Download Mary McCarthy Italy The Stones of Florence and Venice Observed eBook Mary McCarthy

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I know the Venice portion of this book from the print version, a lusciously illustrated treat. Be aware that the version lacks all the illustrations. It's still an interesting read, but a real loss not to have the images.
I couldn't get past the gross exaggerations in the first chapter. I have been to Florence and walked the places she claims to describe. The descriptions in the first few pages of the book came across to me as mostly literary license gone wild. I may have seen Swiss tourists, but they didn't have cleats on. She says the poor are the quintessence of Florence. That's a stretch by any imagination. She describes an infernal, demonic, ubiquitous din that goes on all day and night. There was traffic when I was there but nothing like the description here. I had no trouble crossing the streets, and no one honked at me. The buildings, people and streets didn't come across to me as described in the book. If the stuff I don't know about is as exaggerated as the stuff I do know about it strains credulity a bit. Her descriptions are entertaining, just a bit over the top for me. Literary license is fine, but there are limits.