Sicily

An Island at the Crossroads of History

By: John Julius Norwich

Narrated by: Michael Healy

"Sicily," said Goethe, "is the key to everything." It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily's strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world's most powerful dynasties.

Yet Sicily has often been little more than a footnote in books about other empires. Here is a vivid, erudite chronicle of an island and the remarkable kings, queens, and tyrants who fought to rule it. From its beginnings as a Greek city-state to its emergence as a multicultural trading hub during the Crusades, from the rebellion against Italian unification to the rise of the Mafia, the story of Sicily is rich with extraordinary moments and dramatic characters. Writing with his customary deftness and humor, John Julius Norwich outlines the surprising influence Sicily has had on world history and tells the story of one of the world's most kaleidoscopic cultures in a galvanizing, contemporary way.

©2015 John Julius Norwich (P)2015 Tantor

This information goes way back in time!

The narrator has a pleasant voice.
The information is very extensive and an easy listen.

Rich in facts - amazing cultural & historical information.

If you love history, do not pass on this wonderful publication that is packed with eye opening information & colorful stories.

Access to this book

I listen to this book repeatedly! This is my fifth time. When I stop the audible membership, this book is not available to me in My Library although it is a free book in Audible. Can you PLEASE change the access options?

It is a precious reference resource.

Sicily: The Unknown Sister of Despair

This text brings to life centuries of Sicilian culture and history to help grasp the island's differences with Italy itself and the pivotal role it has played not only in the history of Italy, but in the world. Sadly, it seems to avoid many points and should be considered an overview of all history of Sicily. for anyone seeking a more detailed background on a certain period, I cannot recommend this book.

However, for those seeking a masterful telling of an overview of Sicilian history, look no further!

DISAPPOINTING

I recently returned from a six week, comprehensive exploration of Sicily. My special interest was in the Greek, Roman and Norman periods but I took in much of the rest as well. This book is hugely padded with non-Sicilian historical description, far more than needed to provide context. It exhaustively and boringly details minute aspects of monarchs who lived elsewhere. It ends in the 1950s. It is at its best a 5 on the 10-scale of Will Durant's Story of Civilization references to Sicily and at its worst a 2. Listening to this book was not time or money well spent.