Play Audiobook Sample
The City of Falling Angels (Abridged) Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 7,648 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
It was seven years ago that Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil achieved a record-breaking four-year run on the New York Times bestseller list. John Berendt's inimitable brand of nonfiction brought the dark mystique of Savannah so startlingly to life for millions of people that tourism to Savannah increased by 46%. It is Berendt and only Berendt who can capture Venice--a city of masks, a city of riddles, where the narrow, meandering passageways form a giant maze, confounding all who have not grown up wandering into its depths. Venice, a city steeped in a thousand years of history, art and architecture, teeters in precarious balance between endurance and decay. Its architectural treasures crumble--foundations shift, marble ornaments fall--even as efforts to preserve them are underway. THE CITY OF FALLING ANGELS opens on the evening of January 29, 1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic Fenice opera house. The loss of the Fenice, where five of Verdi's operas premiered, is a catastrophe for Venetians. Arriving in Venice three days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of detective--inquiring into the nature of life in this remarkable museum-city-- while gradually revealing the truth about the fire. In the course of his investigations, Berendt introduces us to a rich cast of characters: a prominent Venetian poet whose shocking 'suicide' prompts his skeptical friends to pursue a murder suspect on their own; the First Family of American expatriates who lose possession of the family palace after four generations of ownership; an organization of high-society, party-going Americans who raise money to preserve the art and architecture of Venice, while quarreling in public among themselves, questioning each other's motives and drawing startled Venetians into the fray; a contemporary Venetian surrealist painter and outrageous provocateur; the master glassblower of Venice; and numerous others--stool-pigeons, scapegoats, hustlers, sleepwalkers, believers in Martians, the Plant Man, the Rat Man, and Henry James. Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to reveal a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting. The fire and its aftermath serve as a leitmotif that runs throughout, adding to the elements of chaos, corruption and crime, and contributing to the ever-mounting suspense of this brilliant audiobook. Bonus feature includes an exclusive interview with the author!
Download and start listening now!
"Not as wonderfully spooky as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. However, it's been years since I've read it and I still find myself thinking of it. It's an entertaining treatment of Venetian society and the Italian legal system."
— Robin (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
-
A #1 New York Times bestseller
The City of Falling Angels Listener Reviews
-
" Interesting and definitely very hard to quantify. But definitely enjoyable. "
— Aurynn, 2/16/2014 -
" The characters of a byzantine city... how fascinating! "
— Sandy, 2/14/2014 -
" True stories of Venetians set in Venice surrounding the fire of the Fenice Opera House. It was interesting--sometimes fascinating, sometimes tedious. Only my love for history kept me committed to staying with this book to the end, but, overall, a good read. "
— Laura, 2/8/2014 -
" The book make you feel like you know the city of Venice, but Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil it is not. "
— Gloria, 1/26/2014 -
" Never been to Venice, but this reads as part travel guide and part tell-all about Venetian society and politics...really a fun read. "
— Janet, 1/23/2014 -
" Disappointing. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is one of my favorite books. This was nowhere near as interesting or as well-written. "
— Cindi, 1/17/2014 -
" if you have ever been or plan on going to Venice this is a must read, I found it very interesting..makes me want to go back "
— Sara, 1/2/2014 -
" I'm on disk 3 of 11, and so far it's just boring character studies. I don't think I can take much more. "
— Terrie, 1/2/2014 -
" If you liked "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," then you must read this. It is every bit as good! I loved it! I am thinking of changing my rating to five stars.... "
— Kim, 12/20/2013 -
" Not as good as Midnight... "
— Nat, 12/16/2013 -
" (non-fiction) I loved it because it takes place in Venice and I had been to Venice not too long before. "
— Lisa, 12/8/2013 -
" unneccessary and excessive name-dropping brought the book down for me. but still an interesting read. "
— Cindy, 11/13/2013 -
" Story of the burning of Venice's opera house, the Fenice in 1996. The author attempts to find out exactly what happened and in the process speaks to various people of Venice and learns about their lives and/or involvement with the Fenice. "
— Ginny, 10/2/2013 -
" Disappointing follow up to one of the best books of all time. "
— Dustin, 12/24/2012 -
" This is a good book and I love it. Probably because I love Italian culture, which made this book very endearing at some extent. "
— Jade, 4/11/2012 -
" Enjoyed this very much. I love the way he tells THE story by weaving together the stories and points of view of the many rich characters. Wish he had more novels. "
— Keith, 2/6/2012 -
" This is the same author that wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and so I had high hopes. After reading 181 pages, I just couldn't go any further. I found the book to be pretty dry with not much of a story line. "
— Dianne, 10/3/2011 -
" great book if you've ever been to, or are interested in Venice. "
— Scott, 9/18/2011 -
" I couldn't finish this book. Felt like I was reading this forever & just didn't have the urge to ever pick it up and read it. "
— Theresa, 9/17/2011 -
" Written by the same author as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil- one of my favorite books of all time. "
— Heather, 6/7/2011 -
" Intriguing view of a fascinating city. Venice itself is the main character of this well-written account. It certainly enriched my recent visit. "
— Chris, 5/23/2011 -
" The author paints an amazing picture of Venice and really engrosses you in the culture of the city and the personalities of the inhabitants.Unfortunately for me that was all that got me through this book.The plot and mystery of who burned the Fenice just didn't capture my interest as I had hoped. "
— Anna, 4/27/2011 -
" True stories of Venetians set in Venice surrounding the fire of the Fenice Opera House. It was interesting--sometimes fascinating, sometimes tedious. Only my love for history kept me committed to staying with this book to the end, but, overall, a good read. "
— Laura, 4/19/2011 -
" slow moving,....what else can I say. Having a hard time staying with it. Except there's the fire. We'll see. "
— Kris, 3/9/2011 -
" If you love Venice, you'll find this book to be very interesting. "
— Jennie, 3/6/2011
About John Berendt
John Berendt grew up in Syracuse, New York. He earned a BA in English from Harvard University, where he worked on the staff of the Harvard Lampoon. After graduating in 1961, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. He was editor of New York magazine from 1977 to 1979, and wrote a monthly column for Esquire from 1982 to 1994. Berendt first traveled to Savannah in the early 80’s, and spent more and more time there over the next few years, until he was there more often than he was in New York.