Sicily

I’ve listened to a lot of audiobooks about Italy’s past, but few have delivered the sheer, unapologetic *joy* of Norwich’s Sicily. Healy’s narration is the secret sauce—his timing is impeccable, his impersonations of historical figures (especially the sneaky Charles of Anjou) are delightfully over-the-top without tipping into parody, and his brevity in the denser sections (looking at you, Byzantine theological debates) keeps the momentum from stalling. That said, Norwich’s love for his subject occasionally curdles into a bit too much gushing over Norman cathedrals. At one point, I found myself speeding up during a 20-minute ode to mosaics, only to slam back into high gear when the next paragraph details a sacking or a coup. The pacing isn’t always even, but when it works, it’s *glorious*—like watching a tennis match where every volley could change the game. My biggest quibble? Norwich occasionally glosses over the darker corners of Sicily’s story, particularly the brutal treatment of its Jewish and Muslim communities under Norman rule. He’s not wrong to highlight the island’s crossroads of cultures, but this isn’t a hagiography, and the book suffers from a few too many ‘warts-and-all’ skips. Still, if you’re after a history that’s equal parts erudition and entertainment—where the footnotes are as quotable as the main text—this is your ticket. Healy’s performance alone justifies the runtime, making even the driest political maneuvering feel like a tussle in a back-alley tavern. Five stars for the drama; subtract one for the occasional historiographical blind spot.