29 Jul Book Review: The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa published The Leopard (“Il Gattopardo”) posthumously in 1958, drawing on his own aristocratic Sicilian heritage. Widely regarded as a modern European classic, it won Italy’s Strega Prize and became the top-selling Italian novel of the 20th century. Its exploration of tradition and transformation during the Risorgimento—Italy’s unification—reflects the author’s intimate knowledge of aristocratic decline and cultural upheaval.

What’s it about?

Set in 1860 Sicily, The Leopard follows Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, a proud aristocrat watching his world erode under the forces of revolution and social change.

The Arrival of Change
The story opens as Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Redshirts land in Marsala, signaling the collapse of Bourbon rule and the rise of a unified Italy. The Salina family’s ancient traditions and secure social standing tremble in the wake of these events.

Prince Fabrizio’s Inner World
Don Fabrizio, an observant and introspective man, embodies this fading order. He cherishes Catholic ritual, aristocratic honor, and the slow, steady rhythms of his class. But he senses that change is irresistible—yet often hollow.

Tancredi’s Opportunity
Enter Tancredi, Principe’s charismatic nephew, who joins Garibaldi’s volunteers. His motto—“if we want things to stay the same, everything must change”—captures a shrewd ambition: he will marry Angelica Sedara, daughter of the nouveau riche Sedara family, to preserve status through adaptation.

Family and Social Rituals
Scenes of estate visits, hunting expeditions, and the grand ball at Donnafugata unfold with meticulous detail. Elegance and decay coexist—the palace’s grandeur, dusty salons, and aging portraits speak of a world both rich and eroding.

Love, Legacy, Loss
Fabrizio admires Angelica’s grace and Tancredi’s adaptability and feels both pride and mourning. His daughter Concetta thrives as a dutiful aristocrat, yet remains overshadowed by her uncle’s vitality and her own constrained role.

Decline and Resolution
Don Fabrizio declines a senatorial honor, recognizing that his class is destined to vanish. He accepts the transformation—but with bitterness. The novel closes in 1910 with Concetta on the cusp of burial, reflecting on what remains of their lineage. The taxidermied family dog flickers off a windowsill—a chilling image of mortality and obsolescence.

What This Chick Thinks

Elegy Wrapped in Aristocratic Grace

The novel mourns a disappearing world without romanticizing it. Fabrizio’s acceptance of inevitable decline is elegiac yet clear-eyed—his melancholy tinged with dignity.

“Change vs Continuity” in One Quote

Tancredi’s line about change encapsulates the paradox at the heart of the novel. The transformation of state and class hides deeper roots: Sicilians may change uniforms, but old power structures quietly persist.

Atmosphere as Emotional Landscape

Pufahl’s lyrical detail is echoed here in Lampedusa’s meticulously painted Sicily—heat, dust, decay. That setting isn’t just backdrop; it pulses with memory, inertia, and shifting social codes.

Moral Ambiguity, Not Spectacle

No clear villains here—just people navigating impossible choices. Fabrizio is not reactionary—he’s reflective, cynical, self-aware. Revolution is not evil; it’s unavoidable. Italy isn’t redeemed; it’s complicated.

One Minor Note

The pacing feels leisurely, mirroring aristocratic life. Some modern readers might find it slow, but the emotional returns on each scene—a glance, a dance—are cumulatively powerful.

Final Thoughts

The Leopard is beautiful, bittersweet, and unflinchingly honest about history’s complex transformations. It’s a novel of deep introspection, political nuance, and exquisite atmosphere. If you’re drawn to quiet classics that linger in the heart and mind, this one’s unforgettable.

Rating: 9.5/10

Try it if you like:

• The House at Riverton by Kate Morton – An aristocratic family’s secret past unfurls across decades.
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – A quietly powerful historical novel steeped in atmospheric loss and resilience.
• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante – Intimate class and social change seen through close female friendship over time.