Customer Reviews: Read 206 more reviews...
 Hard work October 24, 2008
Being an opera singer myself the La Fenice fire was a topic that was compelling for me. I had also recently visited Venice and the newly restored La Fenice so it was high on my list of books to read. What's more I had read and thoroughly enjoyed Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. So what was stopping this book from becoming an unputdownable adventure?
It seemed to me that Berendt simply ran out of ideas. What we ended up with was a boring litany of squabbles amongst a pack of mad rich socialites who aren't interesting and who, for the most part, aren't even Venetian.
I stayed to the end just out of curiosity - to find out the end of the La Fenice story - but was quite relieved when I finally reached the last page.
 Less than the sum of the parts September 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Great Expectations... None Fulfilled September 23, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I know what I expected from a new book by Berendt. I expected something better than the last. I realize now that it was a lot to expect.
The City of Falling Angels does not come up to the standard set by his previous novel. It's not that Venice does not compare to Savannah (I am in no position to tell not having visited the latter), it is just that The City doesn't have a decent story to keep the book together.
Similarities are quite striking - in both books the narrator arrives within days of a crime being commited. In The City it is the fire of the Fenice, Venice's opera. You're not thrilled? Well, it isn't exactly a crime in which the finding of the guilty would keep you reading through the night. The book traces the opera's reconstruction to the re-opening but again that also wasn't anything most people would need to hear about.
The narrator spends years in Venice (the book isn't too specific about it - my guess is he drops by every now and then rather than waits for the Fenice to be reconstructed) talking to people. By the way - it is quite striking how almost everyone in Venice has nothing better to do but to talk to him at length... We get a number of (allegedly) true stories, none of which, however, is thrilling. Actually, after a while they get mildly disgusting - petty rivalries in Save Venice, quarrels over the will of a suicidal local poet, fight over Ezra Pound's letters... There is usually some money involved (actually, there is usually big money involved) and it is the money that most often becomes (I would say against the author's wishes - he is quite desperate to present a cultural and literary context) the real issue.
In short - a long and nicely written book without a decent plot and/or conflict. If you haven't read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - buy it immediately. If you have - wait for another Berendt. You may well skip this one.
 From S. Krishna's Books September 6, 2008
I originally wanted to read The City of Falling Angels because I am going to Italy on my honeymoon in a few weeks and was eager to get my hands on as many books about the country as possible. Unfortunately, that hasn't worked out quite like I planned - the only books I've read on Italy lately are this book and The Monster of Florence.
While I did enjoy The City of Falling Angels, the book surprised me. Rather than being about the Fenice fire, or even about Venice, the book is about the characters that make up the cityscape of Venice. Berendt delves deeply into many stories about Venetians (or, more common, Americans who have made Venice their home), altogether abandoning the plotline of the Fenice fire. Of course, he comes back to it frequently throughout the book, but it is more of a backdrop to the story of Venice's people, rather than the story itself.
The book also ambles in many places. It's not that it necessarily becomes uninteresting, but there are a few dry spots. There is no urgency to finish it - a reader could easily put this book down for a week and come back to it later because the storyline digresses to such a varying degree.
However, the stories that Berendt shares are interesting. It is clear that he spent a great deal of time getting to know the people of Venice, to the point where he begins to become accepted as one of them. He portrays Venice as a beautiful and enchanting city. Yes, it has its problems, but one of the overarching themes that runs through the book is a deep love of Venice. He illustrates the city well through his descriptions; it is obvious that he has a strong affection for the city.
Overall, The City of Falling Angels is a well crafted book that is a fun read. While the Fenice fire was tragic, Berendt manages to keep the story light. Since I just read The Monster of Florence, inevitably, I have to compare them. Both are "true crime" stories (serial killer vs. opera house fire), but I have to say that Berendt's novel is much more compelling. If Berendt had focused simply on the fire (as Preston focused on the murder case), they might have been equally weighted. But Berendt's story really comes alive through his character digressions. It is a book that I definitely recommend if you want to read about some of the characters that make up Venice.
 Berendt has a talent for finding interesting people whearever he goes August 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am almost done with this book, and have not been able to put it down. Berendt has a talent for finding interesting, unique people who make up the fabric of a society. This book gives you a real view of what Venice is like behind all the tourist attraction edifices. If you are interested in Venice, this is the book to read if you want the rest of the story that lies beyond all of the guidebook discriptions. And even if you don't know Venice, this book is an excellent testimonial of a unique place and it's unique people.
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