Very disappointing. First volume of trilogy, "Lives of the Saints," (1990) is superb. "In a Glass House" (1993) is second volume and so disappointing, given the high expectations one has after the first volume. Canadian novelist and critic Ray Robertson was on target to say " In a Glass House reads more like a memoir than a novel ...the seemingly endless self-analysis that both [Ricci and Proust] authors' protagonists are given to is often overwhelming in its solipsistic repetitiveness ... at times, a kind of cerebral claustrophobia occasionally descends making one wish for something besides the first-person protagonist's troubled soul as an organizing narrative device." Will pass on trying the third volume of trilogy, "Where She Has Gone" (1997). ( )

This is the middle book of a trilogy. The first book is Lives of the Saints, and the final one is Where She Has Gone.

In this novel, we see young Vittorio arrive in Canada with his new born sister. His mother has died in childbirth on the boat. Vittorio must struggle to reconnect with his father, whom he hasn't seen in many years, as he adjusts to a new culture. These adjustments are complicated by the fact of baby Rita, who is not Vittorio's father's daughter.

This is a moving story. The novel is driven by the characters and by family relationships. Mr. Ricci is able to draw the reader into various situations and create empathy for the characters even if you don't agree with them.

On a personal note, I read the final book first. I then read the first one and the second one. I think I enjoyed the trilogy more knowing how it ended. "Back stories" have a unique charm and gave me a different perspective. As George Lucas knows! ( )

This is a story of a young Italian boy named Vittorio, or Victor, He
comes to Canada from Italy with his family, and now that he is there, everything is different. He must go to school, learn English and work on his father’s farm, all new concepts to him. It tells of Italian culture as well as Canadian culture, showing the many differences between the two as a young boy struggles to survive with new people who speak a new language in a new world. He fights family problems, such as his dad leaving for days at a time and his mother leaving his newborn baby sister. ( )

The first book of a trilogy always seems to be the best!!! ( )