This dramatic, beautifully written account of the flood that ravaged Florence, Italy, in 1966 weaves heartbreaking tales of the dis... read full description
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Mar 02, 2009
Tony
rated it: 
Clark, Robert. DARK WATER: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces. (2008). ***. It’s obvious from the extended title of this book that this is about the last great flood of the Arno in Florence in 1966. Very little of it, though, is about the flood itself. It’s more a history of the art of Florence and the efforts that went into the restoration of those pieces after the water subsided. Hardest hit was the area of Santa Croce, where flood waters climbed up to twenty feet above s
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Aug 05, 2009
Elizabeth
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Quasi-journalistic account of the 1966 Florence flood and the subsequent art restoration efforts. This was going around at the office among my coworkers who I worked with in Florence. This is one of those books that seems to require an insider's advantage. If you are already familiar with Florence, or possibly very familiar with Florentine art history, then this is great because it's like hearing a good story about people you already know. You can picture how everything happens and exactly what'
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Aug 06, 2011
Connie
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17 inches of rain in 24 hours as an unmistakeable harbinger of the 1966 flood that wreaked havoc in Florence, Italy. Clark assembles 'Dark Water' as levels in an inferno that alternatingly echo religion, contemporary history, human compassion, and the vulnerability of artistic heritage.
As usual, the author manages to withstand easy pigeonholing, and constructs his story versatile, unpredictable, lyrical: this might frustrate readers who seek a lot of facts, laid out linearly. Clark' More...
As usual, the author manages to withstand easy pigeonholing, and constructs his story versatile, unpredictable, lyrical: this might frustrate readers who seek a lot of facts, laid out linearly. Clark' More...
Sep 05, 2009
Nancy
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I bought Robert Clark's Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces last November when Clark came to St. Paul for a reading sponsored by Garrison Keilor's "Common Good Books." Starting to read it, I settled in for 320+ pages in which Clark would weave his life around and through the Arno River, Florence, Italy, and the region's art within the context of the damage caused by the great flood of 1966. Clark was one of my mentors in the SPU MFA program and lived in Florenc
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Feb 10, 2012
Susan
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As someone who loves Florence (even more than Venice)and the great works of Western art in the city, I was very interested in reading about this 1966 flood. In addition, one of my friends was in a Junior Year Abroad program there and became one of the "mud angels" talked about in this book. The flooding in New Orleans was also very much in my mind, as I read about the deaths and the heroics that day in Florence. The information about book and art restoration was just as
fascinatin More...
fascinatin More...
Jan 08, 2012
Tom
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In Dark Water: Art, Disaster, and Redemption in Florence, Robert Clark, the novelist from Seattle, weaves a story of the 1966 flood of Florence that attempts and, in a number of ways, succeeds in giving the reader a sense of the essence of the magnificent city of Florence and the importance of its art. But, this is not just an art history book. It is an enthralling tale that can, at times, provide just as many questions as it does answers, and this is a quality that makes it such a compelling re
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Jun 28, 2009
While this book has an interesting story to tell, and I did learn about Italian art history, it was completely frustrating because of lack of photos. The flood in question happened in 1966! There are loads of pictures, and yet this book included just 6 (8 if you count the 2 on the cover) and 2 of them were not about the flood anyway. grrrrr This problem was made worse by the fact that the author is following the progress of a photographer who was on the scene and telling us how he documented the
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Nov 23, 2008
Katie
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Before reading this book I hadn't known that Florence was prone to flooding. I definitely enjoyed this book, reading it each night until I finished. There were so many storylines and people that it could be difficult at times to keep track of them. But then, the last section of the book talked about the author doing his research and each time he'd mention how me met someone or learned of their story it was like a light bulb moment where you made a connection to what you'd read before.
Mar 17, 2009
Mark
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This is a non-fiction work about the rescue of art masterpieces from flooding in Florence, Italy back in the 1960's... an intriguing subject.
But before the author finally gets to the flood itself, he finds it necessary to do a comprehensive review of Italian history, art history & the influx of expatriate Americans into Florence. I'll admit this is probably important background information...
...but it's told in such a world-weary art critic tone that it was exhausting to More...
But before the author finally gets to the flood itself, he finds it necessary to do a comprehensive review of Italian history, art history & the influx of expatriate Americans into Florence. I'll admit this is probably important background information...
...but it's told in such a world-weary art critic tone that it was exhausting to More...
Dec 02, 2010
Julie
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A good book, very readable in many places and I like what Clark was trying to do as far as painting (haha) a picture of Florence and the events of the flood of 1966. My criticism would be that it takes an awful long time for him to get to the 1966 flood. Florence has a lot of wonderful history and I don't envy him the task of trying to prepare the reader for how devastating the flood was but it might have been a bit tighter in the beginning and near the end. His actual discussion of the flood, i
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May 20, 2009
DJ
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Interesting because of knowing the art and Florence but it got tiresome after awhile. It was hard to remember who was who and what they did. It was very interesting learning about what really happened right after the flood and what people did, although it was clear this story was put together long after the fact and based on various people's recollections. I am now motivated to go find the old Life magazine stories of the flood.
May 05, 2010
Lindi
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It is unusual for me to finish a non-fiction book, but this account of the 1966 flood of Florence kept me reading. Despite my egocentric childhood, I do remember seeing pictures of the ruined libraries and artwork and how devastating it seemed to my 11-year-old self, and Florence is one of my favorite places on earth, possibly because of that early exposure.
Clark has written a lovely book on beauty and art and what a culture values, although I do agree with Bluelinesue (see review) t More...
Clark has written a lovely book on beauty and art and what a culture values, although I do agree with Bluelinesue (see review) t More...
Jul 13, 2009
Michelle
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This book was awesome! I loved reading about the flood in Florence and the work to clean up after it. It took me back to our trip there. All I could do was remember where we had been and imagine where the author was writing about.
Feb 17, 2010
Nancy
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Uneven, dragged a bit, but full of lots of information about the Arno River and Florence, Italy and the artists that called that city home over the centuries. I was especially interested in the part about the 1966 flood.
Aug 23, 2009
Caroline
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A fascinating narrative of the history of Florence, the river Arno, and the artists who called Florence home, all linked to the terrible flood of 1966 which devastated many of the cultural treasures of the city.
Feb 05, 2009
Matt/whitey
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I would only recommend this book if you are VERY interested in art restoration or believe Florence is the greatest place on the face of the earth (I believe the latter). The first half of the book is a dry 2000 year history of the city which inexplicably spends little time on Michaelangelo and Brunelleschi. The second half is much more interesting concentrating on the flood of Florence and how the city and world tried to save and restore the art that was damaged.
Oct 17, 2010
Elizabeth
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This was a very interesting exploration of the great flooding of Florence in 1966, its antecedents and lingering aftermath. Clark has done a good job of researching the history and connecting with people who lived through it. However, his narrative approach was so choppy that it was hard to find the flow and he seems undecided whether this is a personal story, or an objective one, sharing his own experiences and doubts and extrapolating those of others in a manner that makes for a disjointed r
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Jan 19, 2012
Jonathan
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Art is fragile, it turns out. Read it before going to Florence. Should have read it in Florence.
Dec 18, 2008
Marzia
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Great read for anyone who has spent more than a few days in Firenze and loves Florence.
Dec 05, 2008
Judy
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Exciting reading before my next Florence trip! I was there in 2006 while preparations were ongoing for the 40th anniversary of the flood.
Lots of discussion about different theories of conservation.
Lots of discussion about different theories of conservation.
Apr 04, 2009
Just read a review of this in the April issue of ART NEWS. Sounds right up my alley!
Feb 01, 2012
In November, 1966, a catastrophic flood swept through Florence, dislocating tens of thousands of people in an ill-prepared country as well as threatening the museums and caches of artworks in many of the private palaces. Using the 40th anniversary commemorations as a starting place for interviews, Clark reconstructs the weeks of disaster, as well as the international rescue effort mounted to rescue the artwork, including fantastically inept and damaging ideas like shellacking tissue paper onto
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May 19, 2010
Linda
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lots to think about as we prepare for our trip to Italy. Wasn't even aware there had been such a devastating flood in Florences in 1966.
Aug 20, 2009
Tuck
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good history of florence, its floods, and its art and artists. not that easy to read though, i don't like his writing style, tries to be TOO literary, but not well done.
Oct 17, 2010
Julie
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This book did just what I wanted it to do - told me in a moment-by-moment way about the 1966 flood of the River Arno into the streets, churches, shops, homes and museums of Florence. Nice focus on very specific people caught up in the disaster. I wouldn't put it on a shelf of favorites, and I wish it had had more photos, a more detailed map - but I'm glad to have read it.
Oct 25, 2009
Ann
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There are really three interconnected stories here: one, a brief history of specific pieces of art in Florence; two, the story of the 1966 flood and restoration (or not) of damaged art and books; three, how the author came to write the story of the flood and aftermath. Stories one and two are very interesting and worth reading; story three less so.
