1 to 7 of 7
Review Date: 3/3/2015
Not Camilleri's best. Mildly entertaining, but without the compelling plot and character motivation of other books in this series. Some plot elements really stretch credulity. Instead of "The Age of Doubt," perhaps a better title is "Montalbano Loses His Mind?"
Review Date: 1/17/2013
The author attempts to debunk "declinists"--numerous writers and pundits who have found evidence of economic decline. However, he relies on anecdotes and selected statistics, and focuses on the period following the Great Recession of 2008. Many of the declinists focus on longer-term economic phenomena, dating back to the 1970s or 1980s. It's the longer-term and broader perspective that I found most missing in this book. The chapter "More Like North Dakota," which describes the recent rapid growth of economic activity in ND due to oil extraction and strong markets for their agrcultural products, should be followed by a chapter titled "Why the Other 49 States Aren't Like North Dakota." Read it for its sunny take on why there may be cause for limited optimism near-term, but not for a better understanding of the fundamental forces shaping the U.S. economy long-term.
Review Date: 2/7/2015
Interesting for a novelistic account of the Borgias. Could have used a good editor. For a better literary treatment of the period, I highly recommend The Malice of Fortune by Michael Ennis.
La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
2
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
2
Review Date: 12/18/2011
You don't have to be a student of Italian to appreciate the charm and humor of this book. The author takes the reader on a fascinating voyage of exploration of Italian in its many dimensions--historical, cultural, culinary--as well as her personal experiences with the language. I did not want it to end.
Review Date: 6/2/2015
Helpful Score: 5
This book started slowly for me. In fact, I found the book's central theme (revealed in the first few pages) tedious at first. I always give a book at least 50 pages before I throw in the towel. With this book, it took me over 100 pages before I was hooked, then I couldn't put it down. It is as much an homage to the brave people who survived the London Blitz and the Second World War as it is a portrait of a young woman and an English family in the first half of the twentieth century.
Review Date: 2/8/2014
An unsolved murder set in Renaissance Italy. An unlikely coalition of Machiavelli, Da Vinci, and a cultured courtesan set out to solve it, each with their own motives and means. Characters include a corrupt pope, the Borgias, scheming warlords, witches, and the stew that was Renaissance Italy. An unconventional but enjoyable thriller.
Review Date: 1/1/2014
Helpful Score: 2
Disappointing. I very likely won't finish it. Too much soap opera. I would have been happier with a historical treatment of the topic than a fictionalized account of the Hemingways' courtship and marriage. I didn't find the dialogue believable. Some have enjoyed this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
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