Venice: Pure City Audiobook

" If you're not reeeealy interested in Venice, don't even pick it up. I've never read a "history" that was compiled so erratically; not chronological or thematic, just kind of wandering around repeating itself over and over and over. "

" Did the audio version while driving to DC and all I could see was Venice ahead of me. Waiting to return to this beautiful city. "

" What a pity Peter Ackroyd doesn't have anything interesting or original to say about Venice. This is just a series of seemingly unrelated and unsubstantiated assertions, without the benefit of any argument or evidence. Poor. I, too, could make far-reaching and sweeping generalisations about Venice, but why would I? And who would believe me? I don't believe Peter Ackroyd and I don't know why any publisher felt that there was a need for this book. "

" I was really excited to read Venice, but was sorely disappointed. It was too long, disorganized, fragmented and boring. Ackroyd gave no context for the information; if I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have known what he was talking about half the time. I was planning to read his book on London, but I'm reconsidering. "

" An interesting and very detailed insight into what makes Venice so unique.. I did not enjoy this as much as the critics did. I found it full of historical facts, but somewhat lacking in heart and passion. The writing didnt seem to do justice to this most sensual of cities. "

" First book by Ackroyd - an glut of information that seduces for a couple of chapters then dissolves into gloopy water of detail "

" So far so good! Loving the history. Always enjoy Akroyd's writing and he's writing about a beautiful city that I have loved visiting. "

" My God, does this book need a good editor. The repetition, the contradictions (even within 3 pages of each other) were infuriating. Not to mention, Ackroyd hangs onto his beloved London and seems to unconsciously compare everything, in this case, Venice, to his beloved country of origin....but it is never stated. (Read his London book and one can see the difference.) Granted I am biased towards my love of Venice, but nonetheless I learned very little from this book that I didn't already know from other books of Venice. Overall, way too long in need of a slash and burn edit. In addition some genuine passion for the book's subject would have done wonders to make this worthwhile reading. "

" Fascinating book - and not only for lovers of Venice. Everyone interested in urban studies should read this book about what really is the prototype of the autonomous European city. And - as always is the case with Ackroyd - very well written. "

" This book covers everything there is to know about Venice, from archetecture, music, art, lierature, history, attitudes, politics, etc. Since I have been to the city three times, I found this book most interesting. "

" Not a day passes that I don't dream of going back to Venice. This book fuels that desire. "

" There were a number of interesting parts, but it seemed a bit contradictory at times. "

" A beautifully written book, with fascinating historical details, a wonderful poetic style "

" Quite a tome. A bit fanciful at times, but the topic suits Ackroyd's rich style "

" This was a very interesting book. I learned so much about Venice. Such a tumultuous culture. I loved learning about the people, the government, the industry. It covered so much, though. I will definitely revisit it. "

" I can tell the man is smart but I am so sick of him telling me how to interpret the facts. He's not generous, he's a show-off who believes he truly understands the SOUL OF VENICE. Maybe he does, but he's making me begrudge him the fact. "

" An excellent history which got a bit lost in its structure and tended to go around in circles "

" well researched but wondering, loose associations offered in place of logical analysis. a struggle to finish. "

" Interesting and a bit hypnotic. It's easy to skim to the dull parts. "

" I read this book while I was staying in Venice. I love reading all the history then going to see the places, Venice is my favourite city in the world and if your interested in it too then you should definitely read this book "

" If you are going to write a biography of a city with 1500 years of history but only use sources in English that are no more than 200 years old, you are going to write a shallow book. Lazy. Worse is referring to Hagia Sophia as "saint sophia" - basic ignorance of key points of your topic. "

" A good, solid, academic read. After reading this, I really understand the Venetian psyche. My only gripe is that I didn't catch the transition of "just-barely-settled Venice" to "Venice-with-clout." "

" Organized by theme rather than chronologically, which I enjoyed. Beautifully read but a bit long and dense, I must admit I daydreamed through some of it. "

" Read this book after reading about Borgia family. I was interested for about the first half of the book and then I started to struggle. It did seem a bit repetitive about some of the facts. However, it was good to read some non fiction and history. "

" A beautifully written book, with fascinating historical details, a wonderful poetic style "

" An interesting and very detailed insight into what makes Venice so unique.. I did not enjoy this as much as the critics did. I found it full of historical facts, but somewhat lacking in heart and passion. The writing didnt seem to do justice to this most sensual of cities. "

" Interesting history of Venice, organized by topic not chronogically. "

" A good, solid, academic read. After reading this, I really understand the Venetian psyche. My only gripe is that I didn't catch the transition of "just-barely-settled Venice" to "Venice-with-clout." "

" This was a very interesting book. I learned so much about Venice. Such a tumultuous culture. I loved learning about the people, the government, the industry. It covered so much, though. I will definitely revisit it. "

" So far so good! Loving the history. Always enjoy Akroyd's writing and he's writing about a beautiful city that I have loved visiting. "

" Interesting and a bit hypnotic. It's easy to skim to the dull parts. "

" An excellent history which got a bit lost in its structure and tended to go around in circles "

" Quite a tome. A bit fanciful at times, but the topic suits Ackroyd's rich style "