Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto by Gianni Rodari

Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto

Gianni Rodari

Published: December 6, 2011

Publisher: Melville House

ISBN:1935554611

Description:

A modern fable for children and adults: a story of one man's quest for eternal life and how finds it in the most extraordinary of ways—in the grand tradition of Saint-Exúpery's The Little Prince.

When we first meet 93-year-old millionaire Baron Lamberto, he has been diagnosed with 24 life-threatening ailments—one for each of the 24 banks he owns! But when he takes the advice of an Egyptian mystic and hires servants to chant his name over and over again, he seems to not only get better, but younger.

Except then a terrorist group lays siege to his island villa, his team of bank managers has to be bussed in to help with the ransom negotiations, and a media spectacle breaks out . . .

A hilarious and strangely moving tale that seems ripped from the headlines—although actually written during the time the Red Brigades were terrorizing Italy—Gianni Rodari’s Lamberto, Lamberto, Lambertohas become one of Italy’s most beloved fables. Never before translated into English, it’s a reminder, as Rodari writes, that “there are things that only happen in fairytales.”

Review:

Rating:

Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto by Gianni Rodari is an Italian children’s fable first published in 1978. At the beginning of the book we are introduced to Lamberto, a 93 year old Millionaire with over 24 life threatening ailments, and his loyal butler Mr. Anselmo. I enjoyed the connection these two characters had. You could tell from reading that Lamberto is a bit eccentric and that Anselmo is more straight lace and in a sense keeps Lambertoon his toes. 

As we go further into our reading we learn that after meeting with an Egyptian mystic Lamberto hires servants to recite his name nonstop, as he was told this would cure his illnesses. At first this work seems to be in vain, but as the story progresses we see Lamberto actually recovering from his illnesses. And before long Lamberto is up and moving as if he were never ill. Everything seems to be going well for Lamberto until his greedy nephew arrives and seems to bring a slew of trouble to his ailing uncle. 

I have to admit I enjoyed reading this story. It was hilarious and at times you find yourself actually identifying with Mr. Lamberto. If only having our names recited nonstop could cure illnesses, I believe every human being would hire over a hundred workers to say their name. Even though I loved Lamberto, my favorite character in this book has to be Mr. Anselmo. I love that he is so loyal to Mr. Lamberto and that he has his best interest in mind. We should all be so lucky to find a friend like Mr. Anselmo. Overall, this book was a joy to read and if you ever have time to sit back and enjoy a good read, I would definitely recommend this book.

*The Book Blogging Beauties received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley & Melville House. All opinions are that of the reviewer. We are dedicated to providing our HONEST opinion about books etc. We were not compensated for this review.