“For cinema lovers… some of the most important films in cinematic history”

A novel focuses on Federico Fellini’s tempestuous life and brilliant film career.

Fellini first ventures to the circus on his fourth birthday in 1924. It is there, beneath a circus tent in Italy, where he seems to fall in love with the playfulness and creativity that infuse the sometimes-raucous atmosphere of show business. Fellini’s passion for theatrics continues despite coming-of-age in Fascist Italy as World War II begins. Later, determined to make sure “his life would have meaning—endless meaning and purpose,” he moves to Rome, where his job writing for a satirical magazine leads to opportunities in the film industry. While casting a radio play, he sees a picture of Giulietta Masina and immediately calls her up to make a date. The two soon fall in love and get married, cementing what will be a fruitful, long-term relationship both in life and the cinema. Following the war, Fellini’s career takes off, as he makes La Strada, La Dolce Vita, and 8½. Throughout it all, the playfulness of the circus never leaves Fellini’s heart.

Fuglei’s account of Fellini’s life is certainly engaging, particularly the fearful descriptions of the Nazi occupation of Rome during the war and the vivid scenes of the relief and joy in the city when the German troops exit. The author’s highlighting of the differences between Fellini and other directors is a great nugget for cinema lovers: “Unlike many directors, he loved visitors and onlookers to his sets; he felt they brought energy and life…Federico’s were full of constant noise, chatter, and seeming disorder.” The story is accessible and entertaining throughout. But there are aspects of the tale that could have used more depth. The narrative would have benefited from fuller descriptions of the director’s supposed mistress and his and Masina’s relationship. Fellini and Masina’s partnership intersected with all areas of their lives and inspired some of the most important films in cinematic history. Their collaboration warrants an examination that’s broader than a simple look at an artist and his muse. Ultimately, Fuglei’s book does not feel like a novel. Instead, it reads like an appealing, quickly paced recitation of Fellini’s life that lacks cited sources. While it is a fine work, readers intensely interested in the director should look for a biography.

An engrossing, informative tale about a cinematic giant.

“An engrossing, informative tale about a cinematic giant”

A novel focuses on Federico Fellini’s tempestuous life and brilliant film career.

Fellini first ventures to the circus on his fourth birthday in 1924. It is there, beneath a circus tent in Italy, where he seems to fall in love with the playfulness and creativity that infuse the sometimes-raucous atmosphere of show business. Fellini’s passion for theatrics continues despite coming-of-age in Fascist Italy as World War II begins. Later, determined to make sure “his life would have meaning—endless meaning and purpose,” he moves to Rome, where his job writing for a satirical magazine leads to opportunities in the film industry. While casting a radio play, he sees a picture of Giulietta Masina and immediately calls her up to make a date. The two soon fall in love and get married, cementing what will be a fruitful, long-term relationship both in life and the cinema. Following the war, Fellini’s career takes off, as he makes La Strada, La Dolce Vita, and 8½. Throughout it all, the playfulness of the circus never leaves Fellini’s heart.

Fuglei’s account of Fellini’s life is certainly engaging, particularly the fearful descriptions of the Nazi occupation of Rome during the war and the vivid scenes of the relief and joy in the city when the German troops exit. The author’s highlighting of the differences between Fellini and other directors is a great nugget for cinema lovers: “Unlike many directors, he loved visitors and onlookers to his sets; he felt they brought energy and life…Federico’s were full of constant noise, chatter, and seeming disorder.” The story is accessible and entertaining throughout. But there are aspects of the tale that could have used more depth. The narrative would have benefited from fuller descriptions of the director’s supposed mistress and his and Masina’s relationship. Fellini and Masina’s partnership intersected with all areas of their lives and inspired some of the most important films in cinematic history. Their collaboration warrants an examination that’s broader than a simple look at an artist and his muse. Ultimately, Fuglei’s book does not feel like a novel. Instead, it reads like an appealing, quickly paced recitation of Fellini’s life that lacks cited sources. While it is a fine work, readers intensely interested in the director should look for a biography.

An engrossing, informative tale about a cinematic giant.

“Thoughtfully portrays the challenges Capra faces… delicately limns the complex contours of his political commitments”

A historical novel dramatizes the life of filmmaker Frank Capra.

In 1903, in search of a better life, Capra’s family moves from Bisacquino, a small village in Sicily it called home for generations, to the United States, starting over in Los Angeles. Pressured by dire financial straits, young Francesco Capra—he is rechristened Frank in America—sells newspapers to help make ends meet while his father, Salvatore, shines shoes. Capra displays signs of “obvious intelligence” at a young age, but his mother shows little interest in his education—a singularly practical woman, she pushes him to work and contribute to the household. Nevertheless, Capra graduates from high school with a flowering interest in the arts and attends the Throop College of Technology, where he is given his first opportunity to seriously study film.

Fuglei studiously catalogs Capra’s rise from inauspicious obscurity to international acclaim—he directs his first low-budget film in 1922 when only 25 years old, and in 1935 his film It Happened One Night wins multiple Academy Awards. The author’s prose is more diligent than literary—she tends to use clichés and can be bloodlessly earnest in her depictions of Capra, which border on hagiographic: “Frank Russell Capra was in America, and he was going to pursue his own freedom and happiness. It was his right now. And no one was going to stop him.” But she thoughtfully portrays the challenges Capra faces in a world that both needs and discriminates against immigrants. In addition, she delicately limns the complex contours of his political commitments and the way he “straddled the line between his Republican beliefs and anti-union sentiments and his leadership of the Academy and the Screen Directors Guild.” Despite its defects, this work delivers an excellent synopsis of Capra’s intriguing and accomplished life.

A thorough, exacting, and engrossing tale of Capra’s personal and professional life.

“A thorough, exacting, and engrossing tale of Capra’s personal and professional life.”

A historical novel dramatizes the life of filmmaker Frank Capra.

In 1903, in search of a better life, Capra’s family moves from Bisacquino, a small village in Sicily it called home for generations, to the United States, starting over in Los Angeles. Pressured by dire financial straits, young Francesco Capra—he is rechristened Frank in America—sells newspapers to help make ends meet while his father, Salvatore, shines shoes. Capra displays signs of “obvious intelligence” at a young age, but his mother shows little interest in his education—a singularly practical woman, she pushes him to work and contribute to the household. Nevertheless, Capra graduates from high school with a flowering interest in the arts and attends the Throop College of Technology, where he is given his first opportunity to seriously study film.

Fuglei studiously catalogs Capra’s rise from inauspicious obscurity to international acclaim—he directs his first low-budget film in 1922 when only 25 years old, and in 1935 his film It Happened One Night wins multiple Academy Awards. The author’s prose is more diligent than literary—she tends to use clichés and can be bloodlessly earnest in her depictions of Capra, which border on hagiographic: “Frank Russell Capra was in America, and he was going to pursue his own freedom and happiness. It was his right now. And no one was going to stop him.” But she thoughtfully portrays the challenges Capra faces in a world that both needs and discriminates against immigrants. In addition, she delicately limns the complex contours of his political commitments and the way he “straddled the line between his Republican beliefs and anti-union sentiments and his leadership of the Academy and the Screen Directors Guild.” Despite its defects, this work delivers an excellent synopsis of Capra’s intriguing and accomplished life.

A thorough, exacting, and engrossing tale of Capra’s personal and professional life.

“Fuglei studiously catalogs Capra’s rise from inauspicious obscurity to international acclaim”

A historical novel dramatizes the life of filmmaker Frank Capra.

In 1903, in search of a better life, Capra’s family moves from Bisacquino, a small village in Sicily it called home for generations, to the United States, starting over in Los Angeles. Pressured by dire financial straits, young Francesco Capra—he is rechristened Frank in America—sells newspapers to help make ends meet while his father, Salvatore, shines shoes. Capra displays signs of “obvious intelligence” at a young age, but his mother shows little interest in his education—a singularly practical woman, she pushes him to work and contribute to the household. Nevertheless, Capra graduates from high school with a flowering interest in the arts and attends the Throop College of Technology, where he is given his first opportunity to seriously study film.

Fuglei studiously catalogs Capra’s rise from inauspicious obscurity to international acclaim—he directs his first low-budget film in 1922 when only 25 years old, and in 1935 his film It Happened One Night wins multiple Academy Awards. The author’s prose is more diligent than literary—she tends to use clichés and can be bloodlessly earnest in her depictions of Capra, which border on hagiographic: “Frank Russell Capra was in America, and he was going to pursue his own freedom and happiness. It was his right now. And no one was going to stop him.” But she thoughtfully portrays the challenges Capra faces in a world that both needs and discriminates against immigrants. In addition, she delicately limns the complex contours of his political commitments and the way he “straddled the line between his Republican beliefs and anti-union sentiments and his leadership of the Academy and the Screen Directors Guild.” Despite its defects, this work delivers an excellent synopsis of Capra’s intriguing and accomplished life.

A thorough, exacting, and engrossing tale of Capra’s personal and professional life.

“Fuglei writes in an amiable prose that animates key moments of her subject’s life”

A debut work novelizes the life of physicist Enrico Fermi.

Growing up in Rome in the 1910s, Fermi is a precocious teenager, scouring the book carts in the Campo de' Fiori for texts about quantum theory and letting the air out of soccer balls in order to increase their trajectory. After the unexpected death of his older brother, Enrico pours himself even more into his books to distract himself from his grief. He soon begins solving problems of projective geometry that have eluded older, better-educated minds. After studying physics at a university in Pisa, he returns to Rome to take up a professorship and meets Laura Capon, who becomes his wife. "You are the physics genius, or at least that is what I have heard," Laura tells him during their first encounter. "But you certainly don't act like one." While in Rome, Fermi makes unprecedented advances in the field of physics, postulating the existence of the neutrino and adding essential discoveries to quantum theory. But the rise of the Fascists forces Fermi and his young family to flee the country (as Laura is a Jew). Arriving in America, he lends his ingenuity to the service of his adoptive country's efforts to defeat the Axis powers, providing him with the greatest challenge of his professional life: the Manhattan Project.

Fuglei writes in an amiable prose that animates key moments of her subject's life: Fermi "handed Baudino the keys and stepped outside the jeep, but his foot gave way on something soft. It was the carcass of a jackrabbit that had been eviscerated by the blast." Even so, the book reads less like a novel than a biography, with most of the information given as exposition. The dramatized scenes rarely contain true drama, and the characters are uniformly portrayed as well-meaning folks without serious flaws or depth. The work is part of the Mentoris Project series, the goal of which is to offer flattering accounts of notable Italians. Even so, great novels have been written about historical figures (even physicists), and readers will likely wish Fuglei had taken a few risks. An informative, if unexciting, account of a celebrated scientist's training and career.

“An extremely enjoyable novel that is also informative, engaging readers in a dramatic tale based on historical events”

A biographical novel explores the life and work of an educator and reformer.

In this book, Fuglei (Fermi's Gifts, 2017) follows Maria Montessori, developer of the eponymous education system, from early childhood through the end of her life. Guided by a supportive mother—and occasionally impeded by a traditional father who takes longer to embrace his daughter's brilliance—Maria pursues education not available to most girls in 19th-century Italy, eventually earning a medical degree and treating underserved populations in Rome. Her work with mentally challenged patients leads her to develop a theory of development that ultimately becomes the Montessori educational system, first implemented in one of Rome's poorest neighborhoods. As Maria's methods become popular around the world, she spends years traveling the globe, training teachers, and fighting—particularly against a duplicitous American magazine editor—to retain control of the program.

Fuglei also examines Maria's personal life, from her deep-seated sense of religious commitment to her loving relationship with her son, Mario, the product of a brief affair with a fellow doctor. The book is thoroughly researched, displaying the author's knowledge of her subject without swamping readers in the minutiae of Italian political unification or turn-of-the-century medical practices. The writing is strong throughout, and Fuglei does an excellent job of telling Montessori's tale chronologically while also highlighting the repeated themes—obedience and defiance, the value of trust, a sense of self-control—that draw the story threads together.

Although the tone occasionally borders on hagiography ("We stood up to Garibaldi. But I wouldn't want to face that little mite on the battlefield"), the author makes it clear that her subject merits readers' esteem. (In addition, the book is published in a series that deliberately celebrates the lives of notable Italians and Italian-Americans, so the tone of admiration is intentional.) The result is an extremely enjoyable novel that is also informative, engaging readers in a dramatic tale based on historical events.

A well-written book relates the compelling and inspiring story of Maria Montessori.

“The writing is strong throughout… Fuglei does an excellent job”

A biographical novel explores the life and work of an educator and reformer.

In this book, Fuglei (Fermi's Gifts, 2017) follows Maria Montessori, developer of the eponymous education system, from early childhood through the end of her life. Guided by a supportive mother—and occasionally impeded by a traditional father who takes longer to embrace his daughter's brilliance—Maria pursues education not available to most girls in 19th-century Italy, eventually earning a medical degree and treating underserved populations in Rome. Her work with mentally challenged patients leads her to develop a theory of development that ultimately becomes the Montessori educational system, first implemented in one of Rome's poorest neighborhoods. As Maria's methods become popular around the world, she spends years traveling the globe, training teachers, and fighting—particularly against a duplicitous American magazine editor—to retain control of the program.

Fuglei also examines Maria's personal life, from her deep-seated sense of religious commitment to her loving relationship with her son, Mario, the product of a brief affair with a fellow doctor. The book is thoroughly researched, displaying the author's knowledge of her subject without swamping readers in the minutiae of Italian political unification or turn-of-the-century medical practices. The writing is strong throughout, and Fuglei does an excellent job of telling Montessori's tale chronologically while also highlighting the repeated themes—obedience and defiance, the value of trust, a sense of self-control—that draw the story threads together.

Although the tone occasionally borders on hagiography ("We stood up to Garibaldi. But I wouldn't want to face that little mite on the battlefield"), the author makes it clear that her subject merits readers' esteem. (In addition, the book is published in a series that deliberately celebrates the lives of notable Italians and Italian-Americans, so the tone of admiration is intentional.) The result is an extremely enjoyable novel that is also informative, engaging readers in a dramatic tale based on historical events.

A well-written book relates the compelling and inspiring story of Maria Montessori.

“Thoroughly researched… Telling Montessori's tale chronologically while also highlighting the repeated themes”

A biographical novel explores the life and work of an educator and reformer.

In this book, Fuglei (Fermi's Gifts, 2017) follows Maria Montessori, developer of the eponymous education system, from early childhood through the end of her life. Guided by a supportive mother—and occasionally impeded by a traditional father who takes longer to embrace his daughter's brilliance—Maria pursues education not available to most girls in 19th-century Italy, eventually earning a medical degree and treating underserved populations in Rome. Her work with mentally challenged patients leads her to develop a theory of development that ultimately becomes the Montessori educational system, first implemented in one of Rome's poorest neighborhoods. As Maria's methods become popular around the world, she spends years traveling the globe, training teachers, and fighting—particularly against a duplicitous American magazine editor—to retain control of the program.

Fuglei also examines Maria's personal life, from her deep-seated sense of religious commitment to her loving relationship with her son, Mario, the product of a brief affair with a fellow doctor. The book is thoroughly researched, displaying the author's knowledge of her subject without swamping readers in the minutiae of Italian political unification or turn-of-the-century medical practices. The writing is strong throughout, and Fuglei does an excellent job of telling Montessori's tale chronologically while also highlighting the repeated themes—obedience and defiance, the value of trust, a sense of self-control—that draw the story threads together.

Although the tone occasionally borders on hagiography ("We stood up to Garibaldi. But I wouldn't want to face that little mite on the battlefield"), the author makes it clear that her subject merits readers' esteem. (In addition, the book is published in a series that deliberately celebrates the lives of notable Italians and Italian-Americans, so the tone of admiration is intentional.) The result is an extremely enjoyable novel that is also informative, engaging readers in a dramatic tale based on historical events.

A well-written book relates the compelling and inspiring story of Maria Montessori.