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This was a nice story about Italian-American Major Joppolo’s efforts while administrator in charge of the Sicilian town of Adano during the time Allied forces occupied Italy while driving the Axis forces out during 1943 WWII. These efforts begin with Major Joppolo’s discovery of the importance of the loss of the town bell due to Fascist forces melting it down for weapons and his decision to try and obtain a replacement bell.
However, these efforts to obtain a bell do not dominate the novel. The vast majority of the story involved the Major’s involvement in many other town issues, such as their ability to fish, to do it safely and for the town children to safely get candy from soldiers. The Major’s overall goal as administrator was to obtain rights and items for the town people to help them lead a happier life.
The Major’s concern for the townsfolk and his staff reminded me of Mister Roberts� concern for his shipmates in the book, play and movie of that title. The Major doesn’t let the boneheaded attitude of an Army general interfere with his administering Adano in the best interest of all parties.
The overall tone of this book is not anti-war or anti-Army. Although the book doesn’t hesitate to find humor in and criticize overly strict and ineffective Army procedures and brass, it also patriotically celebrates American military men. It shares this attitude toward the military with Mister Roberts and many other books and movies about WWII.
I have mixed feelings on the overall quality of the book. The writing was a bit simple and lacked elegance. Perhaps that’s the journalist in Hersey. While reading, I contemplated giving the book 3 stars due to the simplistic style and storytelling.
However, upon finishing, I decided the story really was a better than average one and was an overall enjoyable reading experience. The style, though simple, was effective in telling this particular story. I also thought the ending was quite appropriate. As my Dad was a Navy lieutenant in WWII, perhaps the book’s brief but positive references to the Navy enhanced my regard for it. In any event, this eventually turned out to be a 4-star read for me.