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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
It took me a while to get in to this, but I ended up really enjoying it. This is one of those fabulous books that follows the characters over decades of their lives. The sense of time and location really added to it. The only negative was the last chapter, which felt a bit tacked on and didn’t match the flow of the rest of the book. But still definitely a great book, one I would be happy to read again
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
so much love, queer joy, laughter, compassion and beauty in one book
Interesting story, however the lack of punctuation throughout was what killed my enjoyment. Was not going to finish it, but persevered only because my book club is reading the book. Started listening to Audiobook while reading it at the same time, this was the only way I could finish it.
amazing. splendid. I cannot believe I'm honored to read a book like this. Five fucking stars.
beautiful and unexpected. i went into this book knowing nothing about it, and i found it wholly captivating and utterly entrancing. i loved the writing and the characters are wonderful. it is a true love letter to Firenze. it is slow, and very character focused, and the descriptions wind on but in such a way that i was engrossed, always. seeing queer characters in historical fiction is always cause for joy. what a gorgeous book. this will not be everyone's cup of tea but it was absolutely mine.
Den italienske arv er en bog, der er så fuld af liv. Fuld af karakterer, hvis liv er bundet til hinanden på en smuk måde – med en dybde af kærlighed til hinanden, der tydeligt vises gennem fortællingen. Historien er karakterdrevet, og viser os de beslægtede ånder, der tager os med på en følelsesladet rejse fra Toscana over East End og til vidunderlige Firenze.
En af bogens forcer er, at den er sat i historisk kontekst med virkelige begivenheder, eks. de katastrofale oversvømmelser i Firenze i 1966. Sarahs beskrivelser af bl.a. samfundets reaktioner på oversvømmelsen er til tider hjerteskærende. Bogen fortæller ikke en historie om dårlige ting der sker – den fortæller historien om, hvordan folk træder i karakter, når dårligere ting sker.
En anden (og nok den største) er Sarahs evne til at lege med sproget. Hendes beskrivelser er så skønne, hendes prosa original og der bydes på masser af humor. Sarah er tydeligvis en begavet historiefortæller. Også de skæve karakterer og de flot sammenflettede karakterhistorier er med til at hæve bogens niveau. Bare forestil jer en Shakespeare citerende Amazonas papegøje – jo, sådan en finder du nemlig også.
Den italienske arv byder på den slags historisk fiktion som jeg elsker: Fuld af kunst, kærlighed, venskaber og fantastiske beskrivelser af italiensk mad. En følelsesladet, bevægende og smukt skrevet bog.
En af bogens forcer er, at den er sat i historisk kontekst med virkelige begivenheder, eks. de katastrofale oversvømmelser i Firenze i 1966. Sarahs beskrivelser af bl.a. samfundets reaktioner på oversvømmelsen er til tider hjerteskærende. Bogen fortæller ikke en historie om dårlige ting der sker – den fortæller historien om, hvordan folk træder i karakter, når dårligere ting sker.
En anden (og nok den største) er Sarahs evne til at lege med sproget. Hendes beskrivelser er så skønne, hendes prosa original og der bydes på masser af humor. Sarah er tydeligvis en begavet historiefortæller. Også de skæve karakterer og de flot sammenflettede karakterhistorier er med til at hæve bogens niveau. Bare forestil jer en Shakespeare citerende Amazonas papegøje – jo, sådan en finder du nemlig også.
Den italienske arv byder på den slags historisk fiktion som jeg elsker: Fuld af kunst, kærlighed, venskaber og fantastiske beskrivelser af italiensk mad. En følelsesladet, bevægende og smukt skrevet bog.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me about 150 pages to get into this book. It started slow, and the lack of quotation marks around dialogue was difficult for me to get used to. I had trouble realizing someone was talking until the notation halfway through the paragraph, and had to reread a lot of sections when I realized it was someone speaking and not narration.
But once I got used to the tone and cadence of the story, it absolutely swept me away. I didn't expect to have such a profound and deep connection with the characters and their lives. I got caught up in my desire to see Ulysses and Alys succeed, and then Cressy and Massimo. And through them I came to love Evelyn as well. And I cried with the finale.
And for the record, I'm with Col. Macaws are terrible, evil creatures. And his disdain for Claude is completely warranted. ;P
But once I got used to the tone and cadence of the story, it absolutely swept me away. I didn't expect to have such a profound and deep connection with the characters and their lives. I got caught up in my desire to see Ulysses and Alys succeed, and then Cressy and Massimo. And through them I came to love Evelyn as well. And I cried with the finale.
And for the record, I'm with Col. Macaws are terrible, evil creatures. And his disdain for Claude is completely warranted. ;P