The Leopard........Final Impressions

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The Leopard........Final Impressions

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1hemlokgang
Feb 3, 2009, 6:28 pm

Well, What did you think?

2hemlokgang
Feb 15, 2009, 4:10 pm

The Leopard was satisfying in a wide variety of ways. The actual plot was probably my least favorite part of the book. It seemed more like a series of vignettes designed to express the author's views about Sicily, Sicilians, the nature of aristocracy and its demise. It was very effective. Also, the author's imagery and use of metaphor were marvelous. Knowing that the main characters were loosely based on Giuseppe Lampedusa's own ancestors enhanced the sense that reading this book was the equivalent of being transported in a time machine. Above all, the author's characterization of Sicily was fantastic. To me, Sicily was the best, most fully developed character in the book.

3englishrose60
Feb 16, 2009, 1:16 am

I agree with you hemlock about Sicily being the best character in the book. His imagery was very evocative; felt I was on the island myself.

I liked the Prince and to a lesser extent Tancredi. The rest of the characters could have been developed more IMO.

4teelgee
Feb 16, 2009, 11:28 pm

I felt as though the characters were representative of Sicily -that when the Prince died, it was old Sicily dying.

I enjoyed this book, but somehow I expected more. I didn't expect it to be so relationship oriented; but if the above is true, then it makes sense. I think I missed a lot of allusions since I'm so not versed on Italian history. I wrote elsewhere that it reminded me a bit of War and Peace Lite.

The writing was lovely, descriptions near perfect.

5Cecilturtle
Feb 19, 2009, 8:14 pm

The ending was definitely not what I expected - it was so disjointed!
While I understood the chapter about Father Pirrone's family, I found it unnecessary. The ball scene was lovely but somewhat unsatisfying. The sudden passages of time were unexpected.
The relics however were a touch of genius and the idea of a adoring a virgin with her lover's letter was scrumptious. It does leave one with a sense of bitter-sweet which is really what the book is all about.

I'm now reserving at the library Visconti's cinematographic adaptation with Alain Delon and Maria Cardinal - apparently it's a chef d'œuvre in its own right.

Thank you for picking this novel. It was a lovely discovery.

6WilfGehlen
Feb 24, 2009, 7:22 pm

Lampedusa paints a series of still life's, presenting extraordinary detail of each setting, of the Sicilian countryside, of the harsh climate, of the ornate furnishing of the palace rooms. The character's lives are also still, with no movement to match the external social and political dynamics that penetrated ever so slowly into the margins of their existence.

They can achieve an accommodation, never an integration. Once set, so they remain. Evidently a Sicilian thing, per Giuseppe.

References to modern bus transportation, jet planes, WWII bombs were jarring. As were the numerous malodorous assaults on the senses. The Prince could have made use of his Fabreze.

7billiejean
Feb 25, 2009, 1:41 am

I enjoyed this book more the more I went into it. I especially enjoyed the characterization of the Prince and all the animal references. I actually did not care for the last chapter. I thought the death of the Prince was the best chapter in the book and would have ended it there.

Long ago, I had some friends from Sicily and I thought of them as I read the book. They were wonderful people, but nothing like the characters in the book (except for being religious). Of course they were from a different time.

Thanks for the suggestion of the book. I never would have heard of this book except for this group and I am so glad that I read it. :)
--BJ

8tracyfox
Feb 27, 2009, 11:00 am

I joined this group hoping to read more literature this year and spend some time organizing my thoughts about what I've read.

I tried to get engaged in Pere Goriot, but with starting it quite late never got past the first chapter (but I may finish it yet). I found a used copy of The Leopard and decided to try again.

This was not a book I would have selected for myself, but an interesting read and a little window shedding some light on a part of Italian history I know nothing about. I completely agree with hemlokgang that "Sicily was the best, most fully developed character in the book."

I was a little frustrated about not having more background on the political struggles occurring outside the book, but that may speak more to my own keen interest in politics than anything else. WilfGehlen's description of the chapters as a series of still lives and his comment that "the character's lives are also still, with no movement to match the external social and political dynamics that penetrated ever so slowly into the margins of their existence" probably explains that frustration.

Nonetheless I would recommend this book highly and thank the organizers for selecting it and hosting these threads.

9Donna828
Feb 28, 2009, 11:22 am

>5 Cecilturtle:: Thanks, cecil, for pointing out that there is a movie based on The Leopard. And the good news is that my library has the 3-DVD collection!

I pretty much summarized my thoughts in my last post about the final chapters. I really liked this book, but feel that I did not do it justice in my reading. I've been preoccupied with real life this week and my reading time was scarce. I believe upon rereading I will upgrade my rating as I know this is a book I will be thinking about for a long time. My review is here .

10Cecilturtle
Mar 3, 2009, 10:04 pm

#9 - I've just finished watching the film adaptation (a mere three hours in Italian, be prepared for a movie-thon!) and it is quite fabulous. Burt Lancaster as the Prince is incredible. I was also pleased to see that the parts I felt were less important were taken out (father Pirrone's family trip and the last two chapters), but everything else is done in painstaking detail including the incredible scene of the "romp through the castle" and the ball.
Well-worth the 3 hour investment!

11geneg
Mar 4, 2009, 9:19 am

I thought the entire book turned on this single paragraph about halfway through:

"It would be rash to affirm that Don Calogero drew an immediate profit from what he had learned; he did try to shave a little better and complain a little less about the waste of laundry soap; but from that moment there began, for him and his family, that process of continual refining which in the course of three generations transforms innocent peasants into defenseless gentry."

Stellar, just stellar!

12wookiebender
Mar 11, 2009, 6:53 am

Jumping in at the end here, because I've been too busy to contribute as I read.

I can't say I *enjoyed* this book (it was rather dense and took some fairly concentrated reading at times) but I thought it was remarkably powerful and magnificent stuff. As befitting a Salina, I guess!

I'm finding it hard to say things about it: I also found it hard to think of how to tag it, because it is about fairly big, yet not easily definable, concepts. Nobility? But it's not just about the wealthy classes, it's about the disintegration of a time and a way of life. But at the same time, I (who knows nothing about Sicily, I'll be the first to admit it) found myself siding with Fabrizio who feels that Sicily will never change. And while the old way is finishing, there is a new society rising with new leaders. Death? Yes, but it's also firmly about life, about aging, about regret, about love and lust for and by youth. Family? I might have to add in a new subcategory of "family: dysfunctional" to my tag list. :)

I particularly liked the coda at the end with Fabrizio's daughters. The description of Concetta's room deserves several re-reads.

Anyhow, I'm very glad I've read this, thanks for everyone who suggested/nominated/voted for it!