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Wait Until Spring, Bandini cover art

Wait Until Spring, Bandini

  • Author: John Fante
  • Publication Date: 1938
  • Date Read: Oct 2023

Synopsis

Wait Until Spring, Bandini by John Fante is a coming-of-age novel set in a small Colorado town during the harsh winter of the 1920s. It follows Arturo Bandini, a 14-year-old boy from an Italian immigrant family, as he grapples with poverty, adolescence, and the complex dynamics within his family.

Arturo’s father, Svevo, is a bricklayer struggling to find work in the cold months, and the family’s financial hardships weigh heavily on everyone. Arturo’s mother, Maria, is devoutly Catholic and tries to hold the family together, while Arturo himself dreams of a better life, often retreating into fantasies to escape the grim realities around him.

Tensions rise when Svevo begins a flirtation with a wealthy widow, which strains his marriage and causes rifts within the family. Arturo, meanwhile, navigates his own struggles with identity, faith, and young love, all while longing for the warmth and renewal of spring to bring change to his life.

Through vivid, heartfelt prose, Fante captures the pain and beauty of growing up in a world filled with challenges but also small moments of hope and resilience. The novel is a tender and honest portrayal of family, ambition, and the yearning for something more.

My Notes

Fante writes so, so well — I love his books. I read Ask the Dust a few years back and always wanted to dive into the rest of the Bandini saga.

I’ve had the big quartet book with all four novels sitting around for ages, and I finally started with the first one.

This is a story about family, American poverty, being an outsider, love that fades but somehow endures, childhood innocence, and the bittersweet process of growing up.

Svevo’s toughness really stood out to me — it felt like a mask, a glimpse into the kind of male bravado that was so common a century ago but feels almost alien now. It was fascinating to read about.

And then there’s Maria, with her unwavering devotion — it was so touching, so human.

Fante has such a way with words. I’m glad I finally got to this one.