The book is by Tim Parks. He follows Verona around for all of the away matches. How good is it? Does it give an accurate description of Serie A? I want to learn more about Italian footie. Thanks.
Tim Park's story was only half as annoying as that of Bill Buford (among the thugs), but you still want to slap him. It certainly does paint a picture of some stuff that happens aside from the games - its probably worth a read
It is a good read. If you want to learn more about the game in Italy, the book is entertaining as he follows a struggling/underdog club with some intense fans...
I found it to be a great read. Of course I don't know that much about the inner workings of Italian calcio, other than the fact I'm a general all-around soccer fanatic to begin with. I'm more interested in what has happened to Verona since the season described in the book.
I've heard it's quite good, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I loved his other autobiographical books about Italy - "Italian Neighbors" and "An Italian Education."
I liked it and I definitely recommend it. It's got a really interesting perspective on the so-called "hard core" fan. I enjoyed it more than The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, if that gives you a frame of reference.
Mike, what can you tell me about these other two books? I was thinking about picking one of them up. Which one of the two would you (first) recommend?
They are chronological. Read Italian Neighbors first then An Italian Education. I agree with Mike, they are quite good and give some real insight into Italian culture.
I've been meaning to read these as well. Went to library 3x and they never have any of them. Are they funny?
Not really laugh-out-loud funny, but certainly humorous, and I just like the way he writes. He's an Englishman thrust into Italian culture (well, by his own choice as he married an Italian) and trying to make sense of it. I especially liked the second book as he realizes - helplessly - that his son is going to grow up as an Italian. Some of the story takes place during WC94 and there is a lot of reference to Baggio leading Italy's run to the final; Parks couldn't help but hate il Codino and the Azzurri, but of course, his son loved them. And he sort of grudgingly became a Verona fan through his son. I just haven't had the ambition to take on the Verona book yet - it's 400+ pages!! - but my husband zipped through it and loved it.
I'll put them on my wish list. Season with Verona is on the list already, but I don't know if I'll get it.
As football books go, I'd rate it good-not-great, but definitely worth a read. As a reporter and analyst of the human condition, Tim Parks is nothing short of excellent. He brings to life a lot of details about Verona (the team and the town), Serie A, and Italian tifosi that are really interesting, and that you'd never know about otherwise (unless you were involved in that world). His analysis of the details is really good, too. Parks is obviously really smart, and there's not only reportage, but insight. That said, I am pretty lukewarm about the book. I guess it's that Parks' approach is so removed and analytical that it seemed to me cold. Despite obviously caring a great deal for Hellas, the book lacks a certain warmth or heart. I left it feeling informed, impressed, but never really enlightened. And while I found ASWV hard to put down, I've never wanted to pick it back up since I finished it (and I've read favorite classics -- Fever Pitch, Among the Thugs -- at least ten times each). I've read other of Parks' work (mainly essays in the New Yorker), and always had the same reaction. As for other books on the topic, I think The Miracle of Castel di Sangro has a lot of the same qualities in terms of being an interesting read and having lots of great facts and stories about calcio, but while it lacks the intellectual edge of ASWV, I think it actually has more heart, and if I were to read one of the two again, I'd pick the Miracle.
Get it, Read it...now! I found it very entertaining and thoughtful...and in some instances outloud funny - woke the wife up an outburst or two. I thought it was an interesting description of Serie A, Italian culture, and a self-exploration of fandom. I think you could hammer it out in a weekend, certainly a week. I read it over the holidays and couldn't put it down. I'm glad to see others posters' thumbs up on Parks' other books, I'll look into those next. I really enjoyed "verona."
Definitely worth reading. I wasn't going to read it at all because I came across a really dumb article Parks wrote in FourFourTwo, but a lot of people convinced me that it was an aberration. I'd put Verona between excellent and classic myself. Which is where I'd put Miracle of Castel di Sangro, too. So read 'em both to get an idea what Serie A and Serie B are all about.
If you can, try to make it through Italian Education. It is better, if only for the passages about Italy's run through WC94 and Parks' opinions on Baggio. But if you really disliked the first one ....
Well it got better towards the 2nd half, but he seemed to drone on and on. I'll see if I can find it at the library - but allow 2 weeks to read it.