Prince of the Clouds

by Gianni Riotta

Palermo, 1946. Carlo Terzo, a retired military strategist who has never seen combat, is teaching young Salvatore Dragonara military history while Terzo works on his 'Manual for Strategic Living', in which he hopes to apply the hard lessons of war to daily life.

Salvatore is in love with the young and beautiful Fiore, whose mother, the Duchess Mastema, is a rich and cruel landowner. When Terzo and his friends visit the duchess’s property, they are caught in a pitched battle between the oppressed peasants and the duchess’s hired thugs, and Terzo is forced to put his strategic wisdom to the test…

Genres: Fiction, Italy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Ken Deshaies · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome book. Probably the most detailed history I've every read in fiction. The protagonist is a war strategist and historian. His recounts of battles, and why they were won or lost, is the thread that interweaves all details of the story, from theory to history to current affairs. The current affairs include a marriage that was never anticipated, advocation for a tryst between two young people, an understanding of the politics and class struggles of Sicily, and a (also unanticipated) battle. Within the first 20 pages, you learn how Napoleon became the accidental leader of France, since one of his generals who was much more astute in battle was responsible for winning a key battle, but also got killed in it. The question, raised in the first pages, and brought up repeatedly, is whether winning or losing is, in fact, madness (random occurrences beyond our control) or strategy and determination - or a mixture of the two. The plans carry to personal relations as well as to local events. It was a difficult book to put down.

[Juliet Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of the historical setting in Italy and the fact that one of the main characters is a poet. When i started reading and found there's loads of military strategy in it, I thought 'oh no!'. However the military strategy is fascinating and the whole book is intriguing and thought provoking. The main character Terzo is a military strategist who has never fought in a war yet he manages to engage the interest of Salvatore (the poet) and this reader in military strategy, showing how it can be relevant to life and bringing up questions of how to apply theoretical lessons to real situations and how to learn from history.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had 2 goes at reading the first few pages as it just seemed like pages of words that i couldnt make sense of, btu once i got into the story and the characters i found myself really enjoying it. the battle descriptions are very detailed but add to the climax of the story when they all come into play. I read a review tht said someone tried to skip the battle scenes and just read 'the story' they admitted they had to read read it with the battles as it lost so much doing that. They are in for a reason.
overall not the book i thought it would be but im glad i read it.

[Helenb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't know who Katie B was but she must have read a different book to me. I'm not big on boring historical books, and it does sound quite dry on the surface but I thought it was one of the most romatic books I've ever read. Beautifully written, so sad. And as quite an unexpected result gave me a greater understanding of the politics of WW2, from a different perspective - that of a reluctant member of the wrong side - there were good people on the bad side.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply touching novel that talks about life, war and military strategy. With its hero a gentle military historian who sets out to make sense of life through the lens of military strategy, this book moved me greatly.

[Ginny_1807 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Il colonnello Carlo Terzo sospese la lettura e alzò lo sguardo al sole, aspettando una risposta. Ma il tenente Amedeo Campari, piedi ben piantati sulla sabbia della spiaggia maremmana, guardava in silenzio l'orizzonte del mare e tirava di fioretto contro l'infinito. Nel balenare di luce della lama, il libeccio piegava la cima dei pini, rovesciando sulla riva bianche ondate di spuma..."
Prologo, secondo paragrafo.
Tac! Conquistata.

E l'arte della guerra, concepita dal protagonista come cultura, intuizione e razionalità, diventa anche, e soprattutto, strategia di vita:
""Batti il nemico se batti te stesso, se ti superi, rivelandoti paziente, saggio e tenace. Soffrendo come mai avresti pensato di riuscire a soffrire. Morale, ecco la parola...Ricordati: in guerra vince chi pensa di più e più in fretta, chi riesce a pensare come il suo avversario, fino a guidarne i comportamenti. Si vince conquistando il cervello del nemico, non il suo esercito, come reputava Hitler.""
Bellissimo.

[Jasper Mijares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you come across a book that surprises you with its simply told but elegantly constructed story. Something that makes you look at your life and relationships with fresh new eyes and reminds you that its the tiny pleasures of our daily lives that defines the boundaries of love and joy.

At heart it is a common tale of war and lovers caught within its web, but go deeper and it becomes a tale of innocence lost and youth revisited, of what it felt to be young and so sure of everything, but also of growing old(er) and coming to terms with the reality that not all of your dreams will come true.

For a book that has been translated you still get a feeling of rhythm and pacing which just makes you wonder how much better it would be if you could read it in the original Italian.

I picked Prince of the Clouds because of its ties to military history but stuck with it because of Terzo and the loves and minor triumphs of his life.

[Chris Perley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, and whoever translated it needs praise as well. The themes are so wonderful. Some will see history, but that is there to demonstrate some truths about love and honour and uncertainty, and the importance of passion beyond methodological order. Overall, it is about living in a life of uncertainty, and knowing your own heart. Use your talent, be who you are.

Absolutely beautifully written and evocative of time and place as well. Masterful.

[Tilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The military strategy captivated me in this book. It was easy to read because of the romance that the author blend in. Post war Sicily, people find themselves in love and dare to break society old tradition in order to foster love.

[Windy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the heart of this book is a lovely, if sad, story. However the book is inundated with military history which I found dragging.

[Amaliia Popova · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most beautiful books I've ever read

[Keren Lilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost let the recounting of battle strategies put me off - but really glad I persevered with this intriguing whimsical book. The second half was gripping... no spoilers!

[Chris Waterford · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was dominated more by the battlefields of wars from centuries past than by the romance. Too challenging for me. DNF.
2/10

[TheWeatherWitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

premise seems promising but I just cannot push through with it I dunno why

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best thing about Prince of the Clouds is the cover design. But that is also the worst thing, because it makes you believe that the book might be worth reading. Big mistake.

The hero has devoted his life to the study of military strategy. Even if you take the mind-numbing tedium of that sentence and multiply it by a hundred, you could never get a hint of just how boring this book is.

I despise the premise of this story - that war is romantic, heroic and interesting. In fact, as the book so clearly demonstrates, war is banal, barbaric and pointless.

I'm not even going to take this book to a charity shop because the kindest thing I can do for the world is to dump it in the rubbish. That way, I will have done my bit to ensure that no-one else spends any precious hours reading this tosh.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book.

I found the details of the historical battles fascinating. Setting these against the background of post WWII Italy is a wonderful idea.

This reader empathised with the Colonel, for whom it is almost too late, and then with the young lovers whom we hope will have a future in a new Italy in a new world.

Both the reader and the characters are left with dreams in tatters but some vestiges of hope.

[Giovanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book I would have expected to like very much, military history not being a big passion of mine. But I did like it--a lot. The discussions of historic battles between the historian and his student were quite interesting, as was the connection between military strategy and life. And the book as a whole was quite moving.

[Ali Barrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more a man's book, it is full of military history which can be quite tedious, but you have to read it as the love story is woven into the military history. The love story is delightful, sad and poignant and well worth wading through ancient battles. I did try and skip a battle and found I had missed an important part of the story.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a very big fan of military history books and before I start reading the book I was sure that I wouldn't liked it... but how wrong I was!! I liked it very much!! I didn't expect this!! 4 stars and not 5 because I didn't like the end :-(.... I was expecting another end, what can I say... I'm a woman :-)

[Renan Mendes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book for sheer luck and was surprised by how good it was. I had never read anything from Riota, but I was immediately impressed by his writing. Enticing story with a very well constructed ambiance. I really recommend this book for people that love history, war and love stories.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man must reluctantly put his study of war strategies to the test.

[Sarah]

Quite good, enjoyed it more than I thought I would - parts along the lines of Captain Corelli

[Hayley.yule · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me

[Iza · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing how the author can give so many details of wars and mix them with a romantic and adventurous story!