This was an interesting read. I would not have chosen it on my own, but it was a book club selection. The character development seemed to take way too long, and I wasn't drawn in until about halfway through the book. I guess you could call this historical fiction, as it took place during WWII, as the Germans were invading southern Italy. There were some uncomfortable descriptions of torture, but they were brief. The story had a strange humor to it, and I was anxious to finish and find out what happened with all the wine of Santa Vittoria!

Being an Italian myslef, I absolutely LOVED this book! Thanks to my mom for recommending it!

One of my favorite books ever

Not great literature but an absolutely enchanting story! A small Italian town's fight to protect their greatest treasure - their only treasure - from a German occupying force in WW2. Have read many times since discovering this book as a teenager and expect I will read it many more. For those of you who re-read favorite books, its that kind of perfect and satisfying story.

This was my favorite novel of the Top Ten bestsellers from 1966. My favorite so far anyway; I have read five of the ten. When I complete reading the entire list I will post it along with the final review.

The Secret of Santa Vittoria was #3. It is set in an impoverished Italian hill town near the end of WWII, beginning with the death of Mussolini. The secret is the wine. The entire town is involved in growing the grapes, tending the vines, and pressing the wine. It is a one-product economy.

When a German occupation arrives, seeking to impound the wine, the people of the town must set aside their many animosities with each other to protect their wine stores. Over a million bottles! They devise a scheme to hide it that is even more labor intensive than the growing, harvesting and pressing.

The large array of characters are all larger than life. There is drama, distress and humor. I couldn't wait to read it each day.

A movie, starring Anthony Quinn, was released in 1969.

A highly entertaining story with tightly written use of details.

2015 Reread: I remember enjoying this novel so much, and lately I've done a lot of mysteries and books for work, so I decided to do something I rarely do with novels -- I read this a second time after over 20 years. The story was new to me, after so many years. The writing was still so entertaining that I had no trouble looking forward to picking up the book, and even sneaking in extra reading time. Bombolini the Mayor of Santa Vittoria was an original, and his application of Machiavelli worked.

In the reread, I was interested in the cross cultural part of the story: the assumptions the Germans made about the people of Italy. They misread many obvious pieces of information because they discounted the Italian people as lazy and disorganized. Yet it was the Italians' ability to organize a deception and sustain it that provides the plot of the story.

I remembered the story being very well tied up in the final chapter. For some reason I had the impression that the first time I ready this book, the last line was the final straw. In this reading, I did feel that the last sentence was so key to the book, but it certainly savored the moment.

I had classified this book as a favorite. I'm not sure I should keep that designation after this second reading.

Loved, loved, loved this book. Storytelling at it's best.

Hidden away with my family’s things, my nonno mentioned I may enjoy this book. He knows me well. Come to find out this book was a NY Best Selling book in its day. It’s funny, it’s witty, and loved the storyline. Once again, another WWII book (I seem not to be able to escape this genre), but in this case, it’s a humourous tale of how entire Italian town tricked the Germans occupying it by hiding their prized wines.

My grandfather also mentioned it became a movie. Now I’m off to find it because I’m sure the cinematography will be amazing; yet the acting will be a little kitchsy.

WOW. Reading this was a bit like reading the Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society, and a bit like watching the 1953 movie Wages of Fear. Exciting, moving, funny, wise...and shocking, too.

I have to admit it took me about 100 pages to really get into it, but then I couldn't put it down.

I'm of mixed opinions on this book. I want to like it a lot, because the characters are such caricatures and cartoony, the settings and cultural depictions are so festival-like, and the witty observations are so humorous, this book strikes me first as being downright fun.

But that's not an appropriate framework for a story about torture, murder, and the horrors of war. Such contents are suddenly jarring, incongruous with the author's style, and the delivery becomes unbelievable.

It's an interesting story to follow, and it's fun to share with others, like in a book club setting. But I can't get over some of the atrocities, to which my response was always, "those townspeople are going to just go along with what now?!?"

n   Nikos Kazantzakisn'in Zorba'sı ve Robert Crichton'un Kasabanın Sırrı kitaplarının ortak noktaları uyarlanan filmlerinde baş karakterleri oynayan kişinin n  Anthony Quinnn olması. Quinn'in filmlerdeki varlığı, iki kitap için de yararlı bir imge sağlıyor okurken (Hele bir de Quinn'in oyunculuğunun hayranıysanız). Sinemaya uyarlamaları yapılan eserleri sevenler için Kasabanın Sırrı, kitap+film şeklinde yapılarak keyfi iki katına çıkarabilen eserlerden. Kitapla film arasında bazı farklılıklar olsa da tatmin edici.

Italo Bombolini gibi edebiyat dünyasının efsane karakterlerinden biriyle tanışıyorsunuz:

Üçüncü günün sabahı halk uyandığında, Santa Vittoria'daki bütün eski sloganların bir gece içinde değişmiş olduğunu gördü. Halk Meydanındaki:
...
Bir gün aslan olarak yaşamak
100 yıl kuzu olarak yaşamaktan iyidir.
Şimdi caddeden aşağı indiğinizde şunu okuyordunuz:
100 yıl yaşamak
daha iyidir
—Bombolini, Belediye Başkanı
(s. 100)

Not: Kitap 70'lerde E Yayınları tarafından iki kez basılmış ve bir daha hiç basımı yapılmamış.

I just loved reading this book, and do so from time to time again when the need arises. It's a WWII story unlike any other I've ever come across. Definitely dealing with the heartache of the era, but also such humor and touching characters and townspeople... reminiscent to me of the movie "Life is Beautiful". Not in story line, to be clear, but in essence.

Truthfully, if I could, I would give this book 4.5 stars. Oh my goodness. I love this book so much. The storyline was so unique. The characters were three-dimensional and you felt their pain and laughed at their follies. I was sad when I came to the last page.

As I read the book, I could imagine it as a movie with George Clooney as one of the lead characters. Sadly, it was made into a movie, and they destroyed it. I knew within the first five minutes of the film, that it was going to be a disaster.


Do yourself a favor and set out a little time for this delightful but serious tale. As you are finishing your chuckling at the antics of the mayor and villagers, on the very next page, you will be left reflecting on the drama and stupidity of the wars cold hearted power hungry small-minded-people lead us into which can destroy our common humanity.