5 comments about When in Rome.

1. From the first Ngaio Marsh book I read (_Death in a White Tie_)I was hooked. Now, reading my fourth Marsh novel, _When in Rome_, I can say that I like her even better than Agatha Christie. _When in Rome_ is about a group of tourists (incl. the famous Inspector Alleyn) whose guide suddenly disappears. Only Inspector Alleyn, who joined the tour because he suspects that the guide is a key member of a drug ring, is worried about his disappearance; most of the tour group couldn't care less. In fact, a few of them couldn't be happier that the seedy Mr. Mailer has conveniently vanished.



2. Having read all of Agatha Christies novels I never thought that I would find an author comparable to her. Yet, after reading most of the Ngaio Marsh books I believe it is time to start comparing Agatha Christie to Ngaio Marsh. A great example of this can be found in When in Rome. In this book, Chief Superintendent Roderick Alleyn gets himself involved in a guided tour in an old church site in Rome. When the rather disrepeptable tour guide vanishes and a murder in unearthed in the underground portion of the old church, Alleyn finds himself in the thick of it. Together with the Italian Police, Alleyn trys to sort out the possible suspects. Marsh is at her very best as she takes the reader on a magical mystery tour of Rome. As always, her character descriptions are flawless and the plot moves along in rapid fashion. This book is on a par with Grave Mistake and many of her others. A great read and a superb mystery. Ngaio Marsh is can well be considered one of the best Brittish authors of the century.



3. WHEN IN ROME presents us with a tantalizing tale of Mr. Sebastian Mailer, an up-scale tour guide whose idea of showing his guests the town ranges from artistic landmarks to drug laden dens of iniquity. Unfortunately, Mailer also laces his mixture with a spot of blackmail, so it is no great surprise to Chief Inspector Alleyn, on duty in Rome, when a body turns up where no body should be.
   
   Among the great authors of 20th Century mystery fiction, Ngaio Marsh was particularly noted for her ability to create unique characters and place them in memorable settings--and WHEN IN ROME offers her the opportunity to do precisely that. But in this instance Marsh overplays her hand. The novel is tainted by repeated condensending British jibes at Italy, some faintly hilarious ideas about drug use, and what can only be described as indirect but nonetheless obvious sneering fits of homophobia.
   
   In the end, this is novel that established Marsh fans will want to read--but it is also a novel that not even established Marsh fans will consider in the same league with such brilliant works as BLACK AS HE'S PAINTED, DEAD WATER, or OVERTURE TO DEATH, to name but a few. Readable, even amusing, but ultimately dismissable.
   
   GFT, Amazon Reviewer



4. This late (1970) Marsh book is worthwhile reading for Marsh fans. Unfortunately, it does not compare well to some of the more classic Alleyn books from earlier in her career. Marsh was at her best writing about earlier days. Her misunderstandings and often (unintentionally) comic view of youth culture during the late 1960s/early 1970s is one of the unfortunate hallmarks of this period in her writing.
   
   In When in Rome, Alleyn registers for a tour incognito to try to crack a drug and blackmailing ring run by a thoroughly unpleasant fellow. When the fellow in question turns up dead, he and his fellow tourists have a great deal of thinking to do about guilt and innocence.
   
   Truthfully, this is probably a three star book. I gave it four stars because of the extra Ngaio Marsh spark which can make even a tedious book worth the time to read. Recommended, as I said, for Marsh fans. Readers new to her work should choose one of the novels from the 1930s through 1950 as a first experience.



5. The deficiencies here are glaring. Two of the victims are villains and the third hisses a few words, spits at one of the villains, and is gone, never to reappear except as a dead body. We don't miss any of them and don't really care who killed them. The central characters are never remotely in danger of being suspected. The most interesting feature of the story is a fictional twelth-century basilica built atop a third-century church, which had itself been built atop a house dating from Mithraic times. In all, a book without tension, suspense, or interest (except in the basilica).

2 comments about Satyr Square: A Year, a Life in Rome.

1. Esthete, epicure, oenophile, academic, and Jewish and gay. Place in the Eternal City for a year and observe the interesting results. This memoir of the sabbatical year of a modest but multifaceted man in Rome is not, one would have to say, an exciting read. For a wild ride, see Felice Picano's Men Who Loved Me. Here is a book for those who appreciate the quieter pleasures: Renaissance sculpture, Roman history, wine, good food, and opera -- at least Mozart's Don Giovanni to which the author refers frequently. As blessedly free of the effete as any book of its type could possibly be, author Barkan describes his eventful Roman year, one with gastronomic and vinous indulgence at its core. We meet his very peculiarly Roman set of new friends, who are of a type that inhabit a very different world and in fact are a very different species than one would encounter in North America. Full of engaging digressions on a myriad of subjects, this book keeps the interest of those with a bent for food and wine, art and music. A glossary for the monolingual would have been nice. A map of Rome with locations noted is unfortunately missing.



2. This book is so intelligent and yet so pleasurable, or perhaps I should say so pleasurable and so intelligent, it makes me wish Barkin had more lives and had written memoirs about them all. His writing is perfectly pitched. We get not just the funny, rich, sensuous experiences of encounters with strangers and new wines and new language, but also the other things we all live through, crushes, and loneliness, and embarrassment, related with both unusual honesty and unusual humor. I think its a book for anyone, but if you've ever had a glass of wine that was a complete revelation, or listened over and over to Don Giovanni, or wandered through Rome alone, you really must spend some time in Barkan's wonderful company.

4 comments about Fodor's See It Rome, 2nd Edition (Fodor's See It).

1. These Fodor "See It" guide books are fabulous. Finally someone has gotten it right. Great information organized in a very usable way with terrific color photos and great maps..one for the sights, one for restaurants, one for hotels. And then many small maps of things to see in an area. Or a map showing just churches to visit, shops in an area, simple walks to take. With many photo guide books I find I am so overwhelmed by the photos that my eyes glaze over. But this devotes double pages to the important sights and also to some obscure but equally wonderful sights that you would hate to miss. Just outstanding guide books. They are available for many cities and some countries. Now you don't have to load down your luggage with multiple guide books. This is all you will ever need.



2. This is a wonderful book. It has tons of pictures. Using this book has gotten me so much more excited about my trip to Rome. I recommend it.



3. With 100s of great photos this is an excellent book for pre-trip research and planning. The maps are very good, good hotel references and very well done on the restaurants analysis with map showing locations. The insider information on living/visiting Rome is short, insightful, very helpful. Suggested itineraries and walks very good. Coverage of the major sights excellent with lots of photos, detailed information, helpful hints (for example, the Gallery Borghese is given 6 pages of coverage, 1/2 of which are photos, the first page a full page photo of a Bernini sculpture). Section on shopping very good.
   What makes this book impractical for carrying around in the streets is the fact that the sights are listed in alphabetical order, so if you are walking in a certain section of the city there is a lot of flipping back and forth through the book to find out what you are near, what to see, and then the description of it. This is a great book for research ahead of time and a keepsake after the trip, A definite to get before you go.



4. Packed with details and useful tips. Used during our trip to Rome this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Useful warnings and tips about local transportation.

3 comments about The Families Who Made Rome: A History and a Guide.

1. I love anything Roman: books about the city, photos, travelogues -- and I visit pretty often, usually once or twice a year. This book gives you the insight and family history behind all of the locales you'll see while traveling in Rome: the piazzas, churches, fountains, and pretty much anything of historical significance that you remember from your travels there. It's not a photo-filled armchair-traveler sort of book, it's got a lot of history in it. But it reads surprisingly easily for being the historical book that it is -- I expected it to feel more "dense" but it's very accessible. Is it for the first-time visitor to Rome? No. But if you've found yourself going back time after time, you will recognize the names and locations and the maps in the book, and this will definitely enhance your experience the next time you go.



2. This book brings to life a city I know (or thought I knew) very well, having been a student in Rome for 5 years. Vibrantly written, never short of an interesting insight and delightful detour away from the overknown locations for a vistor in Rome to see. Well done Anthony! What's next?



3. I'm often critical of books about Rome, because so many are full of inaccuracies, or are superficial, or just poorly written. This book has none of those flaws. In terms of the sheer amount of fascinating information conveyed, the readable writing style and the originality of its approach, this book really OUGHT to receive five stars from me.
   
   So what's wrong with the book? It has three flaws, all of which could be corrected if the author is ever able to publish a second edition. One is trivial, but annoying: the author grossly overuses the word "great." I know, I know-- an awful lot of things in Rome seem to require that adjective; so much in Rome IS great. But an editor should red-pencil out about three-quarters of the instances where this word appears.
   
   The second problem is that the book lacks any useful maps. The author shows the buildings discussed in his text against what look like portions of an 18th-century map of Rome. In any case, it's printed very faintly. The map illustrations are therefore difficult to see properly and are pretty much useless if you're actually using this book on-site as a guide in Rome.
   
   The third problem is inexcusable. The author has obviously done an absolutely prodigious amount of research, but doesn't include a bibliography. He casually mentions half a dozen works in his Acknowledgments, and that's all. Clearly he must have consulted dozens, if not hundreds, of other works, but not a word about what they were.
   
   Now that I've gotten these gripes up front, I want to emphasize that this is among the best and most informative books I've ever read about Rome, and I've read a LOT on the subject. Seeing Rome in terms of the families whose building programs-- or random constructions-- have determined the appearance of Rome is a fascinating and useful approach to understanding the Eternal City. Majanlahti is the only author I've ever read who makes the peculiar and seemingly irrational linear arrangement of rooms in Rome's noble palaces comprehensible in terms of the way these rooms were originally used. And despite the huge amount of information conveyed, the writing is never dull or dry and is occasionally enlivened with bits of dry humor.
   
   This isn't a guidebook for the casual tourist-- it's for serious lovers of Rome, the kind of book to bring with you on repeated and extended visits.

5 comments about The Companion Guide to Rome (Companion Guides) (Companion Guides).

1. Thus book remains a great achievement of travel writing, head and shoulders about other "walking" travel guides. The walks are thoughtfully designed to comprehensively cover the city; Georgina Masson's writing is cultured, individual and excellent, and the book is chock full of interesting background detail to bring the city alive. Rome is a unique and fascinating place and she definitely gets it! Wore out one copy of this book (earlier edition purchased in '78) and am now working on the second, unfortunately much heavier edition, also not the current one.

   Not a book for the short-stay or casual visitor who just wants to hit the top sites, but if you want to do some in depth exploration, a tremendous resource (definitely a read ahead resource). Buy this book while you can - its gone out of print a couple of times so far!




2. I bought A Companion Guide to Rome by Masson based on 5-star recommendations from Amazon, and for me it was not a worthwhile purchase. The authors (it has been revised several times) offer infinite detail and historical tid bits, but it actually offers little that wasn't already in the Green Guide, and it is too heavy and too much reading in my opinion to do on site, while walking around. It was a nice reference, but I should have looked for it in the library and just borrowed it.



3. Don't go to Rome without (Unless you have a private guide). This book made my visits to the Forum, Vatican, Coliseum, Museums and numerous public fountains and sculptures 100x more enjoyable by adding a much deeper layer of understanding. Wonderful.



4. This is the time of year that Rome starts getting gussied up for Easter. The Spanish Steps will become a sea of azaleas and the various stational churches and basilicas will get themselves all decked out in finery and flowers for their special feast days (e.g. San Lorenzo in Lucina awash in roses and orchids on Friday of the 3rd week in Lent). If you are fortunate enough to be planning a trip to Roma by all means avail yourself of "The Companion Guide to Rome" by Georgina Masson. It's in several editions but I prefer the earlier ones without the updates by Mr. Fort. My current favorite is a 1966 edition. This book is in a class all it's own in the mass of publications about the city of Rome. It is probably not a book to drag around all day as you tramp the streets of the Eternal City but then why not (it doesn't weigh much more than a water bottle). But it is certainly a book to have in your hotel room to read about the neighborhood you are about to visit or the one you visited the day before. Ms Masson gives lots of details about museums, churches and architecture but it is as much poetic-literature as it is a guide book, she is one with her city (she lived there for many years) and wants us to feel that along with her. For me she succeeds admirably! Earlier this year when I was longing to be in Rome but couldn't be I picked up the Companion Guide then read each chapter with great care and observation as Ms Masson walked me through the tangled streets and lively piazzas, in and out of churches and museums and to favorite little escapes, unknown to most people, but waiting to be discovered guided by the adventerous, creative spirit of Georgina. Highly reccommended.



5. I used this book extensively when we lived in Rome in the late 1970s. It is for the person who has some time to wander around Rome, not necessarily hitting the major tourist sites. I'm replacing my copy before my next visit - the old one has literally fallen apart with use.

1 comments about Fodor's Rome, 6th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. This book was great to read before our trip to Italy and it was one of 3 books we took with us. It has a different take on Rome than the Rick Steve's series and I liked it's attitude about travel in Italy. It had some good recommendations for places to eat and stay. When we return to Italy I plan to buy their book on Florence.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Rome 2006 (Rick Steves).

1. Mr. Steves Rome tour guide is, like most of his other books very useful. I always want to know where to stay and have that arranged before I arrive in a city. Rick's useful information helps with that. He has very good ideas for arranging a tour of the city and helps with places to eat.



2. Any American contemplating a visit to Rome will be well advised to pick up a copy of this book. Rick not only describes the things to do but lets you know what NOT to do and what to avoid - sage advise for the first-time visitor. He also directs the tourist to out-of-the-way restraints and hotels where one can meet real Romans not just doormen. This book is a must!



3. Great "tips" on how to get the most out of your trip. His style of writing makes you want to read more--very funny! Especially love the small section on Italian phrases. Thanks Rick--now we just have to go to Rome to use it!



4. This book will be my BIBLE when traveling to Rome. There are so many good tips and inside information. Having this book will help us plan our trip and make the best of our time and money. Because we're traveling NEXT August, I believe I'll try the 2007 addition too. Thanks Rick Steves!!



5. I just returned from Italy where I used this book practically as a bible while in Rome. Having used other travel books around the world, I really enjoyed and appreciated how Rick Steves organizes his book and provides you with just the right amount of detail and direction to make the most out of your trip.
   
   Only having four days in Rome, his book helped me see the major sites, avoid long lines and make the best of a short trip. I recommend reading the recommended 'tours' the evening before to help you plan your attack. It was great to be able to wander through the Forum, book in hand and hit the highlights while understanding the magnificance of the place.
   
   The way the tours are grouped are fabulous. I really felt like I saw the best that Rome had to offer.
   
   The tips on avoiding lines was invaluable! Take those tips to heart and you'll save many hours of frustration. I used a combination of restaurants I found, plus his recommendations and never had a bad meal.
   
   Truly a great book, now If only I can find a similar book for Asia.

5 comments about The Lion's Way.

1. The Lion's Way was a fantastic book. It was captivating and well written. The characters were well developed and it made it very easy to relate to them and experience their journey. Emotionally it was exciting and suspenseful, it showed the value of strong character, loyalty, the vision and action to do what's right. Overall, The Lion's Way makes you THINK and opens your mind to something that is greater than yourself.



2. I found myself not able to put it down and admiring the interesting views of the future and past.



3. I sat down to read a chapter, and found myself staying up until the early hours of the morning to finish the story. Compelling characters, thought provoking moral questions, and an action-filled sequence of events all made this book impossible to put down.



4. To tell the truth...I am not the biggest reader...I'm a senior in college with 3 jobs and about 2 minutes to contribute to free reading...The day I bought the book I expected to keep it by the bed and have it done in a few weeks, but the story line kept pulling me in...2 days later I had read the book cover to cover while going back and rereading a couple chapters...wether it was the action, fighting, romance, personal battles, or relevance to actual events...I couldn't put the thing down...I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys an adventure...Get ready for a wild ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat!!!



5. This is a great 'what if' fictional history that mixes action and good old fashioned boy meets girl with thought provoking ideas. An undercurrent for the tides of change can be felt as the story parallels our own current and past culture and events. I often found myself thinking that Marsan's fictional history was more believable than the history we are familiar with. I enjoyed the humanness and humor of the characters. Marsan's writing style is subtle and light. It easily invokes imagery-helping you to play out the story like a movie in your head. Yes, this book would make a great movie!

3 comments about The Seven Hills of Rome: A Geological Tour of the Eternal City.

1. This should have been a wonderful book.
   Instead it deeply flawed by very bad writing.
   The narrative is about as exciting as a glass
   of cold spit and the sentence construction
   reads as if it came from the pen of a sixth
   grader who slept through English class.
   
   
   On top of an impenetrable writing style the many
   photographs are all black and white, even when
   colour photographs or art work would have
   been better (the line draws are wonderful for
   the most part, clearly showing essential
   material).
   
   The photographs further suffer
   from poor quality/composition. For example
   the photo’s on page 6, 8 and 9 showing the
   Trevi Fountain at different scales are useless
   without a magnifying glass, and a photo
   interpreter’s loop would be even better.
   Page 57 shows a sink hole that could be
   from any part of the world and simply takes
   up space to no real effect. Again and again
   the photographs either add nothing to the
   readers ability to understand the narrative or
   indeed take away from the book.
   
   1) page 91, the “church of San Vitate”
   according to the legend it’s surrounded
   by “debris. . .accumulated since medieval times”
   But from the picture it looks like a fast food
   restaurant under construction.
   
   2) page 93, a picture of “Monte Testaccio”
   which shows a grassy mound with bits of crumbling
   masonry and a fence that could be Monte Testaccio
   or could be a grassy mound in NJ.
   
   3) p112, caption “you can see evidence of the gradual
   slumping movement in the curved trunks of trees.”
   No, you can’t, or at least I can’t. It’s a picture of
   trees and brush that could be almost anywhere in the world.
   IF the reader looks very carefully they may see a tiny road
   sign in the background that, with a bit of imagination, might
   seem to show the curve of the trees. Or might not.
   
   4) Page 115, a big hole in the ground with an earth mover.
   The picture quality is almost good enough to make out the
   strata. Almost.
   
   5) Page 128, a riveting picture of what is supposed to be
   the “modern travertine quarry, Bagni di Tivoli . . .” Looks
   like a broken wall, with rubble and another earth mover that
   could have been taken at a construction site in Idaho.
   
   Fortunately I got this from the library. A book worth
   adding to your personal library, but not at retail price.
   I’m going to wait and buy my copy from the bargain bin at
   $5.00 or better yet, $0.99.



2. Original in many ways, it offers the accomplished tourist with an enrichment from a perspective that other guidebooks do not offer. Much has to be said about the materials of construction used for the Servian Walls, the bases of temples and columns, the marble columns of churches, the flooring of streets, roads, and churches. It exposes the source location of such building materials, its use, and the effect of its use through out the ages.
   
   Sure, the photographs are not of first quality, but for a paperback of $15, they are good enough (pushing for color would have doubled the book price). Yet, some of the photographs are original, like the ones at the quarries. Also, the sinkhole diagrams are original, not even the local newspaper graphics department thought of that.
   
   The author could have mentioned some other interesting facts (but didn't), like the Justice Department building ("Palazzaccio"), built with heavy travertine stone on a clay foundation, and the 1980 earthquake in Southern Italy which had a muffled effect in Rome due to the clay foundation.



3. This book is not a travelogue for the scientifically uninitiated. If you have studied geology and enjoy the interplay with Roman history, it is terrific. Well done for a work that marries social studies with science. For example, you gain a different view of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva when you take the Tiber floods into account as explained in this book. This is not a beach read with flowing prose, it is a compelling piece for those who treasure deeper knowledge. The romance of this book is not found in grandiloquent vocabulary, but in the profundity of understanding.

No comments about AAA Spiral Rome, 6th Edition (Aaa Spiral Guides).