Lives of the Saints

Analyze the founding myths of Valle del Sole and Rocca Secca as described in the text. What lessons or themes are expressed through these founding myths? What is their wider significance in the novel?

How is religion depicted in the novel? What is the role of the Catholic Church in the life of Valle del Sole, and how does it interact with the villagers’ superstitions?

How does Nico Ricci use local color techniques to describe the scenery and the townspeople? How do these details contribute to the narrative as a whole? What other narrative techniques does Ricci employ?

How are gender roles and dynamics depicted in the novel? What ideas of masculinity and femininity does the village adhere to? In what ways are these dynamics challenged?

Consider the Lives of the Saints and other forms of storytelling in the novel. How does the text explore the nature of storytelling? How does storytelling shape Vittorio’s development and character arc?

Vittorio describes his father as “a phantom” (31). How does his father influence his life and that of Cristina in Valle del Sole? How does the novel depict familial ties and dynamics more generally?

Analyze Ricci’s use of setting in Lives of the Saints. How is the village setting depicted? How does the setting help to shape the novel’s narrative, characterization, and/or key themes?

The novel begins in 1960, 15 years after the end of World War II (See: Background). In what ways does the war’s legacy appear in the novel? How does it shape the lives and attitudes of the villagers?