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Before My Time
The rich and complex saga of a wealthy Russian family at the turn of the century.Mr. Tucci performs something of a major tour de force. After a brilliant first chapter which pinpoints with deft if uncharitable wit its cast of characters, the book unfolds with almost Proustian involution. The vanished world of Tucci's family lives again in this book, intact in its baroque opulence.-New York Times Book Review
- GenresItaly
638 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1962
2 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Niccolò Tucci
20 books5 followersNiccolò Tucci (May 1, 1908 – December 10, 1999) was a short story writer and novelist who wrote in English and Italian.
Born in Lugano, Switzerland of a Russian mother and an Italian father who became a Swiss citizen, Niccolò Tucci grew up in privileged circumstances that were eliminated by the Bolshevik Revolution. His family relocated to Tuscany. In 1938, he resigned a position with Mussolini's Press Ministry and immigrated to the United States. He wrote numerous short stories and a few longer works, many of which are largely autobiographical in their subject matter.
His daughter, Maria Tucci, is an actress married to her father's former editor, Robert Gottlieb.
Born in Lugano, Switzerland of a Russian mother and an Italian father who became a Swiss citizen, Niccolò Tucci grew up in privileged circumstances that were eliminated by the Bolshevik Revolution. His family relocated to Tuscany. In 1938, he resigned a position with Mussolini's Press Ministry and immigrated to the United States. He wrote numerous short stories and a few longer works, many of which are largely autobiographical in their subject matter.
His daughter, Maria Tucci, is an actress married to her father's former editor, Robert Gottlieb.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 4, 2022
I gotta say I really enjoyed this book. The storyline despite not being about the most thrilling of subjects still is gripping and keeps the reader interested. The various twists and minor poetic instances keeps the book unpredictable throughout. I really like the Authors style of writing with the way he presents the letters between the characters being a highlight.
The Characters themselves are also fascinating as though they all possess negative traits and tendencies they also all have moments in which they are very likeable. One of the most common themes among the characters is a complete ignorance of their own faults and misdeeds but on top of this also often a ignorance of their best attributes, all in all this makes the characters seem more real and the dynamic between the characters more interesting.
Overall I highly recommend this book
The Characters themselves are also fascinating as though they all possess negative traits and tendencies they also all have moments in which they are very likeable. One of the most common themes among the characters is a complete ignorance of their own faults and misdeeds but on top of this also often a ignorance of their best attributes, all in all this makes the characters seem more real and the dynamic between the characters more interesting.
Overall I highly recommend this book
June 1, 2023
I found this book in a used bookstore over Thanksgiving break and chose it for its simple yet stately cover (different than the Goodreads image) and its 1962 first-edition smell. Tucci's novel is inspired by his own family's history, and I was immediately drawn in by the melodrama of the highly volatile, ridiculously emotional Russian millionaire family, sketched to absurdity in Tucci's witty, straightforward prose. Tucci writes with frank insight into the inconsistency, senselessness, pride, and power of humanity. This blunt honesty often made for humorous episodes--in particular, I enjoyed a 22-page chapter detailing the farcical endeavor of an Italian doctor from peasant origins (Tucci's father) getting outfitted with a wardrobe of enough tailored suits to suit his wealthy newlywed Russian wife, Mary (Tucci's mother). There's a brilliant bit with a wrinkle and a feigned bad posture.
But that's not enough to redeem the book, which was simply too long (taking 22 pages to describe a couple visits to the tailor is just a hint of an indication). Often, Tucci writes so many words that it becomes hard to follow the plot, and after ten pages of a spirited conversation between two characters, I would be left scratching my head over what Mary was so upset about this time. Perhaps 300 of the 638 pages are a variation on the same exchange between Mary and her mother, whose name I think is Sophie but who is simply referred to as "the old lady" throughout the novel. The old lady is a mean, tyrannical, manipulative matriarch, and Mary is devoted to her like a puppy. Their conversations go something like this:
The old lady: "I am about to die, I am on my deathbed, I have suffered so much. Too bad nobody cares about me."
Mary: "No, Mamachen, don't say that, you'll live forever and ever! Don't die, I need you, I love you, I'm sorry!!"
The old lady: "Hmph fine I'll stick around a little longer, though I'm so sick and frail that I probably won't last long and then you'll be sorry. Now let me devour a whole pheasant, a hill of mashed potatoes, a creamed soup, fish and mushrooms, cheese and salad and cake and an apple and fruit and chocolates and bread and butter all by myself."
Death is brought up about every other page, with some truly interesting reflections: "What Mary needs is a bit of my death, [the old lady] thought; that would teach her a lesson...But there again, unfortunately, death could not be given in small doses. To cure unawareness, disrespect, and lack of love, one had to give the real thing, not just the fear of it. And the real thing cannot be taken back. How many times she had wished she could die and return after a day or so, when everybody she had left had learned a lesson and become more attentive, more affectionate, more grateful!"
That passage, sitting squarely on page 417, sums up and sets up most of the characters' motives and actions. It just went on for too long.
But that's not enough to redeem the book, which was simply too long (taking 22 pages to describe a couple visits to the tailor is just a hint of an indication). Often, Tucci writes so many words that it becomes hard to follow the plot, and after ten pages of a spirited conversation between two characters, I would be left scratching my head over what Mary was so upset about this time. Perhaps 300 of the 638 pages are a variation on the same exchange between Mary and her mother, whose name I think is Sophie but who is simply referred to as "the old lady" throughout the novel. The old lady is a mean, tyrannical, manipulative matriarch, and Mary is devoted to her like a puppy. Their conversations go something like this:
The old lady: "I am about to die, I am on my deathbed, I have suffered so much. Too bad nobody cares about me."
Mary: "No, Mamachen, don't say that, you'll live forever and ever! Don't die, I need you, I love you, I'm sorry!!"
The old lady: "Hmph fine I'll stick around a little longer, though I'm so sick and frail that I probably won't last long and then you'll be sorry. Now let me devour a whole pheasant, a hill of mashed potatoes, a creamed soup, fish and mushrooms, cheese and salad and cake and an apple and fruit and chocolates and bread and butter all by myself."
Death is brought up about every other page, with some truly interesting reflections: "What Mary needs is a bit of my death, [the old lady] thought; that would teach her a lesson...But there again, unfortunately, death could not be given in small doses. To cure unawareness, disrespect, and lack of love, one had to give the real thing, not just the fear of it. And the real thing cannot be taken back. How many times she had wished she could die and return after a day or so, when everybody she had left had learned a lesson and become more attentive, more affectionate, more grateful!"
That passage, sitting squarely on page 417, sums up and sets up most of the characters' motives and actions. It just went on for too long.
March 27, 2022
3 1/2 stars
This novel surprised me. It had a lot of great comedic moments. The characters were vivid, with moments of true stupidity and true grace. That being said, I found myself cringing at the reactions of many of the different characters at the various incidents throughout the novel. It was well-written but felt over-the-top at times. As the plot went on, I found the characters, as they did more and more stupid things, became tiresome, and by the 300-350 page point, I really resented having to read another 300 pages of misunderstandings etc. I would have preferred to have had one 'straight man' character to highlight just how absurd this family was. I thought the Italian doctor was that character, and he seemed to be set up that way, but by the end, he was just as annoying as the rest of the characters (although Mary, who started off annoying became the least annoying character at the end.) It's an absurd mess of a family that is well-described by Tucci's long-raveling story-telling. I would only recommend to readers who are not intimated by a hefty, meaty novel.
This novel surprised me. It had a lot of great comedic moments. The characters were vivid, with moments of true stupidity and true grace. That being said, I found myself cringing at the reactions of many of the different characters at the various incidents throughout the novel. It was well-written but felt over-the-top at times. As the plot went on, I found the characters, as they did more and more stupid things, became tiresome, and by the 300-350 page point, I really resented having to read another 300 pages of misunderstandings etc. I would have preferred to have had one 'straight man' character to highlight just how absurd this family was. I thought the Italian doctor was that character, and he seemed to be set up that way, but by the end, he was just as annoying as the rest of the characters (although Mary, who started off annoying became the least annoying character at the end.) It's an absurd mess of a family that is well-described by Tucci's long-raveling story-telling. I would only recommend to readers who are not intimated by a hefty, meaty novel.
November 9, 2013
Can't say it better than Newsweek did:A curious, masterly novel. Big, sumptuous. A seething gallery of personalities. A study of human beings who are massive figures because they contain and express so much common humanity.
And from Harper's: Tucci has an almost Tolstoyan power to depict the moment-by-moment shifts in feeling that his characters undergo. A remarkable book.
And from Harper's: Tucci has an almost Tolstoyan power to depict the moment-by-moment shifts in feeling that his characters undergo. A remarkable book.
May 14, 2012
Funny and melancholy, a family history entangled with the clash of culture and class. Quite a good read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews