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The Light in the Piazza - Elizabeth Spencer (4 out of 5 stars)
Recently I came across a review of a new Broadway musical called The Light in the Piazza, which made me think immediately of a novel I first read as a teenager and really loved, by Elizabeth Spencer. It turns out that this new musical is an adaptation of that novel, which was re-released in 1995. Back then I bought it and read it, and found that I loved it in a different way. Now I'm the age of the mother in the story, so my perspective is different.
The story concerns a woman who travels with her daughter to Italy on an extended trip. The daughter is sweet and loving and beautiful; she meets a young Italian from a good family; they fall in love. So this is a love story, but that's only the background. In the foreground you've got a loving, concerned mother of an eighteen year old daughter who survived a riding accident with significant brain damage. She has the mind and understanding of a much younger girl, something which isn't immediately obvious to the man who fell in love with her -- or to his family -- because of the language differences. Clara's mother has a choice: she can reveal the whole truth, and possibly ruin her daughter's happiness (if her lover doesn't object, his family may); or she can be quiet.
I'm going to be in Manhattan this summer with my daughter, and so I bought tickets for this play, which has been nominated for a couple Tony awards. In the meantime I'm going to reread the novel, and she'll probably read it too. It's a little dated, but it still holds up as a strong story, with interesting characters in a conflict that doesn't lend itself to simple answers.
May 16, 2005 04:48 PM
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Comments
There is also a film version, with Olivia deHavilland as the mother
Posted by: Rosemary at May 17, 2005 05:56 AM