A review by documentno_is
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 I have to admit initially I was a little put of by the style of this- it felt a little too one note and I had trouble connecting to the prose (poems, really,) that felt a little too short and romantic in nature. As I immersed further into the concept I was surprised to find myself being deeply moved by Calvino's universal platitudes about how cities are perceived by those who live in them vs those who conquer and how their legends develop past and onward to society. As somebody who had traveled often I think this book speaks to an encroaching similarity in the parallels that we an draw between all places. How as the mythos of the city falls away we find in it the same trappings of all places imbued with our memories. This book was so moving and inspiring, and I really liked the thematic through line that developed through this interesting stylized piece of literature, even if it was a bit jarring at inception. I hold a special interest in novels that I think accomplish capturing something other mediums cannot, the kind of story that can only be told in a book and I think the dreamlike narratives Calvino weaves are just that- the longer you force connections the more you will be disappointed. Each city is different and yet each city is the same, only Marco Polo can traverse the experiences on the ground but with it he brings his memories, attachments, etc. Meanwhile Khan is trapped in the disillusionment of his empire, he cannot see what he needs to and decay surrounds.