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timetotalkbeauty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide
lilyjdist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Self harm
chellareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing is beautiful, as we follow the damaged protagonist, Leo, who drifts through life aimlessly.
He meets the equally damaged Arianna, and they both fall in love but never seem to meet emotionally.
It's beautiful and sometimes brutal, but Leo's detachment from life makes this a story about the loneliness of city life.
There's a lot to examine in this short, beautifully written book.
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide
riminireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia
mgbellm's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Suicide
jayisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Rome is the lingering, glamorous patina that blinds the characters of Last Summer in the City to the very real fact that they are seriously damaged and marooned.
I think this is a good sentence that makes clear what you’ll find in Calligarich’s novel. Which takes me to the actual novel—
I really did like the way Calligarich lingered, whether it be on moments, through the streets of Rome, or between characters. It almost felt as though you were watching a 1970s Italian film. Rome is a character, in a way, considering the way the characters reacted to the city throughout this novel. Early on in the novel, this is pretty well established, presenting Rome as a woman, with whom “[t]here can be no half measures with her, either she’s the love of your life or you have to leave her, because that’s what the tender beast demands, to be loved.”
It’s a novel in which you observe the protagonist drift and spiral. It’s honestly a rather depressing book, despite having somewhat of a lackadaisical air to it. The emotional delivery was well done, and the translator seems to have succeeded in getting this across.
It’s clear this book is dated in the way Calligarich approaches mental illness (flippantly), female characters (flattened and objectified), and male characters (boys’ club energy along with a dash of chauvinism). The world was very rose-tinted, certainly helped by the lyrical writing. It did get tiring though. Oh, and there was a good helping of blatant homophobia that was entirely unnecessary that really threw me off.
All-in-all, though, it was interesting to pick this book up, especially considering that I’ve barely touched Italian literature (specifically anything dated after the sixteenth century, welp). I’d be curious to read more modern literary works from Italy.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia
ruby_mae_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness
erikazn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Alcohol
whatrachelread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
On the other hand, it never quite reached the emotional pitch that I was anticipating. Maybe that's just a statement on how disaffected Leo already is when we meet him and maybe I need more historical context to really understand what Calligarich is aiming for here. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and I'd absolutely recommend it, but the ending just didn't fit the tone of the rest of the book, in my opinion.
Moderate: Alcoholism and Suicide attempt
chaotic_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich is a character-driven narrative about Leo Gazarra and his love-affair with the city of Rome.
First published in 1973, Last Summer in the City eventually became an Italian classic - and it’s easy to see why. Calligarich writes perfectly the vibe of the famous Italian saying ‘dolce far niete’. This book reads like a love-letter to the city of Rome and an exploration of the human psyche and habits.
As a character, Leo is interesting to read about because he’s living in a constant state of limbo - nothing in his life is permanent. This makes his behaviour unstable and the plot of the story chaotic. I think this characterization perfectly incapsulates the unpredictability of life in general and society’s shared delusion that anything is 100% guaranteed.
Definitely one of my fav books this year - 5✨ read, and I will also be adding the publishing house FSG to my list of publishers I trust.
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Suicide