mark reviewed The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
A Perfect Novel - Tradition, Change and Mortality
5 stars
I first tried reading this a few years ago and it didn't find much traction - I loved the writing but moved on to something else. Part of my impetus for using Bookwyrm was to catalogue the books I already own and want to read, so I will, you know, get around to reading them - and I'm very glad I picked up the ancient and dog-eared copy of The Leopard from my bookshelf before leaving on a short holiday to see family. Set during the Unification of Italy, The Leopard follows Don Fabrizio Salina, a Prince of Sicily, as he essentially watches the world that he knows fade away, and catalogues his wildly ranging responses to this historical event. A really fantastic novel, with the most incredible final chapters - I hope I will one day remember to read the penultimate chapter when I am nearing death myself.