2005, ISBN: 9780739311462

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 … More...

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. <br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>Bonus feature includes an exclusive interview with the author!<br><br><br><i>From the Compact Disc edition.</i> Weight:0.35 lbs, Random House Audio, 9/27/2005 0:00:00<

1996, ISBN: 9780739311462

Venice, city of masks, city of mystery. After the success of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, author John Berendt searched for another city, another subject. He chose the island c… More...

Venice, city of masks, city of mystery. After the success of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, author John Berendt searched for another city, another subject. He chose the island city of Venice; in his words, "uniquely beautiful…isolated geographically and emotionally…inward-looking….steeped in tradition." When he arrived in 1996, the city was almost smoldering in controversy: Just three days before, La Fenice, its historic opera house, had gone up in flames, and this Venice, city of masks, city of mystery. After the success of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, author John Berendt searched for another city, another subject. He chose the island city of Venice; in his words, "uniquely beautiful…isolated geographically and emotionally…inward-looking….steeped in tradition." When he arrived in 1996, the city was almost smoldering in controversy: Just three days before, La Fenice, its historic opera house, had gone up in flames, and this city of canals was awash in rumors and accusations about the fire's cause. As Berendt immersed himself in Venetian culture, he learned that secrets and quarrels were seldom far beneath the surface. In City of Falling Angels, he reveals Venice as a festering hive of eccentrics, connivers, and provocateurs; a mazelike city where mysteries unfold upon mysteries and where even murder is a matter of opinion. Books, Current Affairs~~General, City-of-Falling-Angels~~John-Berendt, 999999999, The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt, 0739311468, Random House Audio Publishing Group, , , , , Random House Audio Publishing Group<

2005, ISBN: 9780739311462

Audiobook cassette, Gebraucht, 0739311468 Ex-library with all stickers and markings. Cassettes in good condition. Case worn. USPS tracking number provided for U.S. orders., [PU: Random Ho… More...

Audiobook cassette, Gebraucht, 0739311468 Ex-library with all stickers and markings. Cassettes in good condition. Case worn. USPS tracking number provided for U.S. orders., [PU: Random House Audio]<

ISBN: 9780739311462

Random House Audio. Audiobook CASSETTE. 0739311468 . Fair., Random House Audio