A pretty comprehensive history of Italy. To give some insight into m motivation for reading it, my wife is Italian, so I really wanted to know more about the country. And this book pretty much achieved this goal.I particularly liked the early chapters that discuss the geographical disadvantages that Italy has (length, topography). For quite a lengthy volume (by my standards!), I did find some periods mentioned in passing (Italy's colonial expeditions, modern Italy under Berlusconi) and quite a bit of repetition. On the whole though, David Gilmour has an entertaining writing style and the book did the job that I wanted it to, whilst also whetting my appetite for further reading. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I picked it up on the cheap, and noted it was a history of an entire country in just 400 pages, but it managed to impress me a lot with its breadth of information, its style and the quality of the writing.Rather than just a dry account of battles and kings (relevant but often dull when it comes to national histories) this crammed in social narratives, cultural analysis and a fair amount of wit and good humour. The writer clearly loves Italy, although not uncritically, and this lends the whole book an atmosphere of passion and intent which elevates it above similar books of its ilk. The often wry observations are coupled with moments of real insight, and the more depressing moments of Italy's history are afforded the dignity they deserve. It focuses mostly on Italy itself, leaving the histories of the city states which proceeded it to be covered in more depth elsewhere, although the overviews provided cover the period from Roman times to the c19th in enough detail to keep the reader engaged and informed about previous events.For someone whose previous knowledge of Italian history was patchy, this was a great way to be introduced to the place.
What do You think about The Pursuit Of Italy (2011)?
On the subject a great overview. Marvellous to the campanilismo
—chunkyme
Ask Cecilia, she's an expert on Italian unification...
—pal
temporarily abandoned - stays on the list though
—maria
