Reviews

La ville des vivants by Nicola Lagioia

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tammyaz's review against another edition

4.0

This true crime book is also a meditation on the city of Rome itself. The crime is the inexplicable and brutal murder of a young man at the hands of two other young men during a days long drug and alcohol binge. The author brings to life the horror of the crime, its impact on the people related to both the victim and the perpetrators, and the psychology of all three men that led to this tragic crime.

The style of this book is a bit different than most US true crime books, it seems deeper and more philosophical. The closest I can compare it to would be somewhere between In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

I was actually traveling in Rome when I won this book for review but couldn’t access it due to digital rights. That was unfortunate as the author spoke of many places I was near as I discovered during my googling as I read the book.

ourowncreation's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

readnicoleread's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

b3by's review against another edition

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5.0

I knew cronaca nera could be nera but wtf.

Dell'omicidio Varani avevo una conoscenza a grana piuttosto grossa. Ammetto di averlo mentalmente derubricato ad ennesima atrocita' compiuta da un paio di mostri. Mostri, mostri, mostri. Finito questo libro, mi sono reso conto che non avevo capito un cazzo.

Mi sono sentito, prima di ogni altra cosa, fortunato. Fortunato per essere nato e cresciuto in un certo contesto, con un certo sistema di valori. Fortunato perche' a 33 anni non ho mai preso cocaina. Fortunato perche' la necessita' non mi ha mai costretto a certe scelte e compromessi. Fortunato perche' a quanto pare a volte e' semplicemente questione di fortuna.

Mi sono anche sentito orgoglioso. Orgoglioso di come ho arricchito e strutturato i valori che mi sono stati offerti dalla mia famiglia. Orgoglioso perche' a 33 anni non ho mai preso cocaina. Orgoglioso perche' non ho mai scelto la via piu' facile, piu' veloce, anche in caso di necessita'. Orgoglioso perche' la fortuna a volte ha bisogno di una spintarella da parte nostra.

Questo e' un libro incredibilmente ben scritto, su un caso altrettanto tragico.