*****= An all-time favorite
**** =
Outstanding
***
= Above average
**
= Enjoyable
*
= Good, with reservations
***A Traveller's Companion to Venice
introduced and edited by John Julius Norwich
Reviewed March 8, 2004.
Interlink Books, New York, 2002. 395 pages.
I loved the idea of this book—to collect what different writers have
written about Venice over the years into one volume for a traveler to read.
I was hoping for something similar to For
the Love of Ireland, my favorite travel book ever.
However, this book, though interesting, took quite a bit of effort to
slog through. I told myself that if I didn’t get through it now, when
I was going/had just been to Venice, I probably never would finish it.
Part of the difficulty was that the selections were mostly more than a hundred
years old, with many even as far back as Venice’s glory days of the 1400s
and 1500s. These authors’ words aren’t necessarily easy reading for
us today.
The book was interesting, since it did give you insight into what Venice
was like at the height of its power. I do recommend it for people
planning to visit Venice. Plan to start a long time before your trip,
so you can tackle it in small doses.
Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund