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sunlover's review against another edition
5.0
it's a pity that the writer of this book was an megalomaniac fascist because this book is probably the best i've ever read. the prose is almost poetic and the lush descriptions are never boring or pointless. i read it in its original language and i have to say this aesthetic novel is (in my opinion) better than the picture of dorian gray
niamhelizabethfennell's review against another edition
4.0
Despite being very busy and only reading this book sporadically, the descriptions captured my heart. He is a true poet and master of words.
BUT D’Annunzio was said to have inspired Mussolini and the fascist movement in Italy. So, it is unfortunate that he writes so beautifully.
BUT D’Annunzio was said to have inspired Mussolini and the fascist movement in Italy. So, it is unfortunate that he writes so beautifully.
lev0001's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
littlemars's review against another edition
3.0
Ho letto il libro su richiesta della mia professoressa di letteratura italiana, anche se proggettavo già da un po' di avvicinarmi a D'Annunzio. Devo ammettere che la lettura di “Il Piacere” mi ha lasciata abbastanza indifferente: lo stile di scrittura è sicuramente la cosa che ho apprezzato di più e anche la trama non mi è dispiaciuta. Purtroppo, mi è mancato quella scintilla necessaria a fare esplodere l'amore per questo romanzo: non sono riuscita a innamorarmi di nessun personaggio, anzi alcuni li ho proprio odiati. Questo aspetto non intacca la qualità del romanzo, credo sia solamente una limitazione personale. Per il resto, credo che “Il Piacere” sia un ottimo modo per conoscere più in profondità la figura dell'esteta e dunque per vedere le (sottili) differenze tra questa figura "made in Italy" e la sua controparte inglese (il ”dandy”). Una lettura piacevole (come suggerisce anche il nome) ma che, come ho già detto, mi ha lasciata indifferente dal punto di vista dei personaggi.
mariage's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
tinkerer's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 - 4 stars. Reviewed for Portland Book Review.
In this book we enter a privileged Italian class and the internal world of one of its young men, who plots by every means possible to seduce two women in particular. Like other fin de siecle or earlier European novels, descriptions of and references to decorum and, in this case, to art populate the pages. D’Annunnzio does not treat his characters with as much compassion as, say, Tolstoy does in Anna Karenina; and external scandal does not matter as much as personal perspective.
The protagonist, Andrea Sperelli, descends to the bottom of Fortune’s Wheel, opposite the zenith he occupied just weeks before in the narrative, when he had recovered from wounds among family, merged with the world, and found a new love. The insights and expressions of the lovers' troubled minds are tormented and veer into the redundant or unbelievable (but who among us has not obsessed over a desire at some point?). This was especially the case with the female characters, but arguably male internal monologues on romance are underrepresented in fiction. The protagonist's periodic months of travel outside Italy are referred to only in passing which reinforces that pleasure was the most real thing in his life.
//Pleasure// is like a focused primer in “comparative romance,” in a different time and country that what we know, and thankfully it is all there for us to enjoy in this new, full translation by Raffaelli.
In this book we enter a privileged Italian class and the internal world of one of its young men, who plots by every means possible to seduce two women in particular. Like other fin de siecle or earlier European novels, descriptions of and references to decorum and, in this case, to art populate the pages. D’Annunnzio does not treat his characters with as much compassion as, say, Tolstoy does in Anna Karenina; and external scandal does not matter as much as personal perspective.
The protagonist, Andrea Sperelli, descends to the bottom of Fortune’s Wheel, opposite the zenith he occupied just weeks before in the narrative, when he had recovered from wounds among family, merged with the world, and found a new love. The insights and expressions of the lovers' troubled minds are tormented and veer into the redundant or unbelievable (but who among us has not obsessed over a desire at some point?). This was especially the case with the female characters, but arguably male internal monologues on romance are underrepresented in fiction. The protagonist's periodic months of travel outside Italy are referred to only in passing which reinforces that pleasure was the most real thing in his life.
//Pleasure// is like a focused primer in “comparative romance,” in a different time and country that what we know, and thankfully it is all there for us to enjoy in this new, full translation by Raffaelli.
steffieg's review against another edition
2.0
Finally after weeks of laboured pedantic reading, I managed to finish the book!! The translation really does not do justice to the story which evokes the decadent aristocratic life of Andrea Sperelli: torn between loving 2 very different women!
rouge_red's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.25
nataliejewett's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0