In which year do you think Chapter 7 of Stones in Water took place and why?

The events in Chapter 7 of Donna Jo Napoli's Stones in Water probably take place in the latter half of 1941. Let's look at the evidence for this.

Roberto and Enzo are in the Ukraine, laboring to build an airstrip so that the Germans could land and refuel their planes after attacking targets in Russia. The boys have not been in this area very long, so the project is clearly a new one.

We know from history that Germany invaded the Ukraine as part of Operation Barbarossa, which started on June 22, 1941. By September, the Germans fully occupied the Ukraine and began using it as a base from which to strike into Russia. They would have needed airstrips immediately.

The chapter focuses on the cold weather where Roberto and Enzo are located, and Roberto reflects that winter comes early to this part of the Ukraine. This tells us that the month is probably October or even November, which would seem like early winter indeed to two young men from Venice.

We can infer, then, that the chapter probably takes place some time in the fall of 1941.

In what year does chapter 7 of Stones in Water take place?

It is very likely that chapter 7 of Stones in Water takes place in 1941, but it could be early 1942. Evidence from the chapter that supports the identification of these years pertains to events that occurred during World War Two. The war raged in Europe from 1939 to 1945. Within this period, the specific events referenced relate to the 1941 German invasion and occupation of Ukraine, which was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. From their base in this part of the Soviet Union, the German forces advanced into Russia (the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic).

The most specific evidence of the date is the boys’ involvement in maintaining an airstrip. By this point in the novel, Roberto and Enzo (the former Samuele), who have become separated from Sergio and Memo, have traveled far from Italy and have been sent by truck to Ukraine. The narrator implies that the German attacks are already underway.

The whole idea was for the Germans to have an airstrip here, near enemy lines, so they could refuel planes on their way to and returning from attacks on Russian airports, factories, and cities.

The code name for this massive invasion, which was initiated in June 1941 along an 1,800 mile stretch of territory, was Operation Barbarossa. Although the German forces were generally victorious in Ukraine and some other Soviet territories, they ultimately did not succeed in taking Moscow in the winter of 1941–1942.