'Parks...offers detailed cultural observation witty yet eagle-eyed of what makes Italians so
Italian' The Times How does Italy really work? When Valeria travels from hot dusty Basilicata
to begin her studies in a northern university town she has little idea of the kind of
education she will find there. Italian Life is her story and that of the students and
professors around her: a story of power and corruption influence and exclusion and the
workings of a society where your connections are everything. Written with flair and insight
Italian Life joins Tim Parks' bestselling books about his beloved and paradoxical adopted
country. It is a gripping entertaining behind-the-scenes account of how Italy actually
happens and the ways it can surprise those who know it inside out. 'A satisfyingly truthful
entertaining and provocative comedy' Daily Telegraph
