Cheap Full of Life (Book) (John Fante) Price

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Customer Reviews of Full of Life

Good Book if You Are A Fan of Fante
I think this is a great book if you are a fan of Fante. If you have never read Fante before, you should start out with his best like "Wait Until Spring, Bandini" or "1933 Was A Bad Year." Full of Life is tamer than most Fante novels. It revolved around the main character, his pregnant wife Joyce and Nick Fante. I found it to be a pretty moving book, especially near the end. Overall, I would say I enjoyed it yet, I found it to be somewhat different from the other Fante novels I had read.

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"Full of Life": full of good writing
"Full of Life," the novel by John Fante, is told in the first person by a character named, curiously enough, John Fante. This is one of many details in which the character's life mirrors that of the author. But whatever the degree to which "Life" is autobiographical, this is a very engaging, well-written novel.

The narrator of "Life" is an Italian-American writer living in Los Angeles with his pregnant wife, Joyce. As the novel follows the course of Joyce's pregnancy, John deals with Joyce's shifting emotional moods, her growing interest in Roman Catholicism (from which John himself has fallen away), and termite infestation in the house. All of this is further complicated by John's problematic relationship with his father Nick, a retired bricklayer who isn't shy about sharing his own strong opinions about family life.

This book is truly full of life: it is a richly realized blend of comedy and drama, and is peopled by a vividly realized group of characters. I especially loved old Nick Fante: stubborn but loving, devoted to his family and to his craft, and a rich source of Abruzzian folk beliefs.

"Life" is also noteworthy as a novel which really takes religion seriously, acknowledging both the emotional power and problematic nature of Roman Catholicism for many Italian-Americans. "Full of Life" is ultimately a very moving story of family ties, and a noteworthy contribution to the multi-ethnic literary heritage of the United States.

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Better than expected.
As a fan of Bukowski, I decided to read a book by an author he enjoyed. I picked this one up at a used bookstore simply because it was the only Fante book they carried. It wasn't what I expected. It was an emotional mess, which centered on his wife's pregnancy. But, once you get into the book, you realize it has more to do with family, and a loving acceptance into a situation you wouldn't normally enter, but because you were born into it, you're forced to try. He writes from the heart. With passion. I'm excited to read the Bandini series. Anyone who doesn't like this book, never made it to the heart of the story.