Some I liked much, much better than others, but they're worth it. ( )

Now, I read Italo Calvino’s Difficult Loves several months ago, borrowed from friends in Marrakech, meaning I don’t remember excessive detail nor do I have an English copy available for reference. What I do recall, very clearly, is finding it painful to read. I love short stories, and I have a keen interest in all things Italian. Somehow, though, these stories dragged, and moving from one to the next couldn’t happen fast enough. I very vaguely remember preferring the stories toward the end over the stories at the beginning, and with a little research, Calvino’s timing and method became clearer. I distinctly remember only a couple specific stories: the young messenger who raced silently through the woods thinking someone was following him, and the man who would rather read than commit himself to fifteen minutes worth of sex with a strange woman on the beach. For whatever reason, I didn’t see a whole lot of Italian culture staring at me through those pages; I didn’t learn too much about the history or the way Italians relate to each other. Obviously, I was excited to read my first Calvino, but it turned out to disappoint. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Italy in March and April had so harshly disappointed me, especially compared to my fabulous first couple months in Morocco. Perhaps my particularly difficult relationships at that time also colored my reading; timing is everything, of course. Ultimately, I’ve yet to read any other highly-recommended Calvino novels or short stories; they’re on my list, of course, but I’m taking my time getting to them after such a disappointing introduction. ( )

This collection of short stories is broken up into several sections with loosely unified themes.
They are usually quirky adventures, slow-paced, but contemplative, largely outdoors, between few characters, who, in the usual fashion of this author, are not intricately described, but portrayed with a unique voice. You get the feeling that even when Calvino is not being metafictional, he's being metafictional. Even so, it is possible to enjoy this book for its soft tone alone. It has a subtle flavor, does not make great demands upon the reader, but also does not reward him with deep insights.

Calvino is remembered for his dashing experiments, but he can be appreciated for his charming storytelling. This is not his most memorable collection, but for completionists and casual members of the Calvino cult, it is quite readable. ( )

Non sono riuscita ad andare avanti. Probabilmente, in questo periodo mi coinvolge troppo. Verrà un tempo per finirlo, spero.

Calvino scriveva davvero in maniera eccezionale! questo libro di racconti ne svela la incredibile capacità di scrittore. Come sa descrivere i dettagli che raffigurano i personaggi, le situazioni, i pensieri, gli stati d'animo è cosa davvero rara. E' uno di quei libri che ti fa apprezzare la bellezza della lingua italiana, senza ricorrere a neologismi; perchè la nostra lingua non necessita di questi.
I racconti non hanno a tema gli amori, nonostante il titolo, ma ogni racconto descrive una situazione dove c'è un uomo (il protagonista è sempre il maschio) che si rapporta a una donna; uomo identificato da un aggettivo che ne precisa la condizione (bandito, viaggiatore, lettore, fotografo, ecc..).
I racconti sono scarni, brevi, sembrano scritti come appunti messi in bella copia; e sono pure scritti, come detto, benissimo con una capacità di introspezione dei personaggi. Ma non entusiasmano, non trovo memorabili questi racconti.
La seconda parte poi riporta due racconti ben più lunghi di quelli della prima - racconti molto veloci - ma anche questi due non sono testi che mi hanno entusiasmato. Personalmente sono rimasto infastidito dalla volontà di vivere una vita misera che i personaggi dichiarano apertamente, il voler rinchiudersi in una banalità e in una routine vuota, volutamente vuota. Il racconto poi della formica argentina poi è angosciante, senza speranza.
Ma quando un libro è scritto così bene posso apprezzare a prescindere. Se avesse scritto un racconto sui movimenti di un lombrico sarebbe riuscito a farmelo leggere tutto fino alla fine.
Quindi le 4 stelle se le becca.
Poi, particolare basilare e imprescindibile, il libro mi è stato regalato dalla donna più spettacolare che io conosca. E solo per questo merita il mio più totale apprezzamento. ( )

Difficult Loves is a collection of short stories split into four sections: Riviera Stories, Wartime Stories, Post-war Stories, and Stories of Love and Loneliness. I’ve heard that each story is supposed to deal with some form of love, but I’m not sure this is true. Regardless, these stories are fine and unexpected. I’m particularly fond of the Riviera Stories section-- in one story, a gang of young boys explore a crab-infested ship; in another a young man tries to woo a girl by giving her a cornucopia of slimy animals. Not all stories are so carefree-- the Wartime section in particular. A man must navigate a mine field in one story, and in another a soldier must hide from a sharpshooting young boy. The Stories of Love and Loneliness are also excellent and emotionally rich.

This book’s writing is not as mature as If on a winter’s night a traveler or Invisible Cities, more in line with The Baron in the Trees perhaps, but there are still gems that predict what is to come in Calvino’s writings. It’s a good collection with some memorable stories, and some aren’t. But these stories still shine with Calvino’s talent; they are filled with love and truth. ( )

Not as good as the Roald Dahl collection and I'd recommend a novel or Invisible Cities before this but still Calvino overall doesn't disappoint in many of these. ( )

A great short story collection - I feel that Italo Calvino brilliantly describes those everyday parts of life that we don't pay enough attention to. At the same time, there were also stories that were hilariously out-of-the-ordinary, such as one about a man's quest to find enough prostitutes to save his wife. ( )

Glimpses of exceptional ordinary lives...: Difficult Loves provides a comprehensive look at the art of storytelling, and its ability to expose the subtle emotions and personalities of everyday life. Calvino is particularly adept at honing in on a definitive moment, or succession of moments in the lives of his characters, and capturing the surprising shifts of relation and consciousness that occur suprisingly and spontaneously. The last section in the book, Stories of Love and Loneliness, shows Calvino at his most artful, examining the ways that certain types of people experience life and love. An earlier reviewer pointed out that everyone can find something to connect with in these stories. This is true in an even deeper sense, namely, that within the narration, sparkling moments of truth are revealed about the workings of the human mind, and they can only be read with a consistently deepening respect for the author and his art. There is a confessional quality to the work as well, and Calvino hints at his own obsessions and deviancies and shortcomings as a thinker. This authorial honesty conforms well with the subjects of the stories, all of which are betrayed in a state of almost disconcertingly fallible humanity. These are the anti-heros, the heros of everyday life and love. With Difficult Loves, Calvino maps out another essential area of human experience, and does it with a simple beauty that belies the complexity of his grand project.

4th Quarter book. 290 pages
Difficult Loves By Italo Calvino is a Novel that contains a variety of stories. I read the all of the stories. Calvino has unique way in grabbing his readers attention and having them be able to connect to his stories. His usage of words always had me confused and I would find myself having to re-read what I had just read. The one story that I liked the most was "The Adventure of a SOldier." Reading this story reminded me of the BAQ of How do we connect with others? We all sometimes have the need for physical touch in order for us to connect with one another, some kind of intimacy. A lot of times we come to judging eachother by our physical appearance. When Tomagra saw the widow sit next to him, he automatically started to judge how she dressed and made assumptions.
"She didnt move; he thought: maybe she wants this. But he also thought: Another moment and it will be too late. Or maybe she's sitting there studying me, preparing to make a scene." (190) I loved how calvino decribed his train of thoughts and how he described his actions. Many of us can relate to Tomagra, moments where you are over thinking your actions and you end up not doing what you are supposed to do, later regretting your decision. I thought it was interesting how the two characters were a soldier and a widow, where love can/is lacked in their lives. So, it made sense that maybe a stranger's touch is exactly what eachother needed in their lives for the moment. I wondered why the widow didnt say anything to him? why they didnt just talk? Maybe because calvino is trying to say that "actions speak louder than words", that physical touch is stronger than just trying to "touch" a person through verbal actions.
Through out the story Tomagra is very tempted to touch this widow but he finds himself trying so hard to come up with ways to get her attention but it doesnt worlk. Finally at the end. He jumps and reaches out to her and touches her and doesnt really do anything about it. I found that really weird.

my favorite calvino so far, even trumps if on a winter's night a traveler... but i haven't read cosmicomics yet! ( )

A story from this book was read at our wedding. ( )