Sicily Paperback – May 19, 2016

It's what I purchased

I had only a very superficial knowledge of Sicily's history. Mr. Norwich's book enlightened me and gave some very interesting insight of such a complex subject.

The author gives a nice, clear and easily readable overview of the rich and turbulent history of Sicily. I read both this book and Benjamin's "Sicily: Three Thousand Years..." before my trip there. Both are similarly commendable, but they take markedly different approaches. Norwich, in his typical way, is mainly interested in the personalities of the people who governed the land. In 3000 years there were plenty of fascinating personalities. Norwich does a great job of discussing the Norman kings and Giuseppe Garibaldi, for example. But if you want to understand the various factors other than personality, e.g., economic, climatic, geographic, agricultural, then Benjamin's book is better. It's no coincidence that Benjamin's book is loaded with maps and even includes a few statistical tables but has zero pictures, whereas Norwich's book includes numerous nice color photos of historically important artwork, such as a wonderful mosaic of one of the Norman kings of Sicily. Benjamin also goes into the last two centuries of Sicilian history (the mafia era) in far more depth than Norwich. But overall, Norwich's telling is equally worthwhile, in it's own way.

This author has a lovely voice, but makes a lot of assumptions about your previous knowledge and he flies through way too much detail, so the major points don't stand out at all. I read the whole book and don't know a lot more than when I started, except that the Sicilian people are basically ungovernable.

This is an easy to read insightful overview of Sicily's fascinating, often sad history. The style is anecdotal: you feel that you're sitting with Norwich, each with a glass ( Scotch or a red) while Norwich draws deftly on his deep knowledge and perspectives on variously Greek tyrants, the Norman flowering,the Mafia,etc. He conversationally but systematically shares his summaries of causes, effects and consequences...Loaded on a Kindle, Norwich's Short History...was a cornerstone for a very stimulating month on Sicily and surrounding islands.

Don't go to Sicily without reading this first. I literally corrected 2 guides while I was there. I never had an experience while traveling as rich as I did in Sicily after reading this book. It's a must read.

Book sold is as described.

Read this on and off while actually traveling in Sicily. It is a perfect blend of history and suggested sites for the traveler written in a novel-ish kind of way. Recommended for anyone interested in Sicily.