Epigraph: Questo di fu solenne: or da' trastulli prendi riposo. Giacomo Leopardi | La sera del dì di festa The Evening of the Holiday (1820) | Giacomo Leopardi (29 June 1798 – 14 June 1837) - full poem here. According to a variety of online poetry sites, Leopardi's idyll expresses his unhappiness thanks to an indifferent, distant woman plus a … Continue reading The Evening of the Holiday | Shirley Hazzard #AUSnovella
In the mornings after breakfast I walk past a small marble plaque propped against the high wall flanking the road. The short stories in Jhumpa Lahiri's Whereabouts were originally written in Italian. Lahiri then translated them into English. Lahiri moved from the US to Italy in 2011 with her husband and two children. They live … Continue reading Whereabouts | Jhumpa Lahiri #ITAfiction
Sketch of Laura as Venus C1444 Early in chapter six of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the suitor, Pietro Crespi is wooing Amaranta. He 'would arrive at dusk, with a gardenia in his buttonhole, and he would translate Petrarch's sonnets for Amaranta. They would sit on the porch, suffocated by oregano … Continue reading The Fifteen Sonnets of Petrarch #Classic
Sometimes you read a book, or discover an author, that opens up a new world to you. Or a world that you knew existed, but one that doesn't really intersect very often with your own every day, ordinary life. A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar was one such book and one such author. It's … Continue reading A Month in Siena | Hisham Matar #NonFiction
Sometimes a reading experience is not as straight forward as you might first think. There are some books that demand more of the reader. The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones was one of those books for me. I feel a little guilty about confessing that this was my first Gail Jones. One of … Continue reading The Death of Noah Glass | Gail Jones #AWW
By all accounts Megan Hess' books about fashion should not be my thing at all. I'm not into fashion, haute couture or otherwise. I don't give a fig about luxury brands or prestigious designers. But Coco Chanel has always fascinated me - it's her rags and riches story that intrigues me more than her fashion … Continue reading Iconic:The Masters of Italian Fashion by Megan Hess
I've had a peculiar day.People have been sharing their tales of woe and weirdness with me all day.Acquaintances, not quite strangers on the street, but close enough, sharing intimate, private details with me. I've been hugging people left, right and centre and listening to the most extraordinary stories.All of this weirdness got me thinking about … Continue reading The Ides of March
Pompeii by Robert Harris is my first bookclub read for 2018. I confess that Robert Harris is not a usual go-to author for me, although I've said that without ever having read any of his books before. I figured Pompeii would be okay as I'm always interested in anything Ancient Greek or Ancient Roman and Pompeii … Continue reading Pompeii by Robert Harris
It has taken me a while but here I am at the end of the Ferrante tetralogy.With so much hype and frenzy surrounding the series and author, it was hard to come to these books with a fresh approach or low expectations.My feelings and reactions have been complicated and mixed up to say the least. … Continue reading The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
I decided to finish off The Apothecary trilogy this past weekend during Dewey's 24 hr Readathon.It was a great readathon choice.The After-Room was a quick, easy, entertaining read.It started off terrifically and I raced through the first half. Conversations with the dead, a mind-reading magician and a trip to Italy kept the action and the … Continue reading The After-Room by Maile Meloy
My reactions to book three of Ferrante's Neapolitan series are a lot more confused than with her previous two books.I've just come to the not-so surprising end (when you consider the title) of Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and all I have are these words running through my head:RumoursIndecisionMuddyDoubtsPush me-pull meFrustratingFor God's Sake!Get … Continue reading Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante
It's not easy to review a book that has had so much love and so much attention already heaped onto it.How do you add to the praise, or describe how profoundly it affected you, or marvel over the language and depth of character detail, when it's all been said before ?The Story of a New … Continue reading The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante
Thanks to Andi's #15in31 challenge this month I have been ripping through all those half-finished books lurking in my backpack and by my bed.The Days of Abandonment was my backpack book, mostly due to it's slimness. But as it turned out, the emotional impact of this book worked best in small doses as well.(My backpack … Continue reading The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
It almost feels a bit redundant to write a review about My Brilliant Friend, since nearly everyone I know in blogger land has already read and reviewed it.But since this blog explores my personal journey with books rather than writing straight book reviews, I figure I'll find something to say that is unique!Part of the … Continue reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Most of you will be familiar with Shirley Hughes because of her wonderful picture books including Dogger and the Alfie series. After all these years, Hero on a Bicycle is her first novel for children. The story is set in Florence at the end of WW2. Paulo's father is fighting with the Partisans but hasn't been … Continue reading Hero On A Bicycle | Shirley Hughes
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