Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History

I'm travelling to Sicily this fall, so reading up. John Julius Norwich has written about 20 books, mostly on the Mediterranean countries. His touch on Sicily's endless history of conquests -- by Greeks, Normans, Germans, Savoyards, Bourbons, Napoleon's forces. . .is well told. Also the country's suspicion of Northerners in general, its rich store of antiquities and castles with mosaics, as well as the temperament that suspects everyone, takes to force quickly, has bred-in-the-bone Mafia groups, has only prospered from agriculture and tourism relatively late. Recommend this as best short history. Then get a Lonely Planet guide to Sicily.

We bought it because we visited Sicily and loved the island.I read a review on the book by another saying how this book shares history in such a way it could be "gossip".I started the read; looking forward to stories on history.People who love history will tell you this is a story.But I met a few Fredericks in my life. Not many.In this book you'll meet a lot of Fredericks. A lot. Sons. Fathers. Kings. And more.You just come to know the one then another pops out.Later I had no clue who, where and what.I lost the plot.As they killed each other in droves.This is a book for a serious dude. Very serious.I don't believe there's a lot of difference between accountants and historians.The are so serious they bore the living daylight out of most.*Take this review from someone who should never have bought the book*.I think John Julius Norwich is a great guy.But the two of us will not talk about any Frederick. Never. :)Any guy that spends his life work for a cause like Sicily deserves a better review than what I wrote.Reading the PREFACE gives you an insight to this guy called John Julius.I like the way he ended up in Sicily and stayed. That's cool.But I hope it's not too late for him to let go and write us a story on Sicily. A simple story for simple people. People like me how likes history but with less Fredericks.Have a lot of fun John Julius. I am sure you are making a lot of people happy. And all I can ask is that you forgive me for buying a book on very serious history. I am not disappointed in buying the book. But next time I will rather buy another one.

Allow me, first, to tip my hat to the author, John Julius Norwich. He told me a lot more about Sicily than I needed or wanted to know, yet I read every page, pen or penil in hand, and did get more than I bargained for.I bought the book because I was for the first time traveling to Sicily with a group of art aficionados of which my wife is one.I was looking more for a cultural history than a political one, but still the book did not totally disappoint.Bottom-line, what did I learn from this fine book...?First, that this small country has been conquered and controlled by Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Byzantines, Moslems, Normans, Spaniards, France, England, Neapolitans, etc...Each of these conquerors has left its mark on the country - some indelibly, some less so.But underlying it all, there are the Sicilians...a complicated people governed and controlled for centuries by barons, i.e. mostly large landholders who, I suspect, still today have an abiding, if not controlling, influence on the culture...So, about the book itself, let me say only this...It's a good intro to the history of the country that helped me appreciate my travels there..

Read in prep for a cruise including Sicily in a couple of months. Not thrilled with the book. Norwich's story is complicated and he makes it pretty unclear with his writing style in which he affects this casualness that just plain unclear.

Anyone who's roots are in Sicily or who wants to learn about this unique crossroad between east and west should rush out to buy this book.John Julius Norwich is a terrific authority on Sicily and a delightful writer. I laughed out loud any number of times as he described the utter madness of Sicily's crazy history. Yes, he covers 3000 years of it, and yes, it's damned confusing. Lots of utter chaos and lots of glory and plague and viciousness. The Greeks were there at the beginning of this story but were unorganized and let themselves be overrun. The Arabs, French, Spanish, English, and Germans were all after this wonderful island, murdering and raping their way across it over centuries. Norwich talks about it being a sad place, too. Now it has some stability, but the Mafia is still there, and Norwich ends his history after WW II. He devotes only a few sentences to the present, but he waxes poetic about the architectural wonders, the beauty, and the historical riches to be found there. For sure, his love of Sicily comes shining through. If you can be patient and follow all the names and places Norwich casually throws at you, since he knows them so well, you will enjoy this book. It puts today's madness in perspective. Highly recommended.

Easily the best history book to stay engaged, find logic and meaning in for 3,000 years. It explains why Sicily is what it is today - because of its geographical location, sticking out as an easy target into the Mediterranean, connecting Spain to Constantinople. It has been ravaged continuously by a wide swath of cultures, savage military and merchant figures sailing the Mediterranean. Each area of the globe that passed by it's shores took too much away from it, leaving it with multiple languages, cultures, races, religious bent and poverty. I understand the depth of its scars. Norwich was an outstanding, in-depth, even humorous historian who respected Sicily. He left a RICH legacy in his writings.

An interesting read but a tad confusing if you haven’t studied classics. The timeline jumped around a bit and there were an awful lot of kings named Frederick, making it harder to follow at times. Overall an enjoyable read which provided a great overview of the island and it’s very colourful history. It helped explain why Sicily feels so different from the rest of Italy.

a little bit too descriptive for me, I'd prefer more analysis

The usual very good book from JJN.

Noble author and good content.However, for some bad reason the book has been made with affected, untidy, inconvenient, rough-cut pages. It is the first time that I have encountered this, I am told, fashionable practice and I deplore it and should like it to stop, and stop now.

I really like this author and I love Sicily, so the two together was too much to miss. The book is even better than expected. A wonderful read: beautifully written, incredible informative and with a wonderful touch of humour. I have already given three copies as presents!