The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Bassani - C

                                                This very famous novel was written in the late 50's and is a tale of growing up Jewish in northern Italy in the 20's and 30's. The narrator, son of a doctor and Fascist party member, is enthralled by the brother and sister, Alberto and Micol, of the aristocratic Finzi-Contini family. They occupy the highest pew in synagogue, and later restore a 300 year-old Spanish synagogue for their personal use. Life becomes complicated in 1938 with the enforcement of racial laws inspired by those in Germany. That fall, the tennis club 'resigns' all the Jews and the town's young people begin to congregate at the court at the Finzi-Continis home. Tennis is played late into every evening. When winter comes, the narrator and Micol stay in touch and soon he is dreaming of her in his sleep. While she is away at school in Venice, he spends most of the winter exploring her father's extensive library of Italian literature. When she comes home for Passover, he declares his love, only to be rebuffed. She tells him they have known each other since they were children and it simply wasn't appropriate. That season's tennis gatherings are eliminated by the Fascists. Only he, Alberto, Micol and their communist friend, Giampi play on. As war approaches, the narrator fears Giampi and Micol are a couple, but is never really certain. War takes Giampi to the eastern front and the Finzi-Continis to the camps. After the war, he writes this tale after seeing their family's tomb in Ferrara.