Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: City of the Soul: A Walk in Rome by William Murray ISBN: 0-609-60614-X Publisher: Crown Publishers Pub. Date: 04 February, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A delightful walk through Rome.
Comment: J.Tom Cooper ([email protected]), book reviewer for a radio network., May 5, 2004,
A wonderful banquet of Roman anecdotes
I reviewed the 2-CD version of this book for my radio network and found it delightful. I have been to Rome many times, but Mr. Murray's delightful blend of personal and family anecdotes merged perfectly with his description of some famous and some less famous parts of the city. His pleasant vocal narration and his obvious thorough knowledge of the city kept me interested through the entire book on CD. I found myself taking notes on each piazza or building he described so that I could go back and experience them again. It isn't your typical guidebook description, but it is a perfect companion to a conventional book on Rome. His personal anecdotes about his family, lovers and friends were a welcome bit of spice. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not Much Soul Here
Comment: Before you read on, perhaps you should know where I'm coming from: I've spent a great deal of time in Rome and Sicily every year since 1994. William Murray's little book about Rome is part of Crown's Journeys series. It's worth perhaps a quick hour's read by someone who has never been to or read anything about Rome; i.e., if you know absolutely nothing about the Vestal Virgins, you'll find a very brief but informative paragraph about them. Tourists will not find the book helpful. Although the book has a 2003 imprint, there are many indications that the chapters are reprints. For example, Murray wrongfully says that the Villa Borghese is not open to the public, whereas it has been open to the public for more than a year; and he refers to the Holy Year as "looming," whereas it has long since ended. There is some anti-American sentiment: Murray suggests that if Rome had been turned over to American engineers, they would have demolished the forums and the Colosseum; yet he flatly contradicts himself with an anecdote about an American millionaire who wanted to buy and restore the Colosseum. (In actuality, anyone who has been to Rome can tell you that the Italians need no help in allowing the degradation of their monuments.) A quotation from William Wetmore Story does not identify Story, not even to indicate that he is one of the more notable permanent residents of the Protestant cemetery in Rome. While he tells us that Janet Flanner was his mother's dearest friend and lover, you'll have to go elsewhere to learn anything about Flanner's place in literary history. Beyond that reference to Flanner, Murray's family reminiscences are quaintly meandering and do little to reveal Rome as a city of the soul.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Walking Tour of Rome for Romantics
Comment: I finished this book wanting to read more - about Rome and about William Murray and his family. Shortly after finishing City of the Soul, we went to Rome and enjoyed many of the walks he described. Not only that, the maps on the end pages are excellent, and the small size of the book makes it an ideal book to take along.
Murrays' mother was Italian and he grew up in Rome, although he was just at home among Americans and British. In between descriptions of walks in central Rome and the history of the landmarks, he talks about growing up with his journalist mother and her lover. Murray's Rome is populated with artists and writers and this is both a great walking tour as well as a revealing journey to post-war Rome.
 |
Title: City Secrets: Rome by Robert Kahn ISBN: 1892145049 Publisher: Little Bookroom Pub. Date: February, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: Rome in Detail: A Guide for the Expert Traveler by International Herald Tribune ISBN: 0847824624 Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: A Traveller in Rome by H. V. Morton ISBN: 0306811316 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: 24 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.50 |
 |
Title: Gambero Rosso Rome: Restaurants, Trattorias, Pizzerias, Wine Bars, Snacks, Wine Shops, Gourmet Foods, Home & Table, Hotels by Clara Barra, Stefano Bonilli, Giancarlo Perrotta ISBN: 1890142034 Publisher: Gambero Rosso Pub. Date: 01 March, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: A Thousand Bells at Noon: A Roman Reveals the Secrets and Pleasures of His Native City by G. Franco Romagnoli ISBN: 0060519207 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
