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caroparr's review against another edition
4.0
Another in this terrific series on cities. Leavitt pays homage to Florence's Renaissance past but also discusses the Anglo-Florentine community and the flood of 1966. Great bibliography, too.
grauspitz's review against another edition
DNF @ about 50 pages in.
For a book that's supposedly about Florence, the author spends the majority of his time on the Anglo-Florence community rather than the local population, leaving this book as yet another example of the English taking the spotlight instead of the locals. Aside from my lack of interest in such a community (especially when I expected to be reading about the city itself!!), the author writes in a very pretentious tone, leaving me with -1 motivation to continue on.
For a book that's supposedly about Florence, the author spends the majority of his time on the Anglo-Florence community rather than the local population, leaving this book as yet another example of the English taking the spotlight instead of the locals. Aside from my lack of interest in such a community (especially when I expected to be reading about the city itself!!), the author writes in a very pretentious tone, leaving me with -1 motivation to continue on.
rixenr's review against another edition
2.0
One of the dullest and most pretentious books I've read. Leavitt wants us all so badly to know how exceptionally interesting and intelligent he is that he forgets to write anything interesting or worth reading. I gave it two stars because it's Florence.
aditurbo's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Is there a point to this book except for showing off the writer as well read and highly educated? Good writing goes to waste here on a bunch of unrelated anecdotes, historical and artistic pieces of information, unimportant personal material no one cares about and pretentious bullshit, all coming at you one after the other with no apparent reason or logical order. It also presents such silly statements as "Florence is a manly city", and suchlike, based on some famous person or another's words thrown to the air. I never thought a book about Florence could be that boring.
frejola's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent essay on Florence as a destination for Brits and Americans who went into exile because they needed a place where they could be themselves (and find handsome ragazzi). I should read Leavitt again, The Lost Language of the Cranes was my first LGBTQ novel (also probably the first I novel I read in English, coming to think of it!).
nkmeyers's review
1.0
Why are there even books like this? Ick. double ick. Leavitt reminds me of everyone and everything gross in [b:Hotel de Dream|973516|Hotel de Dream|Emma Tennant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362179538s/973516.jpg|958414] all at once.
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