The City of Falling Angels
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
The author of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" returns after a decade to offer, in his inimitable style, an intimate look at the "magic, mystery, and decadence" of the city of Venice and its inhabitants. (Foreign Travel)
Reviews with the most likes.
Second reading: still so very gossipy, still so very very good.
First reading: Gossip cleverly disguised as commentary upon the citizens of Venice, Italy. Mmm, good.
I read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil years ago and loved it, so I was excited when this book came out. Berendt really knows how to select a setting. He also knows how to seek out the local “characters” and bring them to life in print. Like Midnight, this book has a central mystery that's rather unsatisfactorily solved (in this case, the burning of The Fenice Opera House), fabulous descriptions of the city and its art and architecture, and lots of minor intrigues and petty infighting amongst the locals. It's like a really well written gossip column. And it's lots of fun.
I doubt I'll retain much of what I read, but I did really enjoy the book.
I loved Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, but just couldn't get into a groove with this one. Life's too short to finish books you're not enjoying. I'm moving on.
