A review by awen_mair
Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich

  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

On the whole I really liked this book. Considering this book was originally written in Italian, the translation retained a lot of the beauty and wit that made this book so enjoyable. I found this book quite theatrical and could easily see it as a contender for a Wes Anderson or call-me-by-your-name-esque film. You could tell Arianna’s character was written by a man lol and I thought the ending was a little unnecessary. I started writing down my favourite quoes but there were too many so here are the first few:

  • “Her whole demeanor exuded independence, an independence so absolute as to make you think she hadn’t come into the world like everybody else, in pain and blood, but had simply emerged, like a butterfly.”
  • “What a sad name,[…] it sounds like a lost battle.”
  • “It’s from three o’clock [am] onward that night rises from its own abyss, dripping with dreams.”
  • “Have you ever thought how many pleasures progress has deprived us of?”
  • (On favouring second hand books) “they cost less and because you can tell in advance, with a certain amount of certainty, if they’re worth reading.”
  • “Is there anything you feel a part of? No, […] because we belong to an extinct species. We happen to still be alive, that’s all.”

I also might move to italy lol
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