The Darling Buds of May meets Cold Comfort Farm.

Finished reading Giro di Vento by Andrea De Carlo last night. A cross between Darling Buds of May and Cold Comfort Farm but without the humour. An ok read, but not a book I’d go out of my way to recommend. Click here to buy an English translation. What I did find interesting was that contrary to what I’d always believed, Italians can be snobbish about accents. When things begin to get stressful, one of the characters, Alessio, an estate-agent, finds his country accent, which he’d worked hard to eliminate, breaking through: 

  <<“Non c’era architetto” dice Alessio. Il suo accento sembra danneggiato in modo serio: lascio spazio a un’inflessione da hinterland milanese o ancora peggio, da Prealpi varesotte o comasche.>>

   I’d always believed that in other countries your accent simply identified where you came from rather than acted as a social signifier. However, De Carlo’s book seems to suggest that if like Alessio you have the misfortune to have the Italian equivalent of a Birmingham accent it’s as well to disguise it if you want to get on in the world!