La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language [Paperback]

I bought this on the basis of the title and Kindle sample which both seemed to indicate that the focus of this book was indeed the language of Italy with its abundant quirks and curious history as a relatively recent national tongue.

That is part of what this book does, and I enjoyed that aspect of it and the fairly cosy and anecdotal approach of the author. Clearly, the chapter about literature is relevant to the development of the language and she gives broad brush accounts of Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch and others. My disappointment began to develop round about chapter 5 when the book morphs into a fairly superficial history of aspects of Italian culture, the very things I know a bit about and which have spurred me on to learn the language. The art history chapter, for example, strikes me as more than a little too stereotypically from the 'Renaissance art means Italian art' angle: Vasari is the guide (Vasari is very interesting and important!) but he is a hugely partisan figure who mythologises almost as much as he reveals in his desire to place Italy, and more particularly Tuscany, at the centre of all good things. For me that mythologising is at least as interesting as the myths, but she makes no reference to that, which is a pity as that impulse is relevant to a book on Italian cultural history. And the focus on language is lost.

Other chapters explore food, music, love and other rather sentimental aspects of the country's 'persona', and I felt just a little shortchanged as the book increasingly fails to live up to its title. I, personally, found these chapters less and less interesting as I her judgements became more sentimental and superficial: I raced through the last couple of chapters because it was beginning to be tiresome. I'm sure it will be perfect for lots of people approaching it with different expectations and interests (the ratings so far illustrate that and I don't argue with the judgements expressed). Not a terrible or boring book by any stretch of the imagination, (to be fair, the writer gives much interesting information for those new to Italian culture) but from my perspective, just a little disappointing: I wanted more on the language!
3.5* really, but rounded down to 3 to offer a contrast to the more positive reviews.

(I would have to recommend 'The New Italians' by Charles Richards, and Tobias Jones 'The Dark Heart of Italy', each of which takes a less saccharine, and in my view far more interesting, view of this endlessly fascinating culture. The latter is the more up to date and acerbic.)

First, skip this if you're looking for an academic text or an encyclopaedic survey: the author is a journalist who is writing for amateurs (in both the English and the Italian sense of that word), and she has produced a book of manageable length (290 pages of text) that her target audience will enjoy.

As regards the language of Italy, I appreciated the frequent reminders of the importance of dialect in Italian culture; and her explanation of the emergence of the Tuscan dialect as "italiano standard" - see, for instance, her account of Manzoni's rewriting of "I promessi sposi" and the background to the familiar quote that he "rinsed his rags in the Arno". The general principle - that the language of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio eventually acquired pre-eminence, confirmed in the cultural field by Manzoni and eventually in the political field by Mussolini - is familiar, but not always presented with the wealth of examples that you will read here.

As regards Italian literature and culture generally, I enjoyed the anecdotal approach: how much more interesting does Leonardo Da Vinci appear when you discover that not only did he paint the Mona Lisa, invent the aeroplane, etc. etc., but he also wrote a short note on "why dogs sniff each others' bottoms"! (I have to say that, when I read this, my first thought was that some Italian friend of the author had been pulling her leg; but not so - it's true!)

What you get is the author's individual perspective on her subject matter, clearly derived from considerable knowledge of Italian language and culture, not just the pre-digested opinions of others, and supported by interesting, usually unfamiliar, details. How interesting, for example, was the life story of Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart's librettist, who eventually became America's first university professor of Italian.

Only one word of warning for English readers: the author writes in a prose style familiar from American magazines and this occasionally grates on the English ear; but don't blame the author for that.

Praise from the first word, if you have a love of Italy and or the Italian language whether you are able to speak it or not, this book is definitely not just a must read but a title destined for your private collection.

I have owned a copy of this book since the end of last year and I have enjoyed dipping into it frequently. I have not until now though read it in depth enough so that I felt able to write a review.

Dianne Hales is an American journalist and published author. She wrote this book as a result or because, in her own words she never expected to fall ` madly, gladly, giddily in love with the world's most luscious language.' but fall she did head over heels. For over twenty years now Italian has become her way of immersing herself into Italy's culture, history, lifestyle and traditions. She shares this love with us in such an engaging manner you will be captivated.

Just take a peep at this list of Chapter headings.
Introduction: My Italian Brain and How It Grew
1. Confessions of an Innamorata
2. The Unlikely Rise of a Vulgar Tongue
3. To Hell and Back with Dante Alighieri
4. Italian's Literary Lions
5. The Baking of a Masterpiece
6. How Italian Civilized the West
7. La Storia dell'ArteA
8. On Golden Wings
9. Eating Italian
10. So Many Ways to Say "I Love You"
11. Marcello and Me
11. Irreverent Italian
12. Mother Tongue

I hope that just reading that list will have tempted you enough, it is the story of how the Italian language came into existence using art, history, music, literature, cooking, films and last but not least amore or love to teach us. It will not matter if you do not know or understand a word of Italian, a love of Italy and all things Italian is all you need. Or maybe if you do not already have that love reading this will will convert you. Learning Italian or want to learn then this is also the book for you as it takes you way beyond vocabulary and all that complicated Italian grammar. As a traveller to Italy whether in reality or virtually, it will also make a great introduction to the places and the people.

What more can I say really but to recommend highly that you get hold of a copy to dip into yourself. As once you have done that you will definitely I think want a copy on your own bookshelves whether you are a novice or an expert on all things Italian.