accuracy of this observer's reportings in Italy, a combination of traits mostly derived from the Italian people that represented both being put upon by and welcoming to the foreigner. Orange captured the people in a very honest way, and didn't remove herself from the writing. Well done. But I won't say this book was well written or conceived. Stop reading this review now if you are thumbing through this book and can't decide. There is one dominant character in this book, and little development of her. The book's structure, letters to "B", make you wonder whether "B" was a device that was given characteristics only as the result of an editor's request for feeling there needed to be more. Maybe not. Still, there needed to be more over 150 pages that moved quickly across a month-long trip. More of a plunge into the culture, people and passions. More from and about "B", to warrant the distraction from Sicily's absolute seduction. Like I said, Orange did well to capture the people, but also the surroundings - sum total: seduction. But maybe the book was never to be such an exploration, and for that, it is an easy read, voyeuristic at times, one that could be a good companion to the bus/train/ferry taker in southern Italy. However, if you were looking for something official, textured and simple, then you may find this book just what your southern Italy trip needs. It's just enough Sicily to pique interest (but there is so much more).

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Sicily Papers. The format was unique and different in that it was almost like a travel journal, but was actually a series of letter written by the main character, Michelle, to a friend in the US while she's traveling around Italy. It took me awhile to get through despite being so short because there's no real plot moving through the book. You read it simply because the character is amusing (and oh man is she amusing). The thoughts jump around and the letters connect, but you can put the book down between letters and come back a little while later without losing or missing anything. This actually made the book more interesting for me, because it meant that I could read little snippets of it at a time before bed and spread it out without worrying about forgetting a plot point or anything like that. The character of Michelle is fun and the observations made here are quirky and a little bit unusual and usually revolve around the differences in cultures and perceptions. I enjoyed the book, and it's a really fun little thing, so I'd recommend picking it up and giving it a go because you'll likely find something you enjoy about it.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, this isn't really a memoir; it's more of a travel diary.

I absolutely loved holding this book in my hands. It's small, designed to look like a passport. The whole concept is very novel, it reminds me of candy cigarettes for some reason.

Anyhow, I enjoy reading letters and diaries. If you don't, I can't imagine this would be a very engaging read. If you do, it's certainly a treat.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the format of the letters and the diminutive size of the book made it a great companion for travel reading. The narrator is basically writing letters to her beau while she is in Italy for an extended stay. Some of the observations were cool, but overall was hoping for more of a thread tying it all together. If you like stream of consciousness writing though...this book would definitely be for you.

[Blair Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit I was drawn to the book simply by its size, shape, and look. It came in a package of several other books and I only had time for a short one. I was pulled in from the first letter. She's a snappy, funny, also self-absorbed writer talking less abut the scenery than about memories of friends, inside jokes, and so forth. I'd like to know more about this mysterious B to whom she was writing. She loves that guy.

[jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments in this book that were filled with awesome, introspective, really great prose. I spent a lot of time confused, though, because the book is all letters to someone, without responses. I like books that are told in letters, but only getting bits and pieces of what the other person says makes it hard to follow what's going on. That said, I'd love to read more of her work!

[Joshua Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Working on this one. I think it too well crafter to be a true diary. i love that I can't tell if she genuinely recorded this while she traveled. I have noticed she is mixing up her writing a bit much for it to be a true stream-of-conciousness. Great narrative developing. Can't wait to see where this takes me. Probably to Sicily :-)

[Frances Dinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars, mostly because of a taste thing. I'm not big on epistolary narratives and Orange spends a lot of time trash talking Naples. I really love Naples. But much of this is funny and sweet and mostly what I needed to solve my longing for the Italian summer.

Also, as always, Short Flight/Long Drive's book design is stellar. Glad to own such a pretty book.

[Seth · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want to jump back into the mindset, life, and times of an early-twenty something young lady spending summers exploring island beaches and villages around the Mediterranean, this book is alright. Essentially, it's a series of travel letters home that have been published.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a waste of time. I finished in under a day, and the only reason I did finish is because it was the only thing I had to read and didn't have a vehicle to get me to the library to pick up something better.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most delightful. I laughed, cried, and thoroughly enjoyed holding this book.