A Month in Siena

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 581 ratings

Price: 11.81

Last update: 07-29-2024


Top reviews from the United States

JAL
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-Provoking
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023
A short but beautifully written look at grief (the loss of his father) and Art (Sienna!) and a study in how those two intersect or diverge. Interesting to think about art as a healing influence in your life. If you want a page-turner or a guidebook to Sienna, this is not it. But if you want something slow & contemplative, written by a wonderful writer, this is perfect. Stands alone, though reading the author’s previous book about his father’s disappearance (titled The Return) ,which won the Pulitzer Prize, might be a bonus.
MP
5.0 out of 5 stars contemplating, reflecting, a perfect companion for those who are grieving
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022
This isn’t a book just about Sienna nor of art but a personal rumination of life, loss, and the memories that drift in and out of consciousness.

He writes just like he roams in the city, gently, quietly, and tenderly as an explorer of Sienna and the ghostly sorrows and comforting realizations that visit him.

A book that is a perfect companion for those of us who are going through their own life transitions - a reminder that not all of us that wander aimlessly are ever lost - we are merely finding our own way through this maze of life.
Hande Z
4.0 out of 5 stars Were it forever
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019
One gets snatches of the self-indulgent traveller, and, at times a snooty art critic in this book, but overall, once the last page is turned, we wonder, 'Was that the end?' Matar writes in a gentle, soporiferous style; but he is clear and his sentences lead his points seamlessly from beginning to end, from one to the next. Some of the most thought-provoking passages are no more than a couple of sentences long. "'And what about my dogs?' she said, looking at Rosina. "A dog is wonderful because she doesn't know when you're getting old. Doesn't know you're getting ugly. She thinks you're the best thing in the world.'" Or this excerpt upon the realisation of his purpose: 'I knew then that I had come to Siena not only took at paintings. I had come to grieve alone, to consider the new terrain and to work out how I might continue from here.'
Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Not really about Siena
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
This is a lyrical piece of meditation on many things - too many things - and almost none of it about Siena. Yes, there is art-historical analysis of a few of the well-known paintings there (although a giant miss on his read of Caravaggio’s “David and Goliath” calls his skill for art analysis into question). There is the briefest mention, in passing, of the Palio, almost dismissive of its role in the life of everyday Siena. The plague and its effects are deftly recounted, but that is the Siena of the past and not the city of the present. The only folks the author converses with, and that very briefly, are not Sienese. Nothing is said of the many particulars of the local culture and traditions, and it’s astonishing to me that anyone could spend a month in the city and omit to discuss (with any real attention) the history, the role, and the respective influences the Palio and the contrade hold over everyday life in Siena.

The author mistakes visiting Sienese works of art and personal interpretation of them for a meaningful immersion into the city itself. Perhaps he experienced such an immersion and never wrote about it, choosing instead ruminations, meditations, self-reflection, stories of other people and other places that are obviously nearer to his heart. It is disappointing — if you read this you will get a very thin and sparse idea of the city of Siena as the place it is today. I am not sure what the author truly intended. The whole thing - and it is a short book - has no focus and no driving narrative threads for us to follow. For the delicacy of his prose, I rate it at three stars. As a book I rate it at two stars.

If you expect to read a richly described sojourn in Siena, you are certain to be disappointed. A pity, because the journey clearly meant a great deal to him — but he fails to illuminate to the reader *why* it does, apart from his love of the Sienese school of painting. This comes across as a lack of courage to share those everyday moments, encounters and experiences which would give flesh to the bones of this book. Too much is left out, and it’s a skimpy and frustrating read.
Anthony Carrozzo
5.0 out of 5 stars Returning to Siena
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
Many years ago I spent six weeks in Siena primarily to study Italian but also to enjoy the art, the Palio, the people and the place. When I saw this book reviewed I immediately wanted to read it but was fearful that it would ruin my memories. On the contrary, it was like living the experience again I’m too old to travel to Siena again but Matar brought me there. I will treasure my experience along with this book.
B. V. READER
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could have joined him on his trip to Siena
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020
He sees things I wish I could see. I've been to Siena several times and love the city, but I hadn't ever experienced it until I read this book.
Also some haunting images on missing his father, which I also could relate to.
I bought his other book (The Return) after reading this one, which I recommend too.
Anna Roche
5.0 out of 5 stars well done book
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2020
An interesting and beautifully written short book about truly looking at paintings, in this case, in Siena.

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