Well researched and entertaining perspective of 18th century Rome based on the experiences of one of the century's most well known and misunderstood characters, Giacomo Casanova. Kathleen González’s portrayal transports the reader to the sounds, smells, and pictures of the era, its affluence and poverty, the power of the Catholic Church, and a moral compass that sometimes sits uncomfortably with today’s reader. An amusing and educational read!
--Lisetta Lovett, author of Casanova's Guide to Medicine
Reviews and
Recommendations
Kathleen González has done it again! Flirting with Fortune: Casanova in Rome is a highly entertaining read that fills a gap not only in books about the Venetian adventurer but also in travel writing for anyone visiting the Eternal City. This book is a popular guide that is also meticulously researched, presenting new information about Casanova and his experiences. It’s great fun and will be a new, indispensable classic for tourists, lovers of Rome, and specialists alike.
--Tom Vitelli, Editor of Casanoviana
​
​
​
The Son of Venice aspired to be a Nephew of Rome. Three stays in the Eternal City saw Casanova pitting his exuberant seductions against an old world of power, snobbery, corruption, intrigue, licentiousness. This engaging new book furnishes all the maps, addresses, and notes that a modern traveler needs to navigate 18th century Rome in Casanova’s fearless footsteps and through his passionate eyes.
--Michelle Lovric, author of Carnevale and
The Book of Human Skin
​
A most fascinating and impeccably researched tour through Rome, from the eighteenth-century to now, seen through the eyes of Casanova who sojourned in it several times throughout his life, and the stories he spins his many adventures and observations . A must-read for anyone who wishes to do the right thing “when in Rome…."
--Malina Stefanovska, author of Casanova in the Enlightenment: From the Margins to the Centre