I felt like this book was written very similarly to “Midnight” but that’s what I love so much about Berendt’s writing style! He tells the story of a city or a place; he has a voice for local color like I’ve never experienced in any other book. By the end, I felt like I had gotten a whole picture of what Venice is, more than you could ever gather as a visitor. As I’m sure he intended, it made me want to go back to Venice and really see it. Not only that, Berendt’s writing makes me want to experience all places as he does: with eyes wide open.

I read Gone with the Wind a long time ago but I’ve come back to Scarlet’s realization of who Ashely is to her several times. I’m a psych major now and the search for reason in the book fascinates me to this day.