#TBR26In26 Cesare Pavese “The Beach”

• Finish date: 06.02.2026
• Genre: novella
• Rating: F-
• #TBR26in6

Bad News: I finished The Beach by Cesare Pavese (novella) and was bored out of my mind. Just a series of scenes of childhood memories, sunbathing on beach and rocks, swimming, café trattoria and dancing. Marriage seems to be THE topic and how to keep mistreses at bay. Berti the flirtatious 15 yr is mentioned 78 times! Why? He creeps around like a shadow and is just annoying to the narrator “…I cut the meeting short and closed the door.” (pg 49); “I told him…to leave me in peace.” (pg 55)…and me. This novella was such a slog…awful.

Good News: Well, it turns out Berti was there to do just that: he disrupts the fragile adult status quo. So that is the only plus point in the book. Pavese, mission accomplished.

Bad News: I had the The Selected Works of C. Pavese on my reading list this month but am not going to drag myself  through 3 novels! Time to enjoy some great African American Literature during Black History Month. Better for my soul…

Personal: My pivot to African American literature for Black History Month…my soul will thank me after that Pavese drivel. February’s perfect for diving into voices that pulse with resilience, identity, and raw humanity.