This is a very engaging book, well written and very interesting. The author, a New Yorker, narrates his life in Naples, where he has lived during different periods, focusing specially on his relationship with Benedetta, which took place while he was there for a year. The book is divided in two parts, in the first one the relationship with Benedetta and her friends and family unfolds together with descriptions of the city, its inhabitants, their way of life, their beliefs and superstitions. In the second part Benedetta appears in a new light, and with it the city also seems to be different. Naples is viewed through the eyes of someone who loves the city and therefore focuses on its most charming and interesting aspects. The same happens with his relationship with Benedetta in which he fails to see who she really is. Although Hofstadter tries to immerse himself in the city, his understanding of it is superficial,as it is his affair with Benedetta. But he shows that he is aware that he is an outsider, that he is in love, and that this limits his vision. He has the right attitude (and skills!) to write a book like this. This is a very enjoyable book to read. ( )

A love letter to Naples - truly enjoyable. ( )

This is a hard book to pin down. What is it? A work of non-fiction but what is it telling about? It could be a novel in that it is a love story. It could be a travelogue. It could be a book of essays. It isn't a history of Naples or the Naplese. It isn't a history about Campania. It really isn't even a travel book. It doesn't describe Naples. It does introduce the reader to some fascinating people but not really the place. It tells nothing of what is in the city but somehow manages to convey a sense of place and atmosphere that I describe as a mysterious oldness. This is not a bad book and in fact I enjoyed reading it. It is a memoir of a love affair and the city just happens to be part of that. The LC classification for this book is D. That would place it as a history. It isn't. I think it should be in the C's where the literary memoirs are classed. ( )