The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
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Book Reviews of The City of Falling Angels
Book Review: Good, but not great.
Summary: 3 Stars
The best part about "The City of Falling Angels" are the appendices at the back - a glossary of vocabulary words, a listing of people and places with descriptions. I wish I would have seen this when I started the book because it would have helped keep the many many many storylines straight.
I thought the book would have been better if it either had fewer storylines and developed the story, or had as many as it did but added to the storyline. For example, the Murano glass family feud was mentioned, but did not tell more about the outcome until the second to last page.
I am not a huge non-fiction reader, but since I was going to Italy, I thought this would be good. For that reason, I enjoyed the book. However, if I was just wanting to read about Venice, this was too gossipy and started a particular storyline and then dropped it, making you wonder whatever happened.
Book Review: Half-fallen angels
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an uneven book. One of the main problems is that the main story - that of La Fenice - is simply not as interesting as the main story in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The other stories were interesting, but the narrative thrust of the book is seriously weakened by the lack of a compelling central story. The most interesting part was the story of Jane Rylands (author of Venetian Stories) and her wrangling in on Ezra Pound's archive. This was a compelling story that might have been able to carry the book and was the only part I found myself wanting to read more about. Other parts of the book do tend to be heavy on the actions of expatriates and the wealthy, although there are some sections on regular Venetians. While interesting, the book can be seen as an example of sophomore slump.Book Review: Is everyone he meets quirky?
Summary: 3 Stars
First, I realize that Berendt was careful when writing this book to avoid the criticisms he received after "Midnight" - eg. composite characters and inserting himself into scenes in which he was not actually present. But, he must have carried around a tape recorder for years when writing this book. There are pages and pages of quoted dialogue. As in "Midnight", everyone he meets in Venice is fascinating, quirky, and eccentric. The problem is that the various stories he hears don't necessarily move the main storyline forward - the burning of the Fenice and the various conspiracies and theories of how/why it happened. His descriptions of Venice and its inhabitants are wonderful. I just found the book disjointed and boring.Book Review: Less than the sum of the parts
Summary: 3 Stars
Maybe it's just me, but I found this book to be interesting and ultimately disappointing. The book is a collection of stories/articles about Venice and people related to Venice. The stories are are interesting in themselves, however when strung together in book form they don't add up to something greater than the sum of the parts. In fact, several leave the reader waiting for a satisfying conclusion. On the positive side, the research is meticulous and the book is well written.Book Review: fun and easy read
Summary: 3 Stars
many interesting facts, people and history. Writing is a bit choppy, but definitely a perfect book that will stimulate curiosity in the world around us.