Don Camillo and His Flock
by . Pellegrini & Cudahy ,$3.00.
This sequel to The Little World of Don Camillo, which charmed a great many readers, carries forward the guerrilla warfare between the brawny priest who can’t resist personally chastising the enemies of the Lord, and Mayor Peppone, the firebreathing Communist who periodically reveals that, deep down, he’s a decent, softhearted Italian. I’m not sure whether these tales are inferior to the previous batch, or whether it’s just that their whimsical formula has lost its novelty, but I found this collection much less amusing than the original one. Still, it’s pleasant light reading, and the opéra bouffe happenings reflect a very genuine aspect of Italian village politics.