@article{354393,
      note = {Map of Venice on endpapers.},
      author = {Berendt, John,},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/354393},
      title = {The city of falling angels /},
      publisher = {Penguin Press,},
      abstract = {Venice, a city steeped in a thousand years of history, art  and architecture, teeters in precarious balance between  endurance and decay. Its architectural treasures  crumble--foundations shift, marble ornaments fall--even as  efforts to preserve them are underway. This book opens in  1996, when a dramatic fire destroys the historic Fenice  opera house, a catastrophe for Venetians. Arriving three  days after the fire, Berendt becomes a kind of  detective--inquiring into the nature of life in this  remarkable museum-city--while gradually revealing the truth  about the fire. He introduces us to a rich cast of  characters, Venetian and expatriate, in a tale full of  atmosphere and surprise which reveals a world as finely  drawn as a still-life painting. The fire and its aftermath  serve as a leitmotif, adding elements of chaos, corruption,  and crime and contributing to the ever-mounting  suspense.--From publisher description.},
      recid = {354393},
      pages = {414 p. ;},
      address = {New York :},
      year = {2005},
}