A #1 New York Times Bestseller!“Funny, insightful, illuminating . . .” —The Boston GlobeTwelve years ago, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil exploded into a monumental success, residing a record-breaking four years on the New York Times bestseller list (longer than any work of fiction or nonfiction had before) and turning John Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is … Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is Berendt’s first book since Midnight, and it immediately reminds one what all the fuss was about. Turning to the magic, mystery, and decadence of Venice, Berendt gradually reveals the truth behind a sensational fire that in 1996 destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. Encountering a rich cast of characters, Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to portray a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting.
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A must read if you are in Venice or heading to Venice or just returned from Venice. It really brings the city to life and Berendt is such a skilled writer that the characters leap off the pages. Vibrant and interesting, not to be missed.
Fascinating if you like historical Venice. I love opera and always try to visit historical opera houses on my travels.
This is a very entertaining book of nonfiction, that reads like fiction. Venice is full of many eccentric individuals. It’s interesting to read about the great city and those that inhabit it.
Love his books. Great description, true story.
Not quite as good as Garden of Good and Evil, but still pretty good. The “crime” in this case is the burning of the Fenice Opera House in Venice. The author “investigates” the supposed arson and interviews all the characters. Most intriguing to me was the fighting among the wealthy philanthropists trying to save Venice’s treasures. The crime description wasn’t much, but the personality descriptions are great.
Intriguing, well written exploration of Venice.
“The City of Falling Angels” is an account of author John Berendt’s experiences when he lived in Venice, Italy at the time of the fire that destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. This real-life mystery is filled with eccentric characters, history, and descriptions of a dream-like Venice.
Outstanding take of one of the world’s most interesting cities, Venice.
Fascinating history, well written.
This was a book I wanted to love. I didn’t. It was very hard to empathize with many of the “characters” in the book- they are real people with skewed values and a nonchalance forward deliberate and obvious greed and corruption. The author of the book seemed well caught up in the intrigue at times. I suppose it is a great way to get a story so we can all sit along the sidelines in outrage, but it’s after the fact, isn’t it? Toothless, impotent outrage isn’t satisfying. If that is Venice, and so many people claim to love Venice, well, it’s a dysfunctional love and a deeply disturbing illusion perpetuated to attract the tourists who are really not that welcome after all.
If you’ve been to Venice or are going, this is a great book to give you a non-touristy perspective of this amazing city. Some of it can be described as “rich people whining,” but I enjoyed the stories and behind-the-scenes action. I learned alot about Venice and Venetians that i wish i had known before my visit.
Every decade or so John Berendt writes a book. An extremely good book. So good, you will forget that it’s nonfiction. In this one, The City of Fallen Angels, he strings together the history, intrigue, power, villainy and beauty of Venice, Italy. Never has the arson of an opera house been more page turning. To live the life John has lived. I used some of the information I gleaned from this book in one of my own early novels, Want Him. * Alice Bello is the author of eight novels, including Hate Him XOXO, Holding onto Hope and Min’s Vampire.
I love Venice and this is a quirky “insider view” of life among the rich and powerful old families and organizations that influence the future of this historic treasure.
One of the best books I’ve ever read and I read a lot!! Excellent prose. You will fall in love with Venice and if you’ve never been it will make you want to go there!
I Ioved this book!!
Fascinating book about a fascinating city- the amazing thing is- it’s all true!!
Based on his experience in “Venice, this book tells the story of everyday life in a city that has its own synch in the world. Just like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, you get a feel for the real Venice.
Interesting anecdotes about Venice and the characters who live there, built around the tragic story of the fire that destroyed the Fenice Opera House.
This is a very interesting work of nonfiction that reads like fiction.
More of a historical documentary than a novel. However, the info provided very interesting and blended well with the author’s story line. I knew virtually nothing about Venice so I found it very interesting. Probably even more interesting to someone who has lived or at least visited Venice