Books : Naples '44: An Intelligence Officer in the Italian Labyrinth

Rating: - A wonderful book
Norman Lewis's son is a friend of mine and has been for twenty years. For twenty years I've drunk beer, watched football, told jokes and (in the dim & distant past) chased girls with the son. I even met the father once. It was not until I read the back of a Norman Lewis book last year & saw the picture, that I put two and two together. "Yep, that's my Dad". Astonishing!

I read that book,A Dragon Apparent, and enjoyed it, but not really enough to run out & buy others. I dont read much travel writing in general but it was undeniably well written, interesting & felt it was doing me good. On a whim I bought this one, Naples 44, last week and it is a real step up. Dressed up as a diary of a place in time (there's a clue in the title as to where & when!), each entry is a beautifully told story about the different people and circumstances that Lewis encountered during his time there in WWII. Lacking any sentiment and written in a gritty style, its a very visual work. I find the vignettes easy to picture and they deal with some of the realities of a land that has experienced war, at times harrowing and at others humorous. To use a Sun-tastic word, the book is "unputdownable".

I'm proud to know that I once met the book's author & I heartily recommend that you read this book.

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Rating: - Effortless prose depicts an incredible culture and period
Naples '44 is simply an incredible, brilliantly-written diary of an intelligence officer that is at times shocking and moving.

Armed with modesty, unfailing politness and, perhaps most impressively, a military pass allowing him to be anywhere at any time and in any uniform, Norman Lewis moves through the murky, dangerous world of wartime Naples.

Lewis, who died in July 2003, was a London-born Welshmen whose diamond-sharp eye for observation and subtle satire and humour depicts with warmth and accuracy the idiosyncrasies of Italian culture, and a city that has descended into chaos.

For Lewis, his stay in Naples was an unforgettable experience. Thanks to his writing talent it is also an unforgettable experience for any reader of Naples '44 - a fascinating and valuable historical document.

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Rating: - A Diamond In The Rough
Perhaps that's a little harsh. There's plenty on Amazon that isn't rough - indeed, there's plenty of diamonds too. The most dazzling of them all though is Naples '44, a gemstone which reflects one man's mastery of fluid yet taut prose and his knack for surfacing in the singular circumstance. (While serving with the Intelligence Corp, Lewis was issued the government pass which bore the legend, 'The bearer is entitled to be in any place and wearing any uniform he chooses. All persons subject to military law are required to give any assistance he needs.') The kind of book that makes you wish that every person alive was aware of it.

I'd be a cretin if I didn't praise the publisher, Eland of London. Their commitment to a list of unexceptionable integrity and the long lost pride in wares is all the more vivid because of its conspicuous infrequency.

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Rating: - Well written, atmospheric, rivetting and rings true.
I was hooked from page 1. This diary of a British Field Security sergeant in recently liberated Naples rings true in every respect. It is especially good in the way it tells how the chaotic situation among the Allies allowed the Mafia to reassert its influence. Of course, it was the poor liberated Italians who suffered most. Any person who has been in the Forces will recognize the truth of Lewis' stories of the complex relationships between the transient troops and their reluctant hosts. I had not enjoyed a book so much for a long time and have recommended it to friends.

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Rating: - A true insight into the History of modern Naples
I have lived in Naples for 7 months and this book really answers a lot of questions visitors may have when then come to Naples. Naples is a unique city an Normal Lewis gets right into the heart of the Neopolitans.

Well worth reading.