Gordon Lawrie writes: I love Venice. I suppose if I knew I'd only a few months to live, I'd like to make one more visit there, so it's hardly surprising that I like books about the place, too. But not all of them equally. Here are two successive Goodreads reviews.
The first, by Polly Coles, is really an account of a year spent there.
The first, by Polly Coles, is really an account of a year spent there.
The Politics of Washing: Real Life in Venice by Polly ColesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
If you love going to Venice as a tourist – as I do – then this a book you should probably avoid. Polly Jones spent a year there with her children and Italian husband, and this book is her observation on how tourists are seen by the locals. There are lots of interesting cameo mini-essays, describing how children play together, the place of the church, the changing shops, leisure activities and, of course, the way hanging washing impacts on Venetian households and their neighbours. It's an easy read, good bed-time reading because the chapters are super-short.
But to be honest, I felt Ms Jones spent far too much time trying to make people like me feel guilty for going to Venice at all, that I'd no right to be there, that my presence was making life impossible for the locals, and that I should understand that the default Venetian view of me is that I've destroyed their city.
I take her point, but Venice has been a place to visit for thousands of years; tourism and trade are the reason for its very existing. I think Polly Jones feels tourism isn't a 'real' industry, but she seems blissfully unaware that trade is a lot less clean than tourism. Be careful what you wish for.
If you have no intention of going to Venice, you'll find this fascinating. If you're a serial Venice tourist, handle with care.
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Then, there's the simply wonderful Donna Leon Guido Brunetti series.
The Golden Egg by Donna LeonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
As far as I'm concerned, Donna Leon can do (almost) no wrong, so if you don't agree, don't bother reading any more.
I loved "The Golden Egg", which is the latest in her Commissario Guido Brunetti series. It's not a fast-moving story, but it's an incredibly Venetian story, exploring the complex nature of Venetian society, culture and class. It's a story of the death of youngish man with learning difficulties, why he died and of his general circumstances, and yet although the story isn't dramatic or exciting in a conventional crime fiction way, Donna Leon still manages to keep the reader guesing right to the end, and then to provide a quite shocking conclusion. For me, at any rate.
As usual, read the Brunetti books in order - this is #22. That gives you plenty to do before you read this one.
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