Rating: 
Summary: Warm and educational
Review: I didn't really know what to expect when reading The Leopard. The opening pages and characters illustrated a ruling class structure in Italy I was unfamiliar with, so it was a bit confusing to understand. Quickly, however, the story took hold and I not only began to understand Italy's political past but was entertained by a series of warm characters and beautifully written dialoges. By chance, I began to read Midnight in Sicily following this book and found many quotes referring back to The Leopard. I consider Midnight a good follow-up book for getting another view of Italy's politcal environment--this time more recent.
Rating: 
Summary: Rich description, wonderful characters, great writing!
Review: I know little of Italian politics or history, but that didn't keep me from being swept up in the story, whose well-drawn characters inhabited a feudal landscape that was inevitably fading away. Don Fabrizio, a prince in Sicily, is at the peak of his power in 1860, living a life of luxury with his wife and seven children and taking the appeasement of his sensual appetites with other women as a given, despite his wife's tears. But around him swirl the winds of war and change, as Garibaldi's army is sweeping through Sicily and there are changes that challenge his way of life. He resents the upstart commoner who is making a fortune by buying the land and yet still is willing to arrange a match between his nephew and the commoner's beautiful daughter, Angelica. There is a great scene where this marriage arrangement takes place, which is ripe with the subtleties of class.The writing is rich in descriptive texture. I could almost smell the fragrance of the garden and touch the extravagant furnishings of the estates. This sets the stage for the very real people who taste the dust of long carriage rides as well as dress in silk and attend great balls. I learned about the politics of the time, the role of the church and the view of the world as perceived by the privileged few for the fifty-year time span of the book, which concludes in 1910. It was a deeply satisfying read. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A frustrating book...hard for me to recommend
Review: I learned about 'The Leopard' through Peter Robb's excellent travelogue 'Midnight in Sicily.' First off, if your objective is to learn more about Italy and Sicily in particular, go immediately to Robb's work. He spends about four to five pages dissecting 'The Leopard.' If that whets your appetite for more, then come back and buy di Lampedusa's book. For me, I'm sorry to say that Robb's summary is about all that was needed. There are certainly no more than four to five pages worth of events of note in 'The Leopard.' After reading 'Midnight in Sicily,' the only thing of interest here are the oblique references to the beginnings of the Mafia - the sudden rise in Don Calogero's wealth and political standing despite his noted 'uncouthness' & the reference to another minor character (Vicenzino) as a "man of honor" interpreted by di Lampedusa as 'one of those violent cretins capable of any havoc.' Putting this book in historical context, these sentiments surely must have shocked Italy with their boldness when it was originally published in 1958. So my hat is off to the author for that. And certainly for those interested in the history of Italy in the 1860s, this book puts flesh on the various social sets that existed in that time. But as a follow-up to 'Midnight in Sicily' - with that book's vivid, up-to-date accounts of the Sicilian Mafia (just one of many praiseworthy aspects) - 'The Leopard' is a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfectly Written Novel
Review: I think it's safe to say, that for anyone who has read this book, the general concensus would be that every word of this riverting novel is 'perfectly placed.' There are very few books, Marquez's 'Love in the Time of Cholera' being one of recent memory, that can rank alongside this novel of private despair as the 'Leopard' watches helplessly, yet with grace, as his entire lineage crumbles and transforms before his very eyes. Without disclosing any more of the content, this is a novel we should all read, not only for its extremely accurate historical value of a decaying Sicily, but in appreciation of the author's complete devotion to his craft. It is unfortunate, as is often the case with those we consider 'great' artists, that di Lampedusa did not live to realise the success his novel would achieve.
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly enjoyable.
Review: I was asked to read this book by my Italian teacher and all I felt was dread. But then I started reading the novel and got so absorbed in it that I didn't realise I had read the book cover to cover. The description of Sicily and Don Fabrizio's family and style of living are realistic and breathtaking. Also a book of great historical value.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid Imagery - Excellent Book
Review: I was lent this book- an old copy and at first glance, I thought it was going to be boring and something I wouldn't enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised and became so engrossed in the novel that I finished it in a week! This is impressive in that it typically takes me about a month to finish a book with time constraints, etc. The descriptions in this book are like nothing I have ever read before. I really felt like I was there! Plus, coming from a Sicilian family, the accounts of Sicilian's personalities, superstition and stubborness are spot-on. There are several phrases in French throughout the book that are kind of important to the story which is worth noting. Have your French Dictionary handy!
Rating:
Summary: Must-read for those who've enjoyed Machiavelli's, The Prince
Review: If you've read Machiavelli's, THE PRINCE, then you'll definitely want to read this emotional and inspiring story called, THE LEOPARD. The Prince (Don Fabrizio) has a very distinct way of leading a group of people during a time of distress.
Rating:
Summary: The Fall of the Leopards
Review: In The Leopard, Di Lampedusa masterfully narrates the downfall of an ancient aristocratic Sicilian family. We are introduced, among many others, to the paternalistic, intellectual Prince Fabrizio, his beloved but financially unendowed wit of a nephew Tancredi, Father Pirrone - a clement and practical reconciler and the Prince's ever-present conscience, and Don Sedara, a crass and uninitiated self-made landowner from the peasant class, whose beautiful daughter Tancredi falls for. The Leopard, a pithy and briskly-paced historical novel, opens for us the door into the world of an old Sicilian family and the patriarch who tries to maintain the rule of tradition in his beloved world under the backdrop of Garibaldi and the reunification of Italy. That the book is extremely well-written is evident even in the eloquent translation. The story, undulating the tone from the tender expressiveness of all that is dear and familiar to a man who loves his country and heritage, and the gentle sorrow attending the perception of forces that gradually efface the bonds that hold those things together. The chapter dealing with Don Fabrizio's declining health is an achievement in its own right, reflecting the organicity and artless sophistication of an experienced writer. It is to be read slowly, with sweet relish
Rating:
Summary: The Fall of the Leopards
Review: In The Leopard, Di Lampedusa masterfully narrates the downfall of an ancient aristocratic Sicilian family. We are introduced, among many others, to the paternalistic, intellectual Prince Fabrizio, his beloved but financially unendowed wit of a nephew Tancredi, Father Pirrone - a clement and practical reconciler and the Prince's ever-present conscience, and Don Sedara, a crass and uninitiated self-made landowner from the peasant class, whose beautiful daughter Tancredi falls for. The Leopard, a pithy and briskly-paced historical novel, opens for us the door into the world of an old Sicilian family and the patriarch who tries to maintain the rule of tradition in his beloved world under the backdrop of Garibaldi and the reunification of Italy. That the book is extremely well-written is evident even in the eloquent translation. The story, undulating the tone from the tender expressiveness of all that is dear and familiar to a man who loves his country and heritage, and the gentle sorrow attending the perception of forces that gradually efface the bonds that hold those things together. The chapter dealing with Don Fabrizio's declining health is an achievement in its own right, reflecting the organicity and artless sophistication of an experienced writer. It is to be read slowly, with sweet relish
Rating:
Summary: Charming and Engaging
Review: It's rare to find a novel whose characters are so engaging as those in The Leopard. Set against the backgroud of Sicily during the revolution in the 1860's, The Leopard tells the story of the closing of an era of Italian history through the eyes of a noble family (the family, in fact, of di Lampedusa himself). The characters are convincingly drawn and the story is always engaging. A joy.
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