By the time the Fenice is rebuilt and reopens, Berendt has delivered an intriguing mosaic of modern life in Venice, which makes for first-rate travel writing, albeit one that lacks a compelling core story to keep one reading into the night. As the infamous Italian bureaucracy drags out the investigation, Berendt spends more time schmoozing with the expatriate community in long discussions about its role in preserving local art, culture and architecture. Early on, he's warned, "Everyone in Venice is acting," which sets the stage for fascinating portraits: a master glassblower creating an homage to the fire in vases, an outspoken surrealist painter, a tenacious prosecutor and others. Berendt also speaks on the importance of reading banned books. Both Midnight and Falling Angels offer endless cultural, literary, and historical intrigues, all of which Berendt puts into service with vivid, witty storytelling. Initially, Berendt investigates, but is soon distracted by the city's charming denizens. In his lectures, Berendt discusses his writing process and compares the experience of creating Midnight and Falling Angels. The Venetian chattering classes, among whom Berendt finds a home, want to know whether it was an accident or arson. Like the first book, this one has a trial at the its center: Berendt moves to Venice in 1997, just three days after the city's famed Fenice opera house burns down during a restoration. In lieu of Savannah, he offers us Venice, another port city full of eccentric citizens and with a long, colorful history. It's taken Berendt 10 years follow up his long-running bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
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