The Monster of Florence Book Cover
Destination: Florence
Book: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
Today I continue the tour of Italy with an unusual book for travelers. By the way, I have purchased my tickets for Angels and Demons through Fandango, and am looking forward to Friday morning. I’ll talk about Rome here Friday and the move itself on Saturday.
*”A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see.” Samuel Johnson.
On this visit to Florence, perhaps you would be more comfortable if I were talking about Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King, or The Stones of Florence by Mary McCarthy, but when I first read an excerpt from The Monster of Florence in Atlantic Magazine, I found it fascinating.
If you are not aware of his story, Douglas Preston moved with his family to live the idyllic life that I myself imagined when I spent three short days in Florence. ‘Ahh, to go back and sink into the city for several months,’ I thought. ‘Nothing but sidewalk cafes, museums, great art, beautiful country surrounding the city, wonderful food and wine and the best shopping in the world.’
However, Preston became involved in investigating a serial crime and wound up being branded a criminal himself, in a Kafkaesque downward spiral through the Italian judicial system. I won’t try a complete review here, as it is ably reviewed at World Hum (click World Hum below)
See how his experience in Florence affected the author in this quote from the article at World Hum:
“My feelings are very changed,” Preston wrote. “There are no ‘magical’ places once you get to know them well—human nature is the same everywhere. While Florence is a beautiful city, it can also be squalid, dirty, dark, cold and quite different from the image presented in the tourist brochures.”
I imagine you can say the same for any place that you idealize, but I still would like to go back in live in Florence for several months. Reading Preston just gave me a little reality check.
See a televised interview with the author from You Tube.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swZIL8es3nc]
*Pamposh Dahr inspired using a quote with her Quotation Thursday.
PDF Tags: Bruneleschis Dome, crime, Douglas Preston, Forence, Italy, Mary McCarthy, Mystery
I like this blog because it’s a great place for me to learn the story behind a travel destination in a way that feels like a friend is speaking to me. Thanks for a lovely site.
Vera, I loved The Monster of Florence — and I have enjoyed reading your Italy book recommendations, too. I’ve read most of them (you know how I love Italy), but I am so happy to get a few new recommendations,too!
Ciao!
Twitter: pen4hire
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And I thank you for your kind words! Please come back often.
Twitter: pen4hire
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Angela: I can’t imagine there is anything left you have not read about Italy! But then, I guess there really are a lifetime of books–and you keep adding to them. Loved your Angels and Demons posts. Come back tomorrow to see what I think about the movie.