Tab Article

Genre: Travel Writing, Cultural History, Memoir, Essays
Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Book Review:
David Leavitt's ''Florence, A Delicate Case'' offers a welcome departure from the standard, reverential guides to the Cradle of the Renaissance. As part of the excellent ''The Writer and the City'' series, this book provides an intimate, witty, and sharply observed portrait of Florence through the eyes of a long-term resident and a perceptive literary mind.

Leavitt does not merely catalogue monuments or recite historical facts. Instead, he delves into the city's psyche—its contradictions, its enduring allure for foreigners (especially the Anglo-American expat community), and the sometimes tense relationship between its glorious past and living present. The title, ''A Delicate Case,'' perfectly captures his approach: Florence is a patient to be diagnosed, a complex entity that is both breathtaking and infuriating.

Readers will enjoy Leavitt's anecdotes about daily life, his insights into Florentine society, and his literary connections to figures like E.M. Forster and Henry James, who also wrestled with the city's spell. He is unafraid to critique the tourist industry, the preservation (or mummification) of culture, and the city's less glamorous realities.

This is not a practical ''where to eat and sleep'' guide. It is a companion for the thoughtful traveler, the kind of book you read before a trip or after returning, to deepen your understanding of what you've seen (or missed). Leavitt's prose is elegant and engaging, making it a pleasure to read. While some might find it lacking in practical information or overly focused on the expat experience, its strength lies precisely in its personal and literary perspective. It makes Florence feel alive, complicated, and endlessly fascinating.