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Rating: 
Summary: Goodness that's Harsh!
Review: Goodness, kathymancuso from Landstuhl, Germany, are you even aware that this was written DECADES ago by a famous writer before the modern type of down-and-dirty travel books and cityguides existed? Ms. Mancuso seems completely unaware of the author (who wrote the famous book The Group, among other things) or of the long history of this type of writing, and Ms. McCarthy's contribution to it. I rather enjoyed the laugh that reading Ms. Mancuso's review gave me, however. It was so obvious she hadn't a clue.
Rating:
Summary: Goodness that's Harsh!
Review: Goodness, kathymancuso from Landstuhl, Germany, are you even aware that this was written DECADES ago by a famous writer before the modern type of down-and-dirty travel books and cityguides existed? Ms. Mancuso seems completely unaware of the author (who wrote the famous book The Group, among other things) or of the long history of this type of writing, and Ms. McCarthy's contribution to it. I rather enjoyed the laugh that reading Ms. Mancuso's review gave me, however. It was so obvious she hadn't a clue.
Rating: 
Summary: For art and literature buffs....
Review: Mary McCarthy's VENICE OBSERVED is neither history nor a guide book but rather a literary reflection written by a young 1950s "single" woman who has visited a beautiful place and now sits at her desk and muses over what she has seen. McCarthy was a writer and an educated woman in an age when educated women were few. She probably wore white gloves and a little hat and visited Europe after graduation from college. One can picture the author of THE GROUP traveling abroad, continuing her education. As part of her formal training, she read James and Ruskin and then she visited the sights they described and wrote her own impressions. I found McCarthy's book intriguing because she was intriguing and women like her don't exist any more. I picture her looking a bit like Katherine Hepburn arriving in Italy in "Summertime." Maybe McCarthy wasn't a "career girl" as single women sans husband and children who worked for a living were called in those days, but this is how I picture her on reading VENICE OBSERVED. I've just finished reading JJ Norwich's HISTORY OF VENICE and if you want history Norwich's book is the definitive history. VENICE OBSERVED is for women who want a bit of information to complement their education mixed in with another woman's reflections. VENICE OBSERVED is for educated women who travel alone. McCarthy includes some history, but only as a backdrop to her real interests which are art and literature. She assumes you know who Tintoretto and Titian were and that you've at least seen pictures of their works. Where Norwich mentions Tintoretto in passing (Norwich is more interested in archtecture) McCarthy dwells on him. VENICE OBSERVED is not an art book however. McCarthy's writing reminds me of James or Ruskin, both of whom she quotes. They observed various places, buildings, paintings, etc. but always assumed you had some prior knowledge of the thing they were discussing. VENICE OBSERVED is the sort of book you'd want to read after you have made your own visit to Venice. You could read it before hand, but the text would be overwhelming if you come to it with no prior knowledge. If you want to read a more contemporary book, I recommend ITALIAN DAYS by Barbara Grizutti Harrison.
Rating: 
Summary: Travellers will welcome McCarthy's cerebral look at Venice.
Review: McCarthy's Venice is witty, pragmatic, mercantile, impossible for Rome to harnass, and fully capable of reveling in its glory right up until its glorious decline. McCarthy's look at Venice offers a useful counterpoint to the many travel books on Venice which only scratch the surface of the city's singular history.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh
Review: Talk about taking the joy out of an experience. I read this book prior to a week-long trip to Venice. This book quite simply accomplished none of its objectives. It is a poor "guidebook" and is poorly written and uninteresting in terms of a travelogue. The history and art of Venice are covered better in books from those genres. The only upside is that it is short. Yuck, what a waste of time. My advice is: get a novel about Venice if you like novels, a guidebook if you want that, an art book, or a history book. At least you'll get something out of those--this one tries all of these and fails. Actually, in terms of a travelogue, "Vendela in Venice" far surpassess any other Venice book I have seen. Although I originally bought it because it is considered a children's book, it is not dumbed down at all and adults will enjoy it...
Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: Talk about taking the joy out of an experience. I read this book prior to a week-long trip to Venice. This book quite simply accomplished none of its objectives. It is a poor "guidebook" and is poorly written and uninteresting in terms of a travelogue. The history and art of Venice are covered better in books from those genres. The only upside is that it is short. Yuck, what a waste of time. My advice is: get a novel about Venice if you like novels, a guidebook if you want that, an art book, or a history book. At least you'll get something out of those--this one tries all of these and fails. Actually, in terms of a travelogue, "Vendela in Venice" far surpassess any other Venice book I have seen. Although I originally bought it because it is considered a children's book, it is not dumbed down at all and adults will enjoy it...
Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: Talk about taking the joy out of an experience. I read this book prior to a week-long trip to Venice. This book quite simply accomplished none of its objectives. It is a poor "guidebook" and is poorly written and uninteresting in terms of a travelogue. The history and art of Venice are covered better in books from those genres. The only upside is that it is short. Yuck, what a waste of time. My advice is: get a novel about Venice if you like novels, a guidebook if you want that, an art book, or a history book. At least you'll get something out of those--this one tries all of these and fails. Actually, in terms of a travelogue, "Vendela in Venice" far surpassess any other Venice book I have seen. Although I originally bought it because it is considered a children's book, it is not dumbed down at all and adults will enjoy it...
Rating:
Summary: Pure pleasure
Review: This is one of McCarthy's most delightful books, although it may also be her least controversial. VENICE OBSERVED might be the best single travel book ever written on Venice, and MCarthy's tone is leisurely and informative, her style witty and engaging. Her asides about her personal experiences in the city complement her grander historical and artistic musings: you never feel alienated from her prose (the way you can in her earlier THE STONES OF FLORENCE). Her anecdotes about the doges, Tintoretto, Veronese, the Councils, etc. greatly enhanced one's understanding of the city, and her musings on the art are thoughtful and illuminating.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing insighs on Venice but a difficult read.
Review: Venice Observed is not a travel log. Rather, it is a compendium of historical topics that, when brought together, illustrate the mosaic history of Venice. Mary McCarthy writes with the confidence of a discerning Brussels diamond buyer. In her book McCarthy holds up Venice and asks the reader to observe the beauty, uniqueness, and flaws that time has formed over the past ages. She turns this city/state before you and by the end of her 150 page book, you will have examined a gem. Her writing, while learned, can be convoluted, and the text should be read with a dictionary by one's side, i.e., "The other way lay universal odium" - odium?. A significant distraction is the lack of an index, biography and glossary. These aspects make the work difficult to engage. Yet, I pushed through the book because of the insights that Mary McCarthy gave to Venetian culture and history. For those that are schooled in Italian history and have an interest in Venice then this book would be worth reading, for McCarthy's insights can be provocative as well as intriguing. For the general traveler there is better and more "user friendly" books on this gem of a city. Conditionally Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing insighs on Venice but a difficult read.
Review: Venice Observed is not a travel log. Rather, it is a compendium of historical topics that, when brought together, illustrate the mosaic history of Venice. Mary McCarthy writes with the confidence of a discerning Brussels diamond buyer. In her book McCarthy holds up Venice and asks the reader to observe the beauty, uniqueness, and flaws that time has formed over the past ages. She turns this city/state before you and by the end of her 150 page book, you will have examined a gem. Her writing, while learned, can be convoluted, and the text should be read with a dictionary by one's side, i.e., "The other way lay universal odium" - odium?. A significant distraction is the lack of an index, biography and glossary. These aspects make the work difficult to engage. Yet, I pushed through the book because of the insights that Mary McCarthy gave to Venetian culture and history. For those that are schooled in Italian history and have an interest in Venice then this book would be worth reading, for McCarthy's insights can be provocative as well as intriguing. For the general traveler there is better and more "user friendly" books on this gem of a city. Conditionally Recommended.
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