Well, I finished City of

Well, I finished City of the Soul last night, and I couldn't have been less satisfied. The book is in the series of books with Never a City So Real, which, you'll remember, I loved. And I thought that since City of the Soul was about Rome, I would really love it, and feel the city of Rome through the book.
It wasn't to be, though. The author, Murray, primarily concentrates on an older Rome (especially the late forties, mid-fifties period) that I'm just not familiar with. Rome changes so much, a characteristic I realized in 2002, when I went back with S and S.S. I mean, fundamentally, the city has stayed the same since it's founding. I don't think, for instance, that the Romans have changed. Ever. But the ongoing effort of keeping the ruins in good condition, of basically just making sure the ruins aren't destroyed, is changing the city. It always looks, and feels, just a little bit different.
But Murray didn't connect with me. He didn't make me love Rome any more than I already did. Whereas Kotlowitz, in Never a City So Real, made me love Chicago more than I already do. I'm now trying to reevaluate whether or not to buy any more books in the series.