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| Plot Summary of The Path to the Spiders' Nests |
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"Calvino's first novel, published in 1947 when he was 23, depicts the chaotic situation in northern Italy at the close of the Second World War, with fascists and royalists and various other partisans and guerillas battling for control of the towns and hills. Everything is seen through the eyes of a young boy named Pin, a cobbler's assistant whose older sister is a prostitute. Pin wants to be a big man, a fighter, but has a hard time understanding who's who and what's going on amid multiple betrayals and power struggles."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"This is Italo Calvino's first novel written years before his internationally acclaimed novels. It tells the story of a boy called Pin, during wartime in Italy. Pin can't relate to children his own age and so hangs out with the adults in the local bar singing them songs and generally clowning about. However he doesn't understand the adult world, these are people who are enemies and friends at the same time, whom he can laugh at until he has vented his hatred for them. When to gain favour with the adults he steals a pistol belonging to a German who is visiting with his prostitute sister he starts an adventure as a Partisan. Imprisoned he escapes with a new friend the adventurous Partisan Red Wolf and joins a ragged band of individuals who are a Partisan detachment. Here he is in his element as the boy entertaining and teasing the adults as they await their next mission against the Fascists. Pin never quite understands the adults world and the adults fail to believe that he has a pistol hidden in a secret place amongst the spiders' nests. An entertaining and enchanting tale of this boy immersed in his own remote childhood world. "
John Marcel, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Path to the Spiders' Nests |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians
Yes
Wild kid(s)?
- committing crimes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
- society
Profession/status:
- unemployed
- infantry soldier
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
- a substantial amount
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 5 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
Forest?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
- little dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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