2 1/2 out of 5 stars
In The Last Supper novelist Rachel Cusk chronicles her families 3 month trip to Italy. Though an accomplished and prize winning novelist, in this memoir she shows herself to be a bit of a snob. In a desperate attempt to leave behind the dreary English weather and the routine of daily life, her family sells their home and heads to Tuscany. Although I found the book to be beautifully written and stylish, I also found it to be lacking human interest. At no point does she mention the names of her husband or children and goes into little, if often no, detail about their personal experiences. At best she complains about tourist and expatiates as though feeling herself to be superior to them. Unfortunately, this is as deep as she goes. I often found myself reading on for hope and desire of depth. Never really finding it but continuing on because of the beauty of her words. The most appealing part of this book is the art that she encounters and writes on. This I found to be very interesting, as she touches on the great masters of Italian art. At first I was excited to read this book, having spent much time in Italy myself. However, Cusk never really delved into the qualities that make Italy so wonderful - the food and people. Although, she seems to consider herself a cultural elitist above those of the "herds" of tourist. She simply shows her ignorance and lack of adventure.
In The Last Supper novelist Rachel Cusk chronicles her families 3 month trip to Italy. Though an accomplished and prize winning novelist, in this memoir she shows herself to be a bit of a snob. In a desperate attempt to leave behind the dreary English weather and the routine of daily life, her family sells their home and heads to Tuscany. Although I found the book to be beautifully written and stylish, I also found it to be lacking human interest. At no point does she mention the names of her husband or children and goes into little, if often no, detail about their personal experiences. At best she complains about tourist and expatiates as though feeling herself to be superior to them. Unfortunately, this is as deep as she goes. I often found myself reading on for hope and desire of depth. Never really finding it but continuing on because of the beauty of her words. The most appealing part of this book is the art that she encounters and writes on. This I found to be very interesting, as she touches on the great masters of Italian art. At first I was excited to read this book, having spent much time in Italy myself. However, Cusk never really delved into the qualities that make Italy so wonderful - the food and people. Although, she seems to consider herself a cultural elitist above those of the "herds" of tourist. She simply shows her ignorance and lack of adventure.
Oooh, you've saved me money from ordering this from Amazon. I've read so many excellent Italy travel memoirs, I'm glad I didn't waste my money on this one. BTW, I just realized I never sent you my book list that I promised! This week! I'm sorry!
ReplyDelete