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Rakhi Dalal's Reviews > Invisible Cities

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
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it was amazing
bookshelves: calvino, journey, dreams, favorites

A city inhabiting one’s inside, its streets, lanes and by-lanes running in the veins and arteries, the hubbub of the city enlivening even the tiniest fraction of a being. The city; living, breathing, growing and leaving an impression in the very essence, even if it is never visited in one’s lifetime. And then - a multitude of such cities, standing under the auspices of their heritage, a witness to the chronicles of their golden times, cities with their halos; an invisible but inescapable allure. Cities; rising with dusk, their pulses throbbing to the rhythm of stars. Cadence of street lights; illuminating in its glow, the stones of the wall of a building standing silently and witnessing bare human emotions/acts � love, passion, deceit, despair, joy, pain, indifference but above all a discreteness embodying the city. Cities, with its uneven alleys where an old man sit outside the door of his house, the wrinkles on his face telling the story of his life, his eyes a testimony of submission in the face of the inevitable, and a young, beautiful woman, selling seasonal flowers by the side; unnerving a quiescent thought. The labyrinthine roads which never seem to end, taking one forward, on and on, with their flow, adding a clutter of houses by the side, a face sneaking from a window; seeming a gateway to the unknown. The outline of houses in the sea by which they stand; the shadows in clear water defying the ephemeral. Cities, with those parks and boulevards where a curious seeker seeks the traces of path trodden by great authors and thinkers; an eagerness to associate with that one idea, a particular thought, capable of creating a summer inside�..



Let me seek those cities O my mind, cities invisible but living inside me�.

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Reading Progress

October 12, 2013 – Shelved as: to-read
October 12, 2013 – Shelved
November 29, 2013 – Started Reading
November 29, 2013 –
0.0% "On the map of your empire, O Great Khan, there must be room both for the big, stone Fedora and the little Fedoras in glass globes. Not because they are
all equally real, but because all are only assumptions. The one contains what is accepted as necessary when it is not yet so; the others, what is imagined as possible and, a moment later, is possible no longer."
December 2, 2013 – Finished Reading
December 5, 2013 – Shelved as: calvino
December 5, 2013 – Shelved as: journey
December 10, 2013 – Shelved as: dreams
June 29, 2017 – Shelved as: favorites

Comments Showing 1-39 of 39 (39 new)

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Rakhi Dalal Henry wrote: "Rakhi,

I look forward to your review. I just picked up The Baron in the Trees as my next read."


I just hope I'm able to write :)


Garima WOW! This is astonishingly beautiful, Rakhi. Clearly my favorite of all your reviews. I was actually in a restless mood a while back but your writing worked as soothing balm on my senses. Wonderful! Awesome! Superb! So glad you loved Calvino.


Scott Cripps Beautiful review.


Rakhi Dalal Garima wrote: "WOW! This is astonishingly beautiful, Rakhi. Clearly my favorite of all your reviews. I was actually in a restless mood a while back but your writing worked as soothing balm on my senses. Wonderful..."

I am so glad that it calmed you,Garima :) Thanks for the best compliment ever! I loved Calvino,yes and I am looking forward to reading Cosmicomics.


Rakhi Dalal Henry wrote: "And you said you did not know what to write :)"

All thanks to Calvino. He made me visualize those places I want to visit :)


Rakhi Dalal Scott wrote: "Beautiful review."

Thanks,Scott


message 7: by Tej (new) - added it

Tej Perfect way to wake up into the day, your review, Rakhi...You have surely lit up the intrigue of this book with your smoothly beautiful piece, Thank you :)


Gregsamsa Rakhi wrote: "... a face sneaking from a window;"

Love that.


Samadrita Extraordinary review, Rakhi. You have made my morning beautiful!

"Cities; rising with dusk, their pulses throbbing to the rhythm of stars."

Lovely!


message 10: by s.penkevich (new)

s.penkevich Gorgeous review, Rakhi. Simply breathtaking.


Rakhi Dalal Tej wrote: "Perfect way to wake up into the day, your review, Rakhi...You have surely lit up the intrigue of this book with your smoothly beautiful piece, Thank you :)"

Thanks,Tej. Glad to hear it lit up your intrigue :)


Rakhi Dalal Henry wrote: "I'm starting to learn that while I love Calvino's style and prose, he is best taken is small doses. I have three of his books on my hands now, and, after opening two, I discovered that Invisible Ci..."

This was my first Calvino, so I cannot say much till I read some other works of him. But yes, I did love his style :)


Rakhi Dalal Gregsamsa wrote: "Rakhi wrote: "... a face sneaking from a window;"

Love that."


Thanks,Greg :)


Rakhi Dalal Samadrita wrote: "Extraordinary review, Rakhi. You have made my morning beautiful!

"Cities; rising with dusk, their pulses throbbing to the rhythm of stars."

Lovely!"


Thanks,Samadrita. Happy that it made your morning beautiful :)


Rakhi Dalal s.penkevich wrote: "Gorgeous review, Rakhi. Simply breathtaking."

Thanks,Sven! I owe my reading of Calvino to you and Garima.Thanks for introducing to my shelf another wonderful author :)


message 16: by Stephen (new) - added it

Stephen P(who no longer can participate due to illness) That was gorgeous Rakhi. Sensual, visual, inspirational!


Kalliope This is such a wonderful book, Rakhi. I am glad you also liked it... And you showed us and shared with us beautifully how this reading kindled your mind.


Rakhi Dalal Stephen wrote: "That was gorgeous Rakhi. Sensual, visual, inspirational!"

Thanks,Stephen!


Rakhi Dalal Kalliope wrote: "This is such a wonderful book, Rakhi. I am glad you also liked it... And you showed us and shared with us beautifully how this reading kindled your mind."

I loved your review of the book,Kalliope! And I had you and Dolors in my mind while writing this review, probably because it is Spain which so captures my imagination :)


Kalliope Rakhi wrote: "Kalliope wrote: "This is such a wonderful book, Rakhi. I am glad you also liked it... And you showed us and shared with us beautifully how this reading kindled your mind."

I loved your review of ..."


Thank you.. but this book should really make you think of Venice and the oriental cities...

But I hope to take you around Madrid some time...


Rakhi Dalal @ Kalliope and Henry: You might be right, but I really have to see it myself to know more :) Kalliope, I do hope that happens sometime....


message 22: by Aloha (new) - added it

Aloha Beautiful flow in your review, Rakhi.


Rakhi Dalal Aloha wrote: "Beautiful flow in your review, Rakhi."

Thanks,Aloha :)


message 24: by Steve (new)

Steve What a wonderful review, Rakhi! I couldn't decide between this one and Cosmicomics as my next Calvino, but you just tipped the scales this one's way.


Rakhi Dalal Steve wrote: "What a wonderful review, Rakhi! I couldn't decide between this one and Cosmicomics as my next Calvino, but you just tipped the scales this one's way."

Thanks,Steve! This is indeed a lovely book. I am sure you'll enjoy this one.Cosmicomics will be my next Calvino :)


message 26: by [deleted user] (new)

heard the name of Calvino but didn't know much about him your review makes me want to look into his writing.


Rakhi Dalal Peter wrote: "heard the name of Calvino but didn't know much about him your review makes me want to look into his writing."

Thanks,Peter. This has been my first Calvino, thanks to some great friends here on GR, and I loved it :) I really look forward to reading him more. You should give this a go, you might as well like him :)


message 28: by Traveller (new) - added it

Traveller Lovely imagery there, Rakhi, how good you are with creating mood and atmosphere!


Rakhi Dalal Traveller wrote: "Lovely imagery there, Rakhi, how good you are with creating mood and atmosphere!"

Thank you so much, Trav!! Your comment just made my day :)


message 30: by Riku (new) - rated it 5 stars

Riku Sayuj Had missed this review. Simply glorious!


Rakhi Dalal Riku wrote: "Had missed this review. Simply glorious!"

Thanks,Riku :)


Himanshu What a review, Rakhi!! I just didn't want it to end, and while writing this, I'm still continuing those lines in my head where from you've left. :)


Rakhi Dalal Himanshu wrote: "What a review, Rakhi!! I just didn't want it to end, and while writing this, I'm still continuing those lines in my head where from you've left. :)"

Thanks for your kind words,Himanshu :)

The last line is inspired from this quote by Camus--
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer."


message 34: by Nidhi (new)

Nidhi Singh Gorgeous review, Rakhi!


Rakhi Dalal Nidhi wrote: "Gorgeous review, Rakhi!"

Thanks,Nidhi!


message 36: by Soumen (new) - added it

Soumen Daschoudhury Simply beautiful!. Loved the pic too.


Rakhi Dalal Soumen wrote: "Simply beautiful!. Loved the pic too."
Thanks,Soumen :)


message 38: by Purneindu (new)

Purneindu Reading ur review makes feel like getting merged with the soul of a city .


Rakhi Dalal Purneindu wrote: "Reading ur review makes feel like getting merged with the soul of a city ."

Thanks, Purneidu.This book is worth reading for the kind of experience it evokes. Unparalled.


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