Blood Washes Blood: A True Story of Love, Murder, and Redemption Under the Sicilian Sun

by Frank Viviano

Book Overview

Against the sweeping backdrop of western Sicily, in a riveting seven-year quest, Frank Viviano pieces together his own harrowing ancestral history of betrayal and redemption. His take is haunted, from... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671041584
• ISBN13: 9780671041588
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

One of the best books I've ever read

This book is the most evocative, brilliant book I have read in years. (And as an English professor , I have read a lot.) First, it is an autobiographical story of a first generation Sicilian American who can find no peace in our restless, rootless culture. He goes to Sicily to find his roots, and more to find the answer to a family mystery of murder. But that is just the skeleton. The book moves on several levels simultaneously: the personal quest; the nature of Sicilian culture described with a spirit of place that would have done D.H. Lawrence proud; the historical origins of the systema or Mafia told without bias, realistically and sympathetically and the story of the modern destruction of folklife everywhere. All of these strands are woven more brilliantly than any novel I have read in years. And this is not a novel; it is truth. If I may add on a personal note: I am the widow of a first generation Sicilian American whom I loved and tried to understand for over 40 years. This book has helped pull together some of the puzzling pieces of the Sicilian character. Please Mr. Viviano, please use your enormous talent to write more books of this type.

Sicily at its truth

Yes, this is Sicily... at least at its least extents. Everybody knows but nobody speaks, trust noone, strange behaviour.... but a strong friendship, an enormous respect for elders... all inside one of the most hard but beatiful country in the world. And Frank replicates these feeling in his book, telling a true story that will keep you glued to the book up to the very last page. Also very educative on the historic side, will make you love to see Sicily more than ever.

Digging into Siciliy's Culture of Secrecy

The remarkable aspect of this book is that in his search for details of his great-great-grandfather's life and death, Frank Viviano goes beneath the surface of officially recorded facts to follow the trail of family secrets. Anyone who has searched for information about their Sicilian background knows that much is untold. Parents and grandparents carry their secrets to the grave. In order to discover the truth, it is necessary to read between the lines. Patience and a knowledge of Sicilian history and culture is essential. Frank Viviano has carefully gathered a wealth of background material that is revealing and useful for the reader who is trying to pursue a similar inquiry into family history.This is fine non-fiction writing. The story unfolds with a certain drama, using the craft of writing to keep us reading well past bedtime! Perhaps the only weakness, in my opinion, is that more is revealed than need be about the author's own personal torments. Any information about an old girlfriend, for example, is irrelevant to the story. This is a minor flaw however. This book is superior to anything I have read about Sicily or searching for Italian roots.

FANTASTIC!

I started reading this book one afternoon and I could not go to bed until I finished it. Mr. Viviano weaves a compelling story and you feel you are trying to solve his family mystery along with him. It is beautifully written and the author uses his sharp reporting skills to get ever detail just right. He illuminates many of the mysteries of modern Sicily and shines a light on its violent history. A MUST READ!

A Haunting True Tale of Love, Passion and Murder in Sicily

Blood Washes Blood deserves the acclaim and attention of such recent classics as MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL and UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. Though Viviano's narrative is based on a true murder--that of his great, great Grandfather and namesake, this reads like the most gripping murder mystery. The reader is transported to Sicily and effortlessly travels back and forth in time to a land tainted with the blood of outlaw honor. The sense of place is evocative and heady, rich with the physical sensualness of Sicily. The denouement is a shocker that splits the whole, lush, cinematic story wide open and embues it with a deeply passionate intimacy. Viviano is a brave, gifted writer. This is one not to miss.