Marvelous book. The first 100 to 150 pages are phenomenal: the Italian part is authentic even though it is all fictional; the Hollywood part is hilarious, satire at its very best; the WWII part is impressive, reminiscent of Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse V. What a versatile and effective writer this is! I only came across him through a story of his in the Best American Stories of 2015 in which he describes the sexual abuse of a teen girl in a way that makes you understand her feelings immediately, in only a few sentences really. This to the pointedness you find in this novel as well, to great effect.

Now this is not even a very serious book, more of a lighthearted feel good type, albeit an excellent one. What if this author wrote something more heavy weight?