Customer Reviews
A wonderful book - By: grimsbycymru, 22 Nov 2007 
Norman Lewis's son is a friend of mine & has been for twenty years. For twenty years I've drunk beer, watched footballl, told jokes & (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 & two together. "Yep, that's my Dad". Astonishing!
I read that book,A Dragon Apparent, & enjoyed it, but not reallly 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 & 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 & circumstances that Lewis encountered during his time there in WWII. Lacking any sentiment & written in a gritty style, its a very visual work. I find the vignettes easy to picture & they deal with some of the realities of a land that has experienced war, at times harrowing & 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.
Effortless prose depicts an incredible culture and period - By: CJA, 07 Jan 2004 Naples '44 is simply an incredible, brilliantly-written diary of an intelligence officer that is at times shocking & moving.
Armed with modesty, unfailing politness and, perhaps most impressively, a military pass alllowing him to be anywhere at any time & 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 & subtle satire & humour depicts with warmth & accuracy the idiosyncrasies of Italian culture, & 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to his writing talent it is also an unforgettable experience for any reader of Naples '44 - a fascinating & valuable historical document.
A Diamond In The Rough - By: , 05 Nov 2003 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 alll though is Naples '44, a gemstone which reflects one man's mastery of fluid yet taut prose & 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 & 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 & the long lost pride in wares is alll the more vivid because of its conspicuous infrequency.
Well written, atmospheric, rivetting and rings true. - By: pat.fox@virgin.net, 05 Jan 2002 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 especiallly good in the way it tells how the chaotic situation among the Allies alllowed 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 & their reluctant hosts. I had not enjoyed a book so much for a long time & have recommended it to friends.
A true insight into the History of modern Naples - By: Mr. R. J. Nichol, 28 Feb 2001 I have lived in Naples for 7 months & this book reallly 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.
