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A review by nprtotebag
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.5 stars
The writing style of this book was something to get used to. Each day when I would start a new chapter it would take me a few passages to get back into the swing of things. However, once I was in the thick of it, I really came to appreciate the subtlety with which the author is able to convey the characters' feelings and opinions. He did a great job of showing, rather than telling. I would classify this as a moderately challenging read. The language could be flowery, but I felt it was nicely balanced. Every now and then there would be an absolutely fantastic metaphor that was a pleasure to read.
The aspects that took away from me giving it 5 stars was by struggle with keeping track of names and places. Additionally, I didn't have a firm enough grasp on the historical context and oftentimes would get confused about the religious references. While these weren't the fault of the author, they were detractors nonetheless. Finally, because there's a lot of politics within the story, it felt like there were double meanings the characters' conversations that went over my head. I imagine if I were Italian I'd have gotten much more out of the story thanks to my knowledge of Italy's history, customs, etc.
Favorite chapter: Death of a Prince
The writing style of this book was something to get used to. Each day when I would start a new chapter it would take me a few passages to get back into the swing of things. However, once I was in the thick of it, I really came to appreciate the subtlety with which the author is able to convey the characters' feelings and opinions. He did a great job of showing, rather than telling. I would classify this as a moderately challenging read. The language could be flowery, but I felt it was nicely balanced. Every now and then there would be an absolutely fantastic metaphor that was a pleasure to read.
The aspects that took away from me giving it 5 stars was by struggle with keeping track of names and places. Additionally, I didn't have a firm enough grasp on the historical context and oftentimes would get confused about the religious references. While these weren't the fault of the author, they were detractors nonetheless. Finally, because there's a lot of politics within the story, it felt like there were double meanings the characters' conversations that went over my head. I imagine if I were Italian I'd have gotten much more out of the story thanks to my knowledge of Italy's history, customs, etc.
Favorite chapter: Death of a Prince