HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt
Loading...

The City of Falling Angels (original 2005; edition 2005)

by John Berendt

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
4,080982,918 (3.55)145
Venice, a city steeped in a thousand years of history, art and architecture, teeters in precarious balance between endurance and decay. Its architectural treasures crumble--foundations shift, marble ornaments fall--even as efforts to preserve them are underway. This book opens in 1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic Fenice opera house, a catastrophe for Venetians. Arriving three days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of detective--inquiring into the nature of life in this remarkable museum-city--while gradually revealing the truth about the fire. He introduces us to a rich cast of characters, Venetian and expatriate, in a tale full of atmosphere and surprise which reveals a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting. The fire and its aftermath serve as a leitmotif, adding elements of chaos, corruption, and crime and contributing to the ever-mounting suspense.--From publisher description.… (more)
Member:IndyLibrarian
Title:The City of Falling Angels
Authors:John Berendt
Info:The Penguin Press (2005), Hardcover, 414 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:Alison's

Work Information

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt (2005)

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 145 mentions

English (95)  Dutch (3)  All languages (98)
Showing 1-5 of 95 (next | show all)
Donna Leon brings Venice to life in her Guido Brunetti series and I wanted to expand on that knowledge. John Berendt's ode to Venice, The City of Falling Angels, has the same tone as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, gossipy journalism that reveals the underside of the elegance and old money world of Venice. And, I liked it very much! The book focuses on the fire at the Fernice Opera House, the setting of Leon's first mystery. ( )
  witchyrichy | Aug 31, 2023 |
Second reading: still so very gossipy, still so very very good.

First reading: Gossip cleverly disguised as commentary upon the citizens of Venice, Italy. Mmm, good. ( )
  blueskygreentrees | Jul 30, 2023 |
Similar to many journalistic, well researched this book, this book contaibned many repetitions and unneeded details. However, it was written as if it were a mystery about the fire at Fenice, the Grand Opera House of Venice. All of the intrigue and pettinesses involved, besides the outright graft, nepotism, and networking by many of those involved, was very enlightening. The legal system, and laws (whether obeyed or not) also added much interest. ( )
  suesbooks | Apr 24, 2023 |
I did not enjoy the author's writing style. What was the point of the entire plot? ( )
  Huba.Library | Jul 9, 2022 |
The beauty of a well-written history book: it can be a page-turner. Berendt has an excellent book, all factual, and exciting. ( )
  DeaconBernie | Jul 28, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 95 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Berendt, Johnprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Graham, HolterNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
BEWARE OF FALLING ANGELS - Sign posted outside the Santa Maria della Salute Church in the early 1970s, before restoration of its marble ornaments
Dedication
For Harold Hayes and Clay Felker
First words
"Everyone in Venice is acting," Count Girolamo Marcello told me.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC
Venice, a city steeped in a thousand years of history, art and architecture, teeters in precarious balance between endurance and decay. Its architectural treasures crumble--foundations shift, marble ornaments fall--even as efforts to preserve them are underway. This book opens in 1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic Fenice opera house, a catastrophe for Venetians. Arriving three days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of detective--inquiring into the nature of life in this remarkable museum-city--while gradually revealing the truth about the fire. He introduces us to a rich cast of characters, Venetian and expatriate, in a tale full of atmosphere and surprise which reveals a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting. The fire and its aftermath serve as a leitmotif, adding elements of chaos, corruption, and crime and contributing to the ever-mounting suspense.--From publisher description.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
John Berendt shares what he learned about the city of Venice and its people in the months following the fire that destroyed the city's historic Fenice Opera House.
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.55)
0.5 1
1 8
1.5 5
2 60
2.5 16
3 206
3.5 62
4 257
4.5 21
5 87

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,225,735 books! | Top bar: Always visible